Week 29 - Manchester Challenger [€30K+H] - 2008.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

RE: Week 29 - Manchester Challenger [€30K+H] - 2008.

steven · Tennis legend

Richard's win today also means that on Monday, 11 of our top 12 active players (i.e. excluding Tim and going down to Jonny Marray in 13th) will have improved their rankings this year.

The only one to have gone down is Jamie Baker, who has a pretty good excuse!

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

mjd wrote:

Rich beat Beck 6-4 6-7(8) 6-4 (I know it's the same score as before)

According to the ATP site, the score in the match against Smeets was 6-4 6-7(2) 6-4, so not quite the same. wink

Bladetiger · Pro player

Count Zero wrote:

well rich could be the nest challenger winner :)
noe of us really went for him i think.

Didn't they? I know I was sitting on the fence a bit but I'm claiming it.

Although I did also say on MTF after the 2nd Round that Rehnquist was looking like the likely winner, I am the Soothsayer but I should be backing my intuitive views with cold hard cash!!

PLEASE SEE BELOW.

Bladetiger wrote:

Kung Fu Panda wrote:

Alexander Slabinsky will be the next person (barring Boggo, of course) to land a Challenger title in my opinion. I see Baker, Ward and Cox doing it next year if they work hard enough.

Bloomers deserves one, too, but he needs to string together wins again.

I dont see Slabba as being that close, much as he has improved (far beyond my expectations) , but he still tends to follow a good win with a bad loss, which doesnt make you an event winner. I would see a fit again Baker as far more likely or maybe Bloomers or Josh as next most likely.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

ok, i guess i overlooked your post, although you did claim 3 out of the 5 most lilkey candidates

mjd · Challenger qualifying

Gazz is out for the day but has already txtd me to remind me of his prediction in his reports

Quote: "Rehnquist(4) bt Dellacqua 6-2 6-0 Gazzs pick for the title and at the end of this Im still convinced he will go to the end at least. "

I just hope he is 50% correct

-- Edited by mjd at 22:16, 2008-07-19

steven · Tennis legend

LOL me too.

I noticed an odd coincidence when preparing the GB Challenger Finalists table at http://www.britishtennis.net/gbtop25m/challfin.htm - after Udomchoke became the first overseas player to face a Brit in two Challenger Finals this millennium (he faced the same one twice, of course), Rehnquist will be the second - he beat Martin Lee 3-6 6-2 6-0 in the Final of the Hamilton NZL Challenger way back in 2001.

Indeed, 30-year-old Rehnquist has played lots of Brits over the years, with a 21-6 (approx) record going back to 1995.

This year, he lost 4 & 3 to Jonny Marray in Dublin just after beating Slabba 6 & 4, while last year, he beat Bammy, Josh & Hutch but lost to Boggo in Valencia, which Alex went on to win.

The only other Brits to have beaten him were Andrew Banks in Wimby qualifying in 2005, Mark Hilton in the Manchester Challenger in 2004, Miles Maclagan in qualifying for the Skopje Challenger (clay) in 2000 and Tom Spinks in a Future in Edinburgh in 1999.

This will be Richard's first match against him.

gazzpash · Club Coach

Just reviewed prediction from earlier in the week:

gazzpash wrote:

goldfish wrote:

Thanks for putting us all more in the picture. It's great to have an explanation of those scorelines.

Your prediction for the overall winner then?

If all the players perform the way they have been going I'd say:
2nd Round
Smeets bt Faurel - CORRECT
Eaton bt Bloomfield - WRONG
Ebden bt Beck - WRONG
Goodall bt Klein - CORRECT
Slabinsky bt Motomura - WRONG
Rehnquist bt Dell'acqua - CORRECT
Groth bt Cox - CORRECT
Snobel bt Cakl - CORRECT

Quarters
Eaton bt Smeets - SEMI CORRECT
Ebden bt Goodall - SEMI CORRECT
Rehnquist bt Slabinsky - CORRECT
Groth bt Snobel - WRONG

Semis
Ebden bt Eaton - WRONG
Rehnquist bt Groth - CORRECT

Final
Rehnquist bt Ebden but very close - I HOPE WRONG

Its heaving it down here this morning so will be ringing up the tournament soon to find out what is the plan for the day

mjd · Challenger qualifying

12.40

Just informed that Final will be played outside on Grass - Centre Court

steven · Tennis legend

Come on Richard ... Rehnquist has to be a big favourite here, given his ranking, past history and the ease with which he has got through the rounds here, but I can't help thinking this might be the best chance Richard will ever get to win a Challenger title.

mjd · Challenger qualifying

RE: Week 29 - Manchester Challenger [€30K+H] - 2008.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

RE: Week 29 - Manchester Challenger [€30K+H] - 2008.

Bladetiger · Pro player

Just to add a little flesh.

First set went to a tie break. Rehnquist led 5-2, Richard won four points in a row to lead 6-5 serving but couldnt serve it out and lost it 10-8.

Bloomers won the second set fairly comfortably but now trails 2-0 in the third and looks knackered!!

Lets hope he can find a second wind.

daisy · County player

Come on Bloomers!!!

steven · Tennis legend

That doesn't sound good, but at least he seems to be proving that he's playing better than anyone in the other half of the draw so really is one of the two best players there this week.

It's not surprising he looks the more tired of the two given his long matches and Rehnquist's straight sets wins, but you'd hope the thought of it being a competitive match and a first Challenger title at stake would give him a last burst of energy at some point.