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Post Info TOPIC: Remarkable non-GB performances


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RE: Remarkable non-GB performances


I know it was yesterday but big shout out for Jack Sock who beat Dimitrov at Roland Garros.

(I love his name - Jack Sock - just has that ring to it)

And, of course, a huge congrats to Mirjana Lucic, age 33, and a true veteran of adversity of the worst kind, who has just beaten Halep, very easily.

(And a little shout too for Mahut, another 33 year-old, of epic renown and a nice guy, who's just beaten Gulbis).

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Yes, I was happy about all of those ones, too. Thought Sock might well win; he's been playing some beautiful tennis. Didn't anticipate Mahut - but utterly delighted! And fascinating that Mirjana Lucic is rapidly becoming Halep's nemesis.

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While they are still playing ... all respect to Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova. 3.5 hours and counting ... quite the battle.

[Also a remarkable scheduling decision. This is the first match on Court 1. The next is Azarenka v Hradecka; then Isner-Chardy (unlikely to be a short, quick, match) and then Ferrer v Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Likelihood all these matches can be completed on this court seems low.]



-- Edited by Spectator on Thursday 28th of May 2015 01:04:04 PM

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Although a lover of the 'older player (and this year the number of over-30 year olds in the MD at Roland Garros is at an all-time high) but a little shout out to the two teenagers left in the men's draw - supposedly the first time two teenagers have been in this stage of the male draw for a long time (last time even one teenager made it to the third round in France was 2008)



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It's good to see after a dearth of young players coming through for years.

Whether the new generation will achieve as much as Nadal / Djokovic / Murray / Del Potro at fairly young ages I have rather large doubts. But, of course, they are not helped by the aforementioned still mainly very much being around.

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Just a little mention for the US, having 4 out of the 8 quarter-finalists in the Boys' Roland Garros competition (including Katie B's 'special friend,' Tommy Paul). And 2 girls, too.

Pretty good going . . .



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And 9 of 16 in the QFs of the doubles. I saw a tweet somewhere that pointed out the irony that Patrick McEnroe, who had some role re: player development in which he was evidently much criticised, had recently resigned ... just as a string of players started to come through. In the boys, Argentina also has two, France has one, and Chile one. Argentina also seems to be doing quite well in the up-and-coming arena. The girls are more evenly distributed.

On Radio 5 Live commentary during the QFs, though, they were pointing out the relative paucity of Spanish boys. Wonder whether that's because there aren't many good young Spaniards coming up, or because they tend (if I remember correctly) to play less junior tennis. And indeed, looking at it, none of the top seven ATP-ranked eligible players (Zverev, Rublev, Tiafoe, Lee, Kozlov, Safiullin, Jasika) is playing. As two of those are US, it doesn't alter the sense that they've got a good crop ... but it certainly does put the Russians on the map (and there's another sub-500 eligible Russian, too). Something also seems to be going right for the Australians and South Koreans! How long before the Aussies win the Davis Cup?

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On another note, hurrah for Ms Bacsinzsky. Hers is a lovely story: may she continue to enjoy her tennis and flourish.

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Yes, I agree - Timea B's story is lovely.

In fact, it makes you think - in her quarter final, there was Timea, who was hot-housed to within an inch of her life as a kiddie (more by her father than the federation, has to be said). Hated life. Got injured. Saw a shrink who helped her decide to quit. Quit tennis. Got a job at the hotel. Put all her rackets in storage in her friend's cellar (or wherever). And then, suddenly, got an email form RG, got in her car, drove up to Paris to play qualis, and, hey, a little later, here she is in the semi finals.

And on the other side was Alison van U, who supposedly was never part of the federation, stayed at home, at her home club, with a local coach, playing juniors and doing very well but not in the system. Until, age 18, and having finished her schooling, she decides it's now time to join the Flemish federation in Antwerp - and a year or so later is in the quarter finals.

It's a strange sport . . . lots of paths and all that . . .

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Yes, Spectator, I can't help feeling slightly for Patrick MacEnroe too - I've no real idea about the ebbs and flows of US junior tennis but he must surely have been instrumental/had some influence in setting up the structure which seems to be flourishing now.

Down to three Americans, and a lone Frenchie, in the boys' draw. Pretty convincing.

(Cici Bellis flies the US flag in the girls, with a Spanish girl, a Russian and a Czech).

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Not 'remarkable' as such but everyone likes to watch Giorgi play and her dad is quite a 'character':

www.spaziotennis.com/2015/06/sergio-giorgi-i-love-brilliant-madness-cannot-stand-commonness/

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not really 'remarkable' but a little shout for journeyman Vincent Millot (FRA), age 29, and ranked 215 or so, and unseeded, who put out the Belgian top seed yesterday in the qualis, Coppejans, ranked WR 97 or so.

not a huge fan of the guy (the tennis isn't pretty) but he's a little, stocky guy who put in a real terrier-like performance, absolutely on every ball and fought like a demon. Well done to him.

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Just to note that Jarkko Nieminen has announced his retirement. (Link to article in Finnish - hello, Google translate! - here ....www.hs.fi/urheilu/a1435025195241)

A fine career and a lovely (from everything I've ever read) person - one of the ones that I've always enjoyed following. Hope he has a good run in the remaining matches, and that he and his family enjoy life after tennis.

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Coup Droit wrote:

not really 'remarkable' but a little shout for journeyman Vincent Millot (FRA), age 29, and ranked 215 or so, and unseeded, who put out the Belgian top seed yesterday in the qualis, Coppejans, ranked WR 97 or so.

not a huge fan of the guy (the tennis isn't pretty) but he's a little, stocky guy who put in a real terrier-like performance, absolutely on every ball and fought like a demon. Well done to him.


And he went on to qualify by beating Copil and ERV.



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And congrats to Australia who, with 16 players in total, in the Wimbledon singles draw, post their best performance for 20 years (in terms of getting entrants into the main draw).

Great to see them getting back up there.

And the Americans too, with 23 in total (16 women and 7 men), another good number, although with an interesting gender imbalance.

Glad also to see a decent number of Japanese players in the main draw (important because Japan seems to send more cameramen/women/interviewers/etc., per player, than any other country!).

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