Week 9 Futures - USA F6 ($15k) - Harlingen TX (Hard)

Reeltime · Satellite level

RE: Week 9 Futures - USA F6 ($15k) - Harlingen TX (Hard)

steven · Tennis legend

QF: (1) Dan Cox WR 320 beat Erik Crepaldi (ITA) WR 671 (=CH) by 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1

SF: (1) Dan Cox WR 320 v (Q) Takanyi Garanganga (ZIM) WR 828 (CH 665 in Oct 2010)

Garanganga's win against (4) Gard today suggests he's probably not really the worst player in the top 1000, but he did lose 1 & 4 to Daniel Cochrane in the Dom Rep in December and 0 & 4 to Evo in Cardiff last October. He also lost both his meetings with Cox, in Dublin last July and in Glasgow last October, but did take a set off him in the later match.

indiana · Tennis legend

wolf wrote:

Dan won 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1.

Plays the worst player in the top 1000 next.

I did read that claim being made by a certain poster in October, well easily the worst in the top 1000 that they'ed ever seen.

I would add that they had earlier in July ( the week before Dan won the Frinton 10 K with more to follow ) said that Dan himself must be one of the worst players in the top 1000.

smile

steven · Tennis legend

I wish I was good enough to be one of the worst players in the top 1000

indiana · Tennis legend

A very fair chance that a semi final win will take Dan into the top 300.

While Dan has done very well since last July in turning round his game though that "one of worst in top 1000" was even before then a piece of nonsense in my view, I will now just diplomatically say that Dan's got a lot of points out of Futures while just beating one top 300 player in the last year

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 5th of March 2011 03:57:39 AM

alex03maccy · Grand Slam Champion

That's better, keep it going Dan.

SMC1809 · All-time great

Dan's best scoreline of the week.

SF: (1) Dan Cox WR 320 beat (Q) Takanyi Garanganga (ZIM) WR 828 6-0 6-1 smile

F: (1) Dan Cox WR 320 (1) V Dayne KELLY (AUS) (2) WR 373

indiana · Tennis legend

Yesss, that's the way to do it smile

alex03maccy · Grand Slam Champion

Get in

indiana · Tennis legend

So Dan's 7th futures final after 5 last year and 1 in 2009 and so far his record is won 6 out of 6 finals.

So although he is looking like entering the top 300 with a lack of big wins behind him, he has benefited from the ATP points system that really does reward winners and it's good to have a guy that wins when he gets to finals.

After a slowish looking start to the week his last 4 sets haven't been too bad, 24 games to 3 smile

Here's hoping he can keep up his 100% finals record !

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 6th of March 2011 12:30:45 AM

steven · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:

A very fair chance that a semi final win will take Dan into the top 300.

While Dan has done very well since last July in turning round his game though that "one of worst in top 1000" was even before then a piece of nonsense in my view, I will now just diplomatically say that Dan's got a lot of points out of Futures while just beating one top 300 player in the last year

I assume you mean he's beaten just one top 300 player in Futures? (Goffin WR 241 in the Israel F4 Final)

He has also beaten Zemlja WR 111 in Queen's qualifying in the last year, and of course he beat Fischer WR 200, Smeets WR 228 and Niland (WR 272/262) twice the year before and Bellucci WR 67 in Nottingham qualifying the year before that, but his overall record against top 300 players is not that impressive at all, which as we've discussed before may be why Boggo and Baker kept him out of the DC squad despite Dan being higher ranked.

Then again, until recent months, he was nowhere near the top 300, so a poor record against top 300 players is perhaps to be expected, and if the ATP will insist on skewing the points to make it easier to move up the rankings quickly by beating lots of lower-ranked players to go deep in Futures than by beating top 300 players to qualify and win the odd round in Challengers, why shouldn't he try totake full advantage.

indiana · Tennis legend

No, I actually did mean only one top 300 player in any tournament in the last year. I forgot about ( and missed when looking at his activity ) Zemlja at Queens ashamed

Can't really make up my mind how to fully view Dan entering the top 300, I am pretty sure he's overranked in theory re the players he has beaten and lost to ( his Akhenaten ranking would be interesting to see ). Then again he has benefited greatly from winning tournaments in the ATPs much more progressive round by round points awards as opposed to the WTA more linear system, and I guess many would say going deep and winning should indeed be very well rewarded.

It may be as I think you have suggested before though that Futures success points are out of kilter with Challenger points and Jamie Baler is one particular player who I would say is definitely underranked with regard to who he has beaten and lost to. He is in contrast to Dan suffering from going out early in the ATP scale in Challengers.

Re Dan's tournament strategy I had a bit of a discussion / arguement about this earlier in the year in that I personally don't mind him still concentrating a lot on Futures, buliding up his ranking even further in this first half of the year when he has little to defend. Then I'd start aiming for Challengers such as Nottinghjam and others abroad whilst he can afford a little time at adjusting before points really begin to come off, i.e. he can have a good go at Challengers for a time because I do accept this is where he needs to go in time. I just argued against that he was really wasting time in Futuers now and should be trying to progress in higher tournaments albeit maybe by qualifying with his current ranking.

No, really buld up his points and ranking. He can then maybe even get some direct entries to Challengers and generally play higher tournaments. That way too he can also aim at getting a WC for the Wimbledon main draw, assuming top 250 will again bring that prize.

He does need to move on to Challengers more, to futher his career, the question is when and as I say I see no hurry in delaying a bit for now and accumulating points.

alex03maccy · Grand Slam Champion

Dan lost 1-6 3-6 cry

spud · Challenger qualifying

Ouch!

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

Damn that's not what i was expecting, Kelly like Cox is over-ranked so i thought Dan would nick it, oh well still a good week for Dan as utilised his draw. Good luck for next week.