Yes, that's true, I'd forgotten it was his first point of the year.
I've just noticed that his next opponent is (WC) Baris Erguden (TUR) WR 1717, who beat Danilovic in R1. Erguden reached a career high of 1321 in 2003 when he was 17 but has not managed to improve on it since!
Late last year, he lost 2 & 4 to Dan Smethurst in London and 3 & 2 to Neil Pauffley in Sunderland, so with luck the R1 result had more to do with Danilovic having an off day than anything else and Marcus's draw has opened up a bit as a result.
-- Edited by steven on Wednesday 8th of April 2009 10:39:23 AM
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
That's another great result for Marcus and a really good opportunity to get through to the quarters too. I nearly pointed out yesterday that if he won today he would play the weak-ranked wildcard but didn't want to jinx it!
Evo seemed to struggle a bit, but at least he got the match won and hopefully it was just him getting his eye-in and taking time to get used to the courts.
Great to see Willis into the second round as well, and I'd expect Cox to make it three players in round two - and possibly them all into the quarter finals as well
-- Edited by ForeverDelayed on Wednesday 8th of April 2009 01:27:02 PM
Marcus' score confirmed on the ATP site as 7-6(2) 6-4. Coxy also triumphed: 5-7 6-1 3-1 rtd. Unfortunately, he faces the Froggy nemesis of many a Brit Futures player in the second round, our old friend & the third seed, Pierre Metenier (WR 404)!
-- Edited by Stircrazy on Wednesday 8th of April 2009 06:27:08 PM
This may well already be better than all the Turkish Futures last year put together:
L32: Marcus Willis WR 945 beat (7) Sebastian Rieschick (GER) WR 455 by 7-6(2) 6-4 L32: (5) Dan Evans WR 327 beat (WC) Tuna Altuna (TUR) UNR by 7-6(3) 7-5 L32: (Q) Dan Cox WR 703 beat (Q) Costin Paval (ROU) WR 962 by 5-7 6-1 3-1 ret.
L16: Marcus Willis WR 945 v (WC) Baris Erguden (TUR) WR 1717 L16: (5) Dan Evans WR 327 v Murad Inoyatov (UZB) WR 487 L16: (Q) Dan Cox WR 703 v (3) Pierre Metenier (FRA) WR 411
Erguden, as previously mentioned, had a career high in the 1300s when he was 17 but hasn't pushed on since and has lost to both Pauffley and Smethurst recently. His win against Danilovic in R1 here must be one of his best ever, but I get the feeling the Montenegrin may have had an off day.
Inoyatov has reached the QFs of his last four Futures, though he does tend to play the relatively weak ones nowadays and that is probably why he recently made a career high. He has only played two Brits in singles in the last 6 years, losing 4 & 4 to Big Arv in 2005 and 2 & 2 to Morgan Phillips in 2007 but he did beat an 18-year-old Colin Fleming 3 & 2 in Turkey way back in 2002.
Metenier has a 6-4 record against Brits - he was the player who beat Jonny Marray then lost to Bloomers in Bath but got beaten by Jonny in Jersey qualifying a few days later. The winners of the matches involving the two Dans will meet in the QFs.
-- Edited by steven on Wednesday 8th of April 2009 06:41:40 PM
__________________
GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!