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

steven · Tennis legend

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

mjd · Challenger qualifying

13.14

Marray won 6-2 6-2

Corrie lost 4-6 2-6

I have just discovered a tank leak in my loft so may be longer delays in updates but will do my best.

steven · Tennis legend

Do we know if Thornley really is playing the Brit-basher extraordinaire and not an Alt? If so, for him to have taken even a set would be stunning!

Edit: Eek what a nightmare, good luck with sorting that out.

-- Edited by steven at 13:30, 2008-06-01

mjd · Challenger qualifying

13.27

Thornley 6-3 4-6 0-3 (Spoke too soon Steven)

May 3-6 6-4 2-0

steven · Tennis legend

LOL I said I was amazed he even took a set if it is Nielsen - the scores since suggest it is. Cmon Jim May!

freerider · Futures level

may must surely be short of match practice, good going

James · Satellite level

Regardless of how all of these matches turn out it just goes to show how much the British players are losing out due to the lack of grass tournaments, many of our players would surely be ranked 100's of places higher if there was a fair proportion of grass tournaments to clay & hard. Fast, low bouncing surfaces are what our players grow up on and its such a shame that such courts are being used less and less in competitive tournaments.

steven · Tennis legend

Yes, absolutely right!

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yep.

But ATP's brilliant research tells them that fans want Round Robin and tourneys where every point is made of 67 shot rallies followed by an UE.

mjd · Challenger qualifying

13.46

Thornley lost 6-3 4-6 1-6

May won 3-6 6-4 6-3

Illingworth down a break 3-4

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

James wrote:

Regardless of how all of these matches turn out it just goes to show how much the British players are losing out due to the lack of grass tournaments, many of our players would surely be ranked 100's of places higher if there was a fair proportion of grass tournaments to clay & hard. Fast, low bouncing surfaces are what our players grow up on and its such a shame that such courts are being used less and less in competitive tournaments.

Erm, instead of bemoaning the dearth of such courts elsewhere in the world & the consequent disadvantage at which that puts British players, shouldn't we, or rather TPTB at the LTA, be doing something to redress the balance? idea

What is the purpose in life of the all-singing, all-dancing, brand, spanking new, state-of-the-art NTC if not to equip our players with the weapons with which to succeed on all those nasty, how shall I put it?, hostile? alien? surfaces abroad?

steven · Tennis legend

Yes, of course, but it still doesn't excuse the 'dumbing down' of court surfaces around the world - they've even slowed Wimby down.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yeah, but it's not like all our fast surface players could have become clay Gods they moment they built the NTC, could they? It's probably too late to change once you're 17 or 18.

Judge them come 2013.

-- Edited by Greenleaf at 14:18, 2008-06-01

freerider · Futures level

the positive is that it gives us a big home advantage when there are grass tourneys!

steven · Tennis legend

Section 1 now through QR1, so results in full - subject to official confirmation:

QR1: (WC) Edward Corrie WR 1300 lost to (q1) Frank Dancevic (CAN) WR 111 by 4 & 2 cry

QR1: Sean Thornley WR 986 lost to Frederik Nielsen (DEN) WR 312 by 3-6 6-4 6-1 cry

QR1: (WC) Jonny Marray WR 1673 beat (WC) Matthew Short UNR by 2 & 2 smile

QR1: Jim May WR 903 beat (q7) Izaak van der Merwe (RSA) WR 287 by 3-6 6-4 6-3 biggrin

Good performances by the Brits all round though, given the ranking differences.

QR2: Jim May WR 903 v (WC) Jonny Marray WR 1673, winner to face Dancevic or Nielsen in the FQR

-- Edited by steven at 14:38, 2008-06-01