Week 31 - Challenger ($100K) - Vancouver, Canada - Hard

Jack Buxton · Club Coach

RE: Week 31 - Challenger ($100K) - Vancouver, Canada - Hard

steven · Tennis legend

Well, I'm sorry I missed that (hmm, maybe not the 5-0 to 5-3 bit!) but it's fantastic to see Boggo get another top 100 scap and set up an all-GB QF biggrin

I was expecting an all-GB clash in Vancouver, but I thought it would be Anne v Laura!

L16: Alex Bogdanovic WR 372 beat (1) Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) WR 67 by 6-4 3-6 6-3 biggrin
L16: (5) James Ward WR 174 beat Erik Chvojka (CAN) WR 315 by 4-6 6-3 6-4

QF: (5) James Ward WR 174 v Alex Bogdanovic WR 372 - Friday

H2H: 1-0, Alex won 3 & 4 in R1 of Nottingham ATP in 2008

-- Edited by steven on Thursday 4th of August 2011 05:39:40 AM

steven · Tennis legend

Wardy is now just 5 points off defending his 23 Q+QF points from Campos do Jordao last year, so is likely to move to another CH if he beats Boggo.

Boggo, on the other hand, is one win away from joining Dan Cox and Josh Milton on 140 points (top 320) and moving up from GB 7 to GB 4 (I say this assuming he must have played less tournaments than the other two) when after the draw came out, it seemed more likely he might lose the GB 7 spot to Chris Eaton on Monday week.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

really chuffed for Boggo, i'm sure he must be delighted with that result, he's had a lot of close tough matches recently where he's just come up short so this must be extra pleasing.

Of course a big match in the QF's, I'm sure both players will be well up for it, For Ward, whose seems to have been playing really well with some great fightbacks, I'm sure he'd love to have a win over Boggo under his belt and for Boggo it would be a great statement of intent, especially to those that had begun to write him off, if he could beat a top 70 player followed by the GB No2.

funny this is probably the 1st time since Alex played Tim in 06 that he goes into a all brit match up as the clear underdog :)

steven · Tennis legend

Yes, it probably is - he is 14-4 against fellow Brits since that R2 match in Bangkok, Evo x 2, Bloomers and Phillips (on clay in Sarasota) the ones who have beaten him. Wardy is 9-2 against fellow Brits since losing to Boggo in 2008 - in fact, he lost the first two of those 11 matches and is 9-0 against GB players since losing to Alex Ward last year.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Nice to see Alex did as I told him late last night when I had to fall by the wayside (or actually, off my computer chair) late last night!

I'm not sure who I want to win. Maybe I'll just follow the match, if it is not on too late, and take whatever comes.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Dino's a busy boy with quarter-finals this week! wink

QF: Colin Fleming & James Ward vs (2) Treat Conrad Huey & Travis Parrott (PHI/USA)

steven · Tennis legend

Mike Dickson "Cult hero Alex Bogdanovic beat WR 67 Yen Hsun Lu in Vancouver last night. Best win since Queen's 2006 vs Hyung Taik Lee (KOR),"

Re. the 'cult hero' bit, Mike must read this forum more than we think - I'm trying to think whether he's right about this win being the best once since Lee, though that was in 2007 not 2006. I think he is - Rochus was WR 81 when Alex beat him in Kolding in 2009, Minar 77 at Eastbourne in 2009, Kunitsyn 78 at Nottingham in 2008 and Zverev 81 at Surbiton in 2008, while his other top 100 scalps since 2007 were ranked close to 100 if I remember right.

I think it may also be one of Boggo's top 5 scalps and his 2nd best outside the UK:

42 Gambill - Nottingham 2003 R1
45 Johansson (J) - Nottingham 2004 R1
47 Lee - Queen's 2007 R1
53 Seppi - Bergamo 2006 SF
67 Lu - Vancouver 2011 R2

-- Edited by steven on Thursday 4th of August 2011 11:51:03 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

Great stuff by Boggo smile

Another win and then settle, and he'll be nicely in the train for GB No 3. Dan Cox led it out in last week's rankings, to be overtaken this week by Josh Milton, then Dan Evans is in prime position to take his place at the front this coming Monday, then looking for a surge to the front from Jamie Baker by winning the Cumberland title. That should all set it up in a couple of weeks or so to release Boggo to come flying through and surge to the line in his best Mark Cavendish impression.

Then again, maybe Boggo has a surprise up his sleeve, and is maybe ready to reveal a sudden change of trudge without waiting. Couple more wins and he would be the clear new GB No 3 and back into the top 300.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

i'd have loved to see Boggo's reaction at the end of the match, maybe he just trudged off the court as per normal :)

philwrig · Hall of fame

Nice to see Brad Gilbert reply by tweet to Dicko:
bgtennisnation Brad Gilbert
@
@Mike_Dickson_DM huge win for boggo interesting match Ward next up

I actually think on current form that Boggo might shade this. The courts are quick so I don't know who that would favour.

spud · Challenger qualifying

Id be quite confident in boggo winning this one

steven · Tennis legend

Boggo and Wardy are of course the last two Brits to win Challenger titles (Alex in Oct 2009 at Kolding and James in May 2009 at Sarasota) and indeed have won 8 of GB's last 9 Challenger titles between them, Boggo having won the last 7 before Evo won Jersey.

Between them, I believe they have held the GB no. 2 spot for 178 of the 200 weeks since Tim relinquished it on 8 October 2007 - as far as I can tell with a quick check, the only other players to have held it in that time are Jamie Baker for 9 weeks in 2008 and Josh Goodall for 5 weeks and then another 8 weeks in 2009.

Before I tweet that, can anyone think of anyone obvious who has been GB no. 2 during that time whom I might have missed?

-- Edited by steven on Thursday 4th of August 2011 12:15:11 PM

Miriambee · Futures level

Was Andy never British no 2?

I wasn't following tennis as close as I'm now, it's just you'd think that before he climbed there must have been someone or just 1 person above at one stage.

On Boggo's win, the ATP site challenger page had billed as Lu becoming a challenger winner for his first time, let's see if they say something different now!

RJA · Hall of fame

Miriambee wrote:
Was Andy never British no 2?

I assume so, but before the period Steven is talking about.