Strongbow wrote:

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Amy was ranked about 600 - so is easily the strongest player there.

 

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 A fair bit higher than that..... she was 381 in Feb '15, according to ITF. 

Alice Robbe (Tiff's opponent) is an interesting case of one classic French approach.

She's born 2000, so still a junior. Did her Bac a year early. Enrolled to do Sports Uni last September and has just finished a year.
Made an active decision with her coach to not play too many tournaments throughout France, (not necessary), not to travel abroad (too expensive), and simply to focus on the top money tournaments more close to home. She's not even close to getting a ranking but took out the fourth seed for the loss of three games. Still got to be a good draw for Tiff, though.

Michael D wrote:

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Well, congrats to the Irish for putting on a 15k tournament and showing what can happen when you do, both regards their own players, as well as GBs. However... what comes next, and how are these players given an opportunity of actually gaining the other two counters to get their actual ranking? I suppose next year, it will be easier with the transition tour, but whatever the tour arrangements, as a national tennis association you still have to provide players with the opportunity to get onto the ladder, however that ladder is constructed.

Still lovely to see Sasha gain two wins and two points so far, Tiff a couple more wins too, Emily an opportunity to have a little run of wins, which she needs, and Ema the chance to gain her second counter... All from one 15k, and this is just the Brit girls.

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I don't see it's the job of the federation to provide enough tournaments just to get their players ranked.

There are many small countries, with small budgets, who simply can't afford to put on that amount of events. 

The ranking itself is not worth a huge amount either.

I think the federations have to, within their means, provide opportunities for the players to test themselves, and to experience that level of play. It is that that will help the player decide if they want to pursue that path. The fact that the 15 year-old who beat Alice Gillan is part of the National Tennis Academy there (as opposed to being based in Spain, say, like the Bothwells) sends a great message to other NTA players. US college is obviously a big option (allez, Julie). The play-up wildcard system for the men was great. To me, these events are not a linear path just to a ranking.