Week 43 - USA F29 ($10,000) - Birmingham, AL (Clay)

SMC1809 · All-time great

RE: Week 43 - USA F29 ($10,000) - Birmingham, AL (Clay)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

L16: (5) Lucas Pouille (FRA) WR 559 defeated Liam Broady WR 1065 by 4 & 3
L16: Luke Bambridge WR 972 defeated (7) Sekou Bangoura (USA) WR 679 by 7-6(4) 6-1 biggrin
L16: Kyle Edmund WR 805 defeated Matthias Bourgue (FRA) WR 924 by 3 & 3

****

QF: Luke Bambridge WR 972 vs Kyle Edmund WR 805

Priesty · Challenger level

SMC1809 wrote:
Kyle won 6-3 6-3 and Luke won 7-6(4) 6-1. They now meet in the QF.

biggrin biggrin biggrin

Should be a fascinating encounter.

S&V · Club Coach

That old at least one advances thing

korriban · Challenger level

This tournament is certainly a top junior fest! Not just our boys, but top current/recent junior Americans, French and Japanese too.

Form and history would give slight advantage for Kyle, but Luke clearly also playing well, and indeed all 3 boys seem to be on form, very motivated, desperate to play matches and benefitting from each others' company/competition.

Whoever wins, most likely opponent would be a Japanese junior, Nishioka who has only just turned 17, yet has a ranking in the 600s with a Futures Final already under his belt. That would be a great match to see.

Meanwhile, over in Brazil, the 16 year old Italian Quinzi has reached the semi finals of a futures event too. Could well be the best of the lot.....I'd need to look at Tomic's history (not convinced that he will turn out well - EDIT sorry Bernard, you actually won a Challenger at 16!), but I believe you have to go back to Nadal, Djokovic and Murray for boys aged 16 actually winning futures, and then at 17 winning multiple futures and challengers (and with Nadal) ATPs and Slams.

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 26th of October 2012 10:15:25 AM

steven · Tennis legend

Kyle wins 8 of the last 9 games to reach his first Futures singles semi-final:

QF: Kyle Edmund WR 805 beat Luke Bambridge WR 972 by 5 & 1

SF: Kyle Edmund WR 805 v (WC) Mitchell Krueger (USA) WR 895 (= CH)

Krueger was world junior no. 5 in January. Junior H2H is 1-1 - Kyle won 6-1 in the 3rd at last year's junior US Open, while Krueger won 10-8 in the 3rd at junior Wimbledon this year.

-- Edited by steven on Friday 26th of October 2012 06:29:29 PM

Akhenaten · Pro player

korriban wrote:
This tournament is certainly a top junior fest! Not just our boys, but top current/recent junior Americans, French and Japanese too.
Form and history would give slight advantage for Kyle, but Luke clearly also playing well, and indeed all 3 boys seem to be on form, very motivated, desperate to play matches and benefitting from each others' company/competition.
Whoever wins, most likely opponent would be a Japanese junior, Nishioka who has only just turned 17, yet has a ranking in the 600s with a Futures Final already under his belt. That would be a great match to see.
Meanwhile, over in Brazil, the 16 year old Italian Quinzi has reached the semi finals of a futures event too. Could well be the best of the lot.....I'd need to look at Tomic's history (not convinced that he will turn out well - EDIT sorry Bernard, you actually won a Challenger at 16!), but I believe you have to go back to Nadal, Djokovic and Murray for boys aged 16 actually winning futures, and then at 17 winning multiple futures and challengers (and with Nadal) ATPs and Slams.

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 26th of October 2012 10:15:25 AM

Cue for some stats!

16 (or less) year old that have won Futures/Satellites/Challengers since 2002

		Tournaments won	When
Yuki Bhambri	IND	3	2009
Bernard Tomic	AUS	1	2009	(1 challenger)
Chase Buchanan	USA	1	2008
Gastao Elias	POR	1	2007
Marius Copil	ROU	1	2007
Rhyne Williams	USA	1	2007
Ricardas Berankis	LTU	1	2007
Kei Nishikori	JPN	1	2006
Marin Cilic	CRO	1	2005
Juan Martin Del Potro	ARG	3	2005
Evgeny Korolev	KAZ	2	2004
Novak Djokovic	SRB	3	2003-04	(1 challenger)
Andy Murray	GBR	1	2003
Mischa Zverev	GER	1	2003
Richard Gasquet	FRA	6	2002-03	(3 challengers at 16 & 3 Fut/Sat at 15!)
Rafael Nadal	ESP	7	2002-03	(1 challenger)

Lleyton Hewitt, Michael Chang & Aaron Krickstein (twice) won ATP tournaments aged 16.

korriban · Challenger level

Akhenaten wrote:
korriban wrote:
This tournament is certainly a top junior fest! Not just our boys, but top current/recent junior Americans, French and Japanese too.
Form and history would give slight advantage for Kyle, but Luke clearly also playing well, and indeed all 3 boys seem to be on form, very motivated, desperate to play matches and benefitting from each others' company/competition.
Whoever wins, most likely opponent would be a Japanese junior, Nishioka who has only just turned 17, yet has a ranking in the 600s with a Futures Final already under his belt. That would be a great match to see.
Meanwhile, over in Brazil, the 16 year old Italian Quinzi has reached the semi finals of a futures event too. Could well be the best of the lot.....I'd need to look at Tomic's history (not convinced that he will turn out well - EDIT sorry Bernard, you actually won a Challenger at 16!), but I believe you have to go back to Nadal, Djokovic and Murray for boys aged 16 actually winning futures, and then at 17 winning multiple futures and challengers (and with Nadal) ATPs and Slams.

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 26th of October 2012 10:15:25 AM

Cue for some stats!
16 (or less) year old that have won Futures/Satellites/Challengers since 2002
Tournaments won When
Yuki Bhambri IND 3 2009
Bernard Tomic AUS 1 2009 (1 challenger)
Chase Buchanan USA 1 2008
Gastao Elias POR 1 2007
Marius Copil ROU 1 2007
Rhyne Williams USA 1 2007
Ricardas Berankis LTU 1 2007
Kei Nishikori JPN 1 2006
Marin Cilic CRO 1 2005
Juan Martin Del Potro ARG 3 2005
Evgeny Korolev KAZ 2 2004
Novak Djokovic SRB 3 2003-04 (1 challenger)
Andy Murray GBR 1 2003
Mischa Zverev GER 1 2003
Richard Gasquet FRA 6 2002-03 (3 challengers at 16 & 3 Fut/Sat at 15!)
Rafael Nadal ESP 7 2002-03 (1 challenger)

Lleyton Hewitt, Michael Chang & Aaron Krickstein (twice) won ATP tournaments aged 16.

Wow! Thank you for doing this...it's brilliant! Just proves how dangerous a little knowledge is - many more young champs than I had imagined, but still a really select group, so I'm now watching Quinzi even more closely now and hope he joins them!

1. Not a bad indicator for who has or is likely to make top 10. Murray, Nadