Evans *1-5
Goffin *3-2

Nieminen def. Evans 6-4 6-2

Kamke dumped out Mayer in straights!

kinley wrote:

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challenger in own backyard and no quarter finalists...its bleak isnt it? As much as i hope i dont see any new brits in the top 120 by this time next year! Yet as a fan draper asks me for continual patience ... As did felgate and the french guy and everyone else on the lta gravy train. Someone convince me i am wrong (please)?!

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this was always going to be a tough event, the draw wasn't that kind.

i think rice, cox and Smethurst can be proud of their efforts this week. Smetty won a match, then lost to a guy who beat a top 100 player the round b4. Coxy pushed Mayer all the way and Rice did ok vs Mertens. its all about small steps.

I'd a  imagine a consistent top120 player is not going to be the type of player who races to 120 then sits there (they tend to go even higher).

 

As for the rest of them:

well Boggo wasnt 100% and got an  awful draw.

Evo won a match, and Jarkko is still on the verge of top100 so it was always going to be tough.

Josh has been struggling big time recently and may still be ill, also kamke seems to love these courts as we saw by his win over Mayer.

Not sure what happened to Flembo after a great start, but really hsi future lies in dubs most likely.

And Marsalek is only 17.

this event was also stronger than the one Evo won, Last time Boggo was 3rd seed at 195, Stadler 2nd at 142 and Mannario 1st at 128.

-- Edited by Count Zero on Thursday 12th of November 2009 04:15:18 PM

bloody typical

Hasse Def Galvaini W/O

i agree its not great.


I still believe part of the problem is lack of home events, a few figures I put together previously:

This year GB will host 16 futures events, 4 challengers, 2 Atps & 1 GS (plus the YEC which doesnt really count) so 23 professional level events.

As an example Brazil will host 34 futures, 7 Challengers and 1 ATP - 42 events!!

Whilst a GS is worth a lot, it hardly helps younger players to play matches week in week out. In some regards (other than money) it is probably a negative as it heaps huge pressure on our players every time it rolls rounds, and our guys ranked 200ish are ridiculed in the national press for failing to beat guys in the top 20 etc.

The LTA's reason for cutting back on a lot of events was that it was giving our players an easy ride to get home points and they should earn them in the tougher environments, all well and good, but everyone elses home players are still able to pick up 'easy' home points so it's hardly a fair playing field.

Futures are easy to count as they are numbered so i'll post a few other countries numbers:

Argentina 26
USA 29
France 20
Spain 37
Italy 32
GB 16

Spain also have 6 challengers and 3 ATPs.

were close to France on futures, but i reckon they have a few more challengers! thsi event is practically French save for the WC's.

an non of the above even takes in account the strong club leagues a lot of countries have.