Week 23 - Surbiton Trophy [$ 50K] 2008.

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

RE: Week 23 - Surbiton Trophy [$ 50K] 2008.

Sheddie · administrator

Rohan Bopanna (Ind) bt Ed Seator (GB) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

As Dan said, encouraging from Ed. The two of us expected him to lose something like 2 & 2 but instead he nearly won. Counter-punched and returned really well, especially when retrieving early break in the 3rd. Like Illingworth he was most comfortable when Bopanna gave him a target at the net, several brilliant backhand passes and lobs. However in the rallies he did seem to lack a big shot to win the point unless Bopanna came in

Bloomers didn't play well, very up-down and Delgado could have won if he'd taken any of the 13 or so bps he had. The serve seemed a bit blunt today, either it was Delgado picking it really well or he wasn't serving as well as in practise. Hopefully he can up things tomorrow as he's really capable of, and should beat someone like Amitraj....ok this is his best surface but its Richard's too

Kinsella put up a great performance, real old-school grass court tennis there. When he gets that huge serve in, he almost always wins the point as the volleying is so good....he uses the short angles so well. However in set 3, when he missed the first serve he was in trouble and the pressure told in the end. Was denied the break back at 2-4 by a shocking umpire call, Jonny had 15-40 and clearly hit the baseline with a return on the first of those pts but it was called long. Needs to find a backhand though

Sheddie · administrator

Highlights of the day:

Strangest faces pulled: Chris Eaton won this hands down several times over for a very unique talent......he seemes to have perfected "the silent roar"....usually performed after just missing a passing shot, it involves a grimace suggesting extreme agony and while appearing to let rip at the heavens......but no noise comes out. Very realistic and impressive stuff

Fruitiest moment of the day: Sergei Stakhovsky made an appearance in the crowd, cheering on his Davis Cup teammate Bubka against Jonny Kinsella, with a very cute blonde Ukrainian girlfriend perched on his lap. Fairly normal stuff but things started to get a little intimate. Maybe the match was a bit boring or perhaps it was just the effects of the light afternoon sun but....they started to simulate sex and did so for a couple of minutes (thankfully noiselessly) before leaving rapidly for the hotel to pursue this line of adventure a little further

Best grunting : Matt Illingworth

-- Edited by Sheddie at 02:28, 2008-06-02

steven · Tennis legend

Thanks both for the great reports, it almost felt like being there and I'm sorry this tournament is going to disappear before I get the chance to go to it.

The Ward-Klein match sounds like brilliant fun, and very high quality too - wish I'd been there. It's good to hear that a lot of the Brits were playing well, as the scores suggested - even those who lost, like Edward and Jonny K.

The big concern seems to be Bloomers - sounds like his heart isn't in the fight (which is worrying - you'd think the grass would have perked him up a bit, whatever he may have been feeling like recently), and his heart had better get back in it soon (like Monday!) or he's going to be dropping out of the top 400 before he knows it. I'd hate to see him drift into retirement or (whsper it) doubles without having fulfilled his potential in singles. Sounds like he needs to remember that he's far too good a player to be ranked as low as he is, but also that he needs to put his heart and soul back into it if he's going to prove it.

It sounds like Stakh's gf finds watching any actual tennis about as riveting as mine does - silly me had never realised that could have such advantages.

Silliness aside, it'll be interesting to see what the officials do if they try that trick at Wimby. biggrin

(edited out lete-night attempt to make this comment more amusing before someone takes it too seriously ashamed

)

Moving swiftly on ... it's great that we'll have two players in the FQR whatever happens, but I think it might take a big upset tomorrow (could Bam Bam perhaps oblige?) to give us a realistic chance of anyone getting qualifying points.

-- Edited by steven at 08:14, 2008-06-02

Shhh · Challenger level

From the Times:

"The grass court season is upon us. The LTA Surbiton Trophy, a $50,000 tournament which doubles as an ATP Challenger and a stop on the ITF Women's circuit starts for real in the London suburbs today. There is the promise of a "world-class" field and with Marcos Baghdatis, the Cypriot who reached the final of the 2006 Australian Open expected to take a wild card (one has been awarded to Alex Bogdanovic, the British No.3, so Brad Gilbert will be there, too) there are glimpses of brilliance to be found. But it should be of enormous concern that, in the women's qualifying competition, there were ten first round byes. Can we not find 32 players worthy of a place in a grass court tournament in Britain three weeks before the start of Wimbledon?

Remarkably, Bogdanovic defeated Robby Ginepri 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open this year and their careers appeared to be heading in opposite directions. Now Ginepri, a US Open semi finalist in 2005, is the last American of either sex in the French Open and Bogdanovic needs a wild card into Surbiton."

