British Men & Women Wins....06.11.08

Drew · Nov 6, 2008

British Men & Women Wins....06.11.08

Shhh · Challenger level

For quatity of wins I have to say its the best I can ever remember this late in a week. Sometimes, we've barely had anyone left by the Thursday.

At what point would James Ward be entitled for a SE into Jersey, the semi's or the final?

steven · Tennis legend

I was going to start much the same thread with the title "Remember, remember, the 6th of November ..." so you saved the board from that title appearing, Drew wink

Having four doubles pairs involving Brit alive going into Friday is not that unusual, though a nice bonus on top of all the singles survivors and by normal standards, a very good week, but going 15-1 in singles in one day is utterly incredible! biggrin

You have to think that some of them (e.g. Burnham) were inspired by seeing all the other Brits having got through by the time they played and that's exactly the kind of positive 'peer pressure' GB tennis needs.

In the 5 years that I've been following tennis down to Futures/ITF level this closely, I can't remember there being a week (even a rain-affected one) where we had 15 Brits alive in singles going into Friday.

Lest we get carried away, if there was ever a week set up to allow something like this to happen, it was this week, with two 10K events in the UK in a place that doesn't seem to have been that popular with overseas players (though a lot of the GB women who you might have expected to be in Sunderland gave it a miss too) and what tends to be one of the weakest of the reasonably easily accessible Challengers (i.e. Rimouski) on at the same time.

However, it's not just that having 15 alive in singles going into Friday breaks the record for recent times - I don't remember this number even getting into double figures before, in which case 15 shatters the record. biggrin

The reason why this week has been so good is that no less than six of the players concerned (Wardy in Rimouski plus Fleming, Milton, Arlidge, Vickers & Ren in Sunderland) have already gone two or more rounds further than their rankings suggested they would at the start of the tournament. biggrin

Here are the singles matches lined up for Friday. I'll update the GB top 25 tables at http://www.britishtennis.net/stats.html with ranking point implications, etc, as soon as I can after each result comes in:

Friday SFs

Sunderland 10K Fut SF: (1) Richard Bloomfield WR 316 v (WC) Josh Milton WR 831 - guaranteed GB finalist
Sunderland 10K Fut SF: Colin Fleming WR 819 v (Q) Burnham Arlidge WR 985 - guaranteed GB finalist

Muzaffarnagar IND 10K ITF SF: (6) Emily Webley-Smith WR 473 v (5) Sanaa Bhambri (IND) WR 500
El Menzah TUN 10K ITF SF: (4) Amanda Carreras WR 594 v (6) Valentine Confalonieri (ITA) WR 729

Friday QFs

Kraków POL 100K+H ITF QF: (6) Anne Keothavong WR 75 v (LL) Margit Ruutel (EST) WR 162

Ismaning GER 50K ITF QF: (7) Elena Baltacha WR 140 v (4) Julia Goerges (GER) WR 108

Rimouski CAN 35K+H Chall. QF: (4) Josh Goodall WR 222 v Alex Kuznetsov (USA) WR 301
Rimouski CAN 35K+H Chall. QF: James Ward WR 322 v (7) Peter Polansky (CAN) WR 233

Sunderland 10K ITF QF: (Q) Samantha Vickers UNR v Nicola Geuer (GER) WR 877
Sunderland 10K ITF QF: (7) Katharina Brown WR 621 v (Q) Jennifer Ren WR 1111 - guaranteed GB semi-finalist
Sunderland 10K ITF QF: (5) Laura Robson WR 559 v (3) Laura-Ioana Andrei (ROU) WR 461
Sunderland 10K ITF QF: Tara Moore WR 713 v (2) Pauline Wong (NED) WR 447

Good luck to all of them! biggrin

-- Edited by steven at 01:07, 2008-11-07

-- Edited by steven at 06:17, 2008-11-07

Shhh · Challenger level

steven wrote:

Wardy can't get an SE into a Challenger for going deep into a Future.

----

I appreciate that steven but, he is of course playing at challenger level. So at what point would James Ward be entitled for a SE into Jersey, the semi's or the final? It'd be a shame for him to miss out on qualies or, to use up a WC.

Talking of which, and a bit off topic, but I wonder what approach will be taken when deciding the Jersey wild cards? Would this weeks performances get rewarded, both finalists at Sunderland for example, or will most be pretty much pre-determined do you think?

steven · Tennis legend

Er, I must have thought you were talking about Fleming or something, never mind! ashamed

However, it is still the case that Wardy can't get an SE for Jersey because you can only get an SE for a Challenger in the same region as the one you are currently taking part in if there is a Challenger in that region the following week.
Hence he could get an SE for the Champaign Challenger if he is still playing in Rimouski on Saturday.

I wpnder about the Jersey WCs too - my hunch is that they haven't all been awarded yet and that this week's results will have some bearing on who gets some of them.

-- Edited by steven at 06:25, 2008-11-07

tennisfan334 · Lower Club Player

Jersey wc's:
slabinsky
evans
cox
ward

no doubs ones yet i don't think....

how are these chosen one wonders? what has cox done in the last 3/4 GB tournaments to deserve?

not sure if Fleming would be SE entitled given he's in final of Sunderland?

steven · Tennis legend

I managed to answer this question yesterday but about the wrong person - you can't get an SE into a Challenger on the basis of your performance in a Future.

