Boys: Teen Tennis International - ETA 14 and Under Category 1 - 2007.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Boys: Teen Tennis International - ETA 14 and Under Category 1 - 2007.

Ratty · County player

I wouldn't get too excited about results at this age if I was you.

Some random examples.

Jonathan Eysseric is currently No 2 junior in the world, a year under age. He finished his under 14 year ranked about 40 in Europe. The outstanding European 14 year old in 2004 was Jerome Inzerillo, who is now not doing nearly so well.

The outstanding 14 year old in the world in 2004 was the Australian Andrew Thomas. He beat Cox in the final at Tarbes. He's also not doing nearly as well now, and went out in the first round of the AO juniors, I notice.

Monfils finished his under 14's year ranked over 100 in Europe.

Boys who physically develop early have a massive advantage at 14. It's no coincidence that Andrew Thomas was enormous at a very early age - he probably started shaving when he was 10. George Morgan is also a very large 14 year old, as against Oliver Golding who is much smaller.

You can't really compare players until the physical changes have all evened out.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yeah, I guess that you are right.

I didn't know that Monfils was that ordinary at the age of fourteen.

Inzerillo broke every sort of record as a fourteen year old, but he sufferred a few injuries after that and wasn't able to produce results of the same standard since then.
I'd still say that he is one to watch out for. He is 16 but has a ranking point. And he plays in France, where the Futures are mostly 15K+Hs with fields that resemble Challengers very often.

One guy who suddenly became ordinary is Nassim Slilam, who was number two in Europe (I think) at fourteen, but is now ranked 95 after a full season of Juniors.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Boys Singles 2nd rd:

(9) Tomas Pitra (Cze) bt Jathan Malik (Eng) 6-1 6-0

Michael Torkington (Eng) bt Tim Skrala (Swi) 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 6-2

Andrew Bettles (Eng) bt Albert Heinrich Wagner (Ger) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-1

Michael Watkins (Eng) bt (6) Maciej Braciszewicz (Pol) 6-2 7-5

George Morgan (Eng) bt (10) Semion Branzburg (Isr) 6-0 6-2

Brits upset the 6 and 10th seeds!!!!

Ratty · County player

So much excitement again!

Seedings mean little or nothing this early in the season. A lot of the best players will played in no ETA events, and will have very low rankings. Canny 13 year olds will have picked up points the year before by systematically playing weak tournaments in Latvia, etc, but they soon come unstuck when they have to justify their rankings against the class players.

For example, the guy that George Morgan beat picked up almost all of his ranking points in 2 notoriously weak tournaments in Israel. Nothing against Israel, but would you send your 14 year old son there to play in a tennis tournament?

The flipside is of course that you can get an unseeded maestro in the first round.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

If his name was Semion Branzburg and he was an Israeli then yes!

other wise no!

Salmon · Tennis legend

I agree, Ratty.

In case anyone didn't know, all those apparently unranked players are all highly talented. It's just that they aren't ranked in Europe. In most cases, they are the top players in their respective federations.
Andrew Thomas was ranked 195 in Europe when he won Teen Tennis and Tarbes in back to back weeks. That was because he didn't play here. He must have been the number one in Oceania that time.

Salmon · Tennis legend

(9) Tomas Pitra (Cze) bt Michael Torkington (Eng) 6-2 6-2

Sean Berman (USA) bt (11) Nik Razborsek (Slo) 6-4 2-6 6-4

Michael Watkins (Eng) bt Andrea Ceccarello (Ita) 6-1 6-1

George Morgan (Eng) bt (7) Emmit Egger (USA) 6-2 6-2

Salmon · Tennis legend

Sean Berman (USA) bt Andrew Bettles (Som) 6-4 6-3

(16) Christian Harrison (USA) bt Michael Watkins (Oxon) 6-4 6-3

(2) Lukas Vrnak (Cze) bt George Morgan (Lancs) 6-3 6-0

Salmon · Tennis legend

Andrew Bettles and George Morgan went on to take the doubles title!