Good luck to Alex now that he has one but I cant help feel that this one, and the one at Queens, are more to do with having Brad on board. He made the final here years back, has won other challengers and qualified for grad slams. His ranking is where it is mainly due to bad form and so the "get tough" LTA give him wild cards to help him along. I would rather have seen his go to Ken Skupski or a returning Jonny Marray which is more what I felt a wild card was designed to help. As I say, good luck to Boggo now that he's in the draw but, in the "bigger picture" sense, this is not the way forward for British Tennis IMO.

Excellent match reports by the way, thanks to all.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Looks as if the weather is going to hold for most of the day, or at least the first few hours so I'm going to go in again today, although probably won't stay for the whole day as I have to do be back in Eastbourne around tea-time.

I'll do what I did yesterday and text scores in (MJD, you alright you get the texts again?)

Joe Bateman · Social player

I'm there as a photographer for the week, and here are some images from day 1:

More will be posted at http://www.inside-tennis.net later this week

-- Edited by Joe Bateman at 08:19, 2008-06-02

-- Edited by Joe Bateman at 08:19, 2008-06-02

Salmon · Tennis legend

I have never seen Zverev play, but I've also read in countless places (mostly on MTF, which may not be trustworthy) that he's one of the last of the dying breed of serve and volley players.

Whatever he is, Boggo will have to step up to beat him on grass.

Extremely impressed by Ward's result!

He seems to be somewhat a three courter which bodes well for his future. It looks quite likely that we'll have a qualifier from the bottom section, which is something I couldn't think of last morning!

I'm glad that Marray is playing May and not IVDM. He'll be favourite for it and if he gets the necessary match time under his belt, he could be back to his best against Dancevic. And given that Dancevic's just back from injury, too, who knows!

I think Skupski will shock us all by qualifying, by the way.

Joe Bateman · Social player

ForeverDelayed wrote:

Looks as if the weather is going to hold for most of the day, or at least the first few hours so I'm going to go in again today, although probably won't stay for the whole day as I have to do be back in Eastbourne around tea-time.

I'll do what I did yesterday and text scores in (MJD, you alright you get the texts again?)

HAHA Thats quite strange, I'm also from Eastbourne too. And yesterday I was like 1 hour 30 mins early, because of the time of play.

Hopefully the weather stays nice and dry like it did yesterday afternoon

Salmon · Tennis legend

Hello and welcome, Joe!

Who are the players, by the way? Or will I have to go to Inside Tennis later this week to satisfy my curiosity (which I will in any case!)?

A huge thanks to FD, Shedman, MJD and Steven (and anyone else involved in case I have missed it) for the scores and the reports. You guys were brilliant!

mjd · Challenger qualifying

ForeverDelayed wrote:

.............I'll do what I did yesterday and text scores in (MJD, you alright you get the texts again?)

Unfortunately I will not have computer access for most of today. I expect FD is on his way now so if anyone else can accept the texts and post scores let me know mobile before 9.15 by private message and I will forward your mobile number to FD.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

quick message form FD:

Just arrived, wheather is cloudy but no rain yet so should get some play.

ps just in case it needs mentioning for the future all spellign mistakesa are mine and not FD's.

steven · Tennis legend

Since today's line up is now at least two pages back thanks to the great pics (thanks Joe - btw I'd like to know who they are too, can only guess two of them!) and reports, here it is again:

QR2: Jim May WR 903 v (WC) Jonny Marray WR 1673
(winner to play (q1) Frank Dancevic (CAN) WR 111 or Frederik Nielsen (DEN) WR 312)

QR2: Ken Skupski WR 551 v (q2) Martin Fischer (AUT) WR 253
(winner to play (q5) Noam Okun (ISR) WR 271 or Clement Reix (FRA) WR 653)

QR2: Richard Bloomfield WR 376 v (q3) Prakash Amritraj (IND) WR 260
(winner to play (q8) Rohan Bopanna (IND) WR 310 or Sergei Bubka (UKR) WR 635)

QR2: James Ward WR 488 v Chris Eaton WR 644
QR2: Neil Bamford WR 802 v Luka Gregorc (SLO) WR 421

I may be getting scores from Sally on AM.com today, either at the end of sets or at the end of matches, I'm not sure yet.

Did anyone manage to pm MJD in time?

If not, I've got a lot of work on today and won't be able to do justice to the frequency of updates FD was providing yesterday, but I've got MJD's mobile number so if anyone who's going to be free most of today wants me to pass their number onto him so that he can pass it onto FD (a bit convoluted, I know, but it ought to work!), then feel free to pm me. EDIT: Forget that, looks like the Count has it covered!

-- Edited by steven at 11:32, 2008-06-02

steven · Tennis legend

Count Zero wrote:
ps just in case it needs mentioning for the future all spellign mistakesa are mine and not FD's.

Wotta mistakesa to make-a! wink

Count Zero · Tennis legend

steven wrote:

looks like the Count has it covered!

-- Edited by steven at 11:32, 2008-06-02

yep thats cause Da Counts the man! biggrin