Week 5 ATP - Johannesburg, South Africa

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

RE: Week 5 ATP - Johannesburg, South Africa

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Hutchins to serve - 3-4

15-0 - unreturnable serve
15-15 - great bh return is a clean winner down the line
15-30 - deep bh return hits the line, and then Vliegen hits a fh winner on the follow-up
30-30 - s/v from Hutchins and his bh half volley sits up nicely, but the easy fh pass goes long
30-40 - good lob from Vliegen and Hutchins can get the racket to it, but misses the follow up bh volley
Deuce - Ace
Adv Hutchins - Hutchins again outrallied from the back of the court, but Vliegen blasts a fh wide when going for the winner
Deuce - good s/v, but Hutchins puts the easy fh volley into the net
Adv Hutchins - s/v, and the fh volley winner
Game Hutchins - huge shank on a bh from Vliegen goes way wide

4-4

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Vliegen to serve - 4-4

15-0 - unreturnable serve
30-0 - short return, and easy fh winner
40-0 - bh return into the net
Game Vliegen - Ace

Vliegen leads 5-4

Vliegen has dropped just one point on serve, despite only serving at 52%!!!

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Hutchins to serve - 4-5

15-0 - mis-hit fh return goes long
30-0 - unreturnable serve
40-0 - good bh approach and the bh pass is way long
40-15 - should be Ross's point after a good fh drop volley, but he misses an easy fh put-away, putting it wide
Game Hutchins - Vliegen again unhappy with the call

5-5

wolf · Tennis legend

ForeverDelayed wrote:
Game Hutchins - huge shank on a bh from Vliegen goes way wide

You could have said into the crowd but there is a grand total of one spectator in that stand!

Ross keeps plugging away; you never know if he gets to a TB.

S&V · Club Coach

He is doing well when he gets into the net, maybe if he can force a tiebreaker he has a shot, quite impressed really as I thought he would get killed.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Vliegen to serve - 5-5

15-0 - chip charge isn't good enough and Vliegen has an easy bh pass
30-0 - bh chip charge flies long off another 2nd serve
30-15 - DF
40-15 - better chip charge, but sits up nicely and Vliegen guides the fh pass away
Game Vliegen - Ace

Vliegen leads 6-5

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

I think there may be one spectator in the stand, but there are also two people leaning over the fence!!!

He's doing well on serve, but the serve is keeping him in the match, as he is getting killed from the baseline and simply isn't going to break serve unless Vliegen plays a horror game.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Hutchins to serve - 5-6

15-0 - unreturnable serve
30-0 - bh return is long
30-15 - return is straight at Hutchins and his volley is long
40-15 - Vliegen tries to sneak in, but a good low sliced bh from Ross, and Vliegen nets the half-volley
40-30 - fh return is a winner
Game Hutchins - bh return is long

6-6 - TB TIME!!!

Vandenburg · Futures level

i havent been this excited since martin lee reached newport final.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

6-6 - Tiebreak - Hutchins on the left

*0-1 - fh return is way long
*1-1 - first volley is poor and gives Vliegen an easy fh pass, but the 2nd volley is great and goes for a clean winner
2-1* - another good volley from Hutch, and the bh volley just clips the line and is a winner
2-2* - that was a chance on a 2nd serve, with Vliegen looking frustrated, but the bh return is long
*2-3 - Ace
*2-4 - good serve out wide, but Hutchins nets the easy bh volley - could just have cost him the set that error
3-4* - unreturnable serve
3-5* - a nothing return on the 2nd serve puts Ross out of the point, and Vliegen eventually puts a smash away
*3-6 - he goes for a big fh return, but it flies long
Game and Set Vliegen - DF as the 2nd serve is just long

Set 1 to Vliegen - 7-6(3)

(Ferrer has just beaten Sela 6-2, 6-0 - he was 0-2, 0-40 down!!!)

S&V · Club Coach

OK, now we can see what he is made of. I have seen much stronger players wilt here, lets keep it close.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

I never got the feeling that the set was in doubt really - as well as Ross is playing, he doesn't seem to have anyway to win points on the Vliegen serve (he won 2 in the set, 1 of which was a double fault), and is totally outmatched from the baseline.

His serve kept him in the set, and he looks good at the net (save the missed volley in the TB), but that isn't going to be enough to win, especially as his returning has been quite poor really

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Set 2 - Hutchins to serve

15-0 - bh return is long
15-15 - good deep bh from Vliegen, and Hutchins bh seemingly goes into orbit as we never see it land
15-30 - 2nd serve is right in the hitting zone, and Vliegen hits a bh return winner
30-30 - bh return from Vliegen is just wide
40-30 - unreturnable serve (but defo looked out to me)
Game Hutchins - volley wasn't great at all, but Vliegen nets the bh pass

Hutchins leads 1-0

Good hold that... thought he was going to be broken at 15-30

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Vliegen to serve - 0-1

15-0 - Ace
30-0 - dead netcord on the return gives Hutchins a chance, but he nets his bh pass (into the very bottom of the net)
30-15 - DF
40-15 - fh put-away volley off the return from Vliegen
Game Vliegen - Hutchins whacks the fh return and it goes wide off the net

1-1