Week 25 - ATP Nottingham - 2008 - Main Draw

john · Top national player

RE: Week 25 - ATP Nottingham - 2008 - Main Draw

steven · Tennis legend

It is very strange - you'd expect to be sure to see the Brits going on the Monday (that's always my plan with Queen's anyway) and it's not even as if they're all in the same half of the draw, which might have explained it. I'm not surprised you're annoyed!

john · Top national player

Why aren't they playing one half of the draw on each day. It's mainly the matches from top half of the draw but then Mathieu is playing who is at the bottom of the draw.

Are we expanding our "BE NICE TO VINNY ICE" strategy by giving him a day to recover from qualifying before taking on Slabba?

steven · Tennis legend

I guess if they're giving all the qualifiers a day off, that would explain it, but Falla is playing. Maybe if he tanked the 2nd set, they don't think he needs a rest!

jazar · Junior player

steven wrote:

L32: (WC) Alex Slabinsky WR 324 v (Q) Vince Spadea (USA) WR 110
L32: (WC) Jamie Baker WR 250 v (Q) Samuel Groth (AUS) WR 304
L32: (Q) Alex Bogdanovic WR 243 v (WC) James Ward WR 495

looks more like a draw from a second rate challenger than an atp event

john · Top national player

Really? Would you have a qualifier ranked 110 in a second rate challenger?

steven · Tennis legend

jazar wrote:

steven wrote:

L32: (WC) Alex Slabinsky WR 324 v (Q) Vince Spadea (USA) WR 110
L32: (WC) Jamie Baker WR 250 v (Q) Samuel Groth (AUS) WR 304
L32: (Q) Alex Bogdanovic WR 243 v (WC) James Ward WR 495

looks more like a draw from a second rate challenger than an atp event

I'd say it looks like a draw from a low-level main tour event where all most of the WCs have coincidentally been drawn against qualifiers ... wink

jazar · Junior player

john wrote:

Really? Would you have a qualifier ranked 110 in a second rate challenger?

if he was a very late entry

john · Top national player

But he wasnt

Salmon · Tennis legend

And Boggo and Baker would be direct entrants at most second rate Challengers given that even the bigger ones (100K or above) normally have cuts like 240.

-- Edited by Greenleaf at 18:24, 2008-06-15

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Slabba is a better player than Eaton and he pushed Spadea, and if he'd served better he could have beaten him, so that should give Slabba some hope. Think it will be a tough draw for him, but if he plays to his best then he can take a set off him and possibly beat him.

Baker will struggle against Groth for 2 reasons.... it's his first match back and Groth has a huge serve and is tough to break. If this wasn't Jamie's return match I'd back him to win, but as it is I don't see him winning it.

Boggo vs. Ward will be interesting and will split us here with who we want to win. At least 1 of them will, but I'd be surprised if Boggo lost this match as he won't want to lose to another Brit who didn't get a Wimbledon WC.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

unsuprisingly boggo qualifying doesnt make the bbc, but bally retiring at eastbourne does

Bladetiger · Pro player

ForeverDelayed wrote:

Boggo vs. Ward will be interesting and will split us here with who we want to win. At least 1 of them will, but I'd be surprised if Boggo lost this match as he won't want to lose to another Brit who didn't get a Wimbledon WC.

That's true, but Boggo not wanting to lose is never a great indicator of whether he will win, most of his worst performances have been the games he desperately wanted to win.

Having said that he has a pretty good record against Brits. But you also have to remember this is James Ward's only chance, he's not at wimby, so he'll be giving it everything, and from his point of view Boggo's a pretty excellent draw, not that many better ones in there, so I expect him to really be at it from the off, and if he plays like he did against Safin, Boggo will find him very tough to break, then it could come down to who holds their nerve in the breakers/ last couple of games, and then it's anyone's, a fascinating match up.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

i am sure ward will be up for it. as blade says boggo tends to styruggle in the macthes he is fav for as he can get tight, but hopefully having come through qualies will do him some good.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

a bit from the net post:

Harman's Hint

That Alex Bogdanovic, having qualified for the Slazenger Nottingham Open with superb wins over Russia's Igor Kunitsyn (who has received a wild card into Wimbledon for some peculiar reason) and Alejandro Falla of Colombia, may well turn back to Mike Raphael, his former coach, once his partnership with Brad Gilbert comes to an end, probably after Wimbledon.