I can't imagine why Cox got a WC over Fleming either, nor why on earth Slabba didn't enter the tournament in the first place, since he'd almost certainly be in without having to waste a WC if he had entered.

seagull · Hall of fame

Strange - I thought Slabba was staying in the States

I assume Bloomers will get in directly (he is 3 out at moment) as he deserves one based on last 2 weeks.

Ward and Evo fair enough...what about Marray (injured?)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

To revert to the original subject of this thread before it was hijacked by talk of WCs etc for Jersey... wink

Drew, you can now add a victory by 2 & 1 for Josh & James to reach the semi-final of the Rimouski challenger! biggrin

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

It's nice to actually be able to have a debate about wild cards for a GB event where there are more people than wild cards who actually deserve them!!!

I suspect Bloomers will get in directly, but if not, he'll probably qualify anyway, and I guess with Marray not getting one, they either believe that it's better to focus on the younger players or that he'll qualify (or he's still injured)

Thought Fleming may have got a WC, but I would say that the 4 who have got one probably should be getting a WC above him normally, but if Fleming keeps up this form then he'll probably go and qualify anyway so it won't be an issue.

Drew · Nov 7, 2008

Stircrazy wrote:

To revert to the original subject of this thread before it was hijacked by talk of WCs etc for Jersey... Drew, you can now add a victory by 2 & 1 for Josh & James to reach the semi-final of the Rimouski challenger!

Done !

steven · Tennis legend

So far today ... (just the smileys, the detailed results are on the relevant threads) Edit: updated to end of Friday

Friday SFs

Sunderland 10K Fut SF: (1) Richard Bloomfield WR 316 v (WC) Josh Milton WR 831 smile

Sunderland 10K Fut SF: Colin Fleming WR 819 v (Q) Burnham Arlidge WR 985 smile

Muzaffarnagar IND 10K ITF SF: (6) Emily Webley-Smith WR 473 v (5) Sanaa Bhambri (IND) WR 500 bleh

El Menzah TUN 10K ITF SF: (4) Amanda Carreras WR 594 v (6) Valentine Confalonieri (ITA) WR 729 smile

Friday QFs

Kraków POL 100K+H ITF QF: (6) Anne Keothavong WR 75 v (LL) Margit Ruutel (EST) WR 162 smile

Ismaning GER 50K ITF QF: (7) Elena Baltacha WR 140 v (4) Julia Goerges cry

(GER) WR 108

Rimouski CAN 35K+H Chall. QF: (4) Josh Goodall WR 222 v Alex Kuznetsov (USA) WR 301 smile

Rimouski CAN 35K+H Chall. QF: James Ward WR 322 v (7) Peter Polansky (CAN) WR 233 cry

Sunderland 10K ITF QF: (Q) Samantha Vickers UNR v Nicola Geuer (GER) WR 877 biggrin

Sunderland 10K ITF QF: (Q) Jennifer Ren WR 1111v (7) Katharina Brown WR 621 v biggrin

Sunderland 10K ITF QF: (5) Laura Robson WR 559 v (3) Laura-Ioana Andrei (ROU) WR 461 biggrin

Sunderland 10K ITF QF: Tara Moore WR 713 v (2) Pauline Wong (NED) WR 447 biggrin

So the GB women W 6 L 3 on Friday, including one all-GB match, and the GB men W 3 L 3, including two all-GB matches.

-- Edited by steven at 01:11, 2008-11-08

steven · Tennis legend

Friday's performances leave us with a (surely unprecedented) 9 players still alive in singles going into the weekend and mean that we have had no less than 12 semi-finalists this week, 3 of whom have reached Finals so far:

Saturday Finals (Sunderland is all-GB)

Sunderland 10K Fut FINAL: (1) Richard Bloomfield WR 316 v Colin Fleming WR 819

Winner = Colin Fleming (7-6, 6-4) and without dropping a set all week.

El Menzah TUN 10K ITF FINAL: (4) Amanda Carreras WR 594 v Federica Grazioso (ITA) WR 1052

Saturday SFs (Sunderland semis are all-GB)

Rimouski CAN 35K+H Chall. QF: (4) Josh Goodall WR 222 v (1) Kristian Pless (DEN) WR 153

Kraków POL 100K+H ITF QF: (6) Anne Keothavong WR 75 v Maria-Elena Camerin (ITA) WR 120

Sunderland 10K ITF SF: (Q) Jennifer Ren WR 1111 v (Q) Samantha Vickers UNR
Sunderland 10K ITF SF: (5) Laura Robson WR 559 v Tara Moore WR 713

-- Edited by steven at 01:11, 2008-11-08

-- Edited by Drew at 14:25, 2008-11-08

Drew · Nov 8, 2008

Ta Steven for the updates.
Another great day !

indiana · Tennis legend

I think it can easily be underestimated how much effect the success ( or conversely the failure ) of fellow Brits can have on players.

Success breeds success. I agree this week is pretty unprecedented, but once one or two players start achieving better results, other players I think will envy these results and / or think that they are just as good and I feel will thus be encouraged to work that bit harder, push that bit more to be all they can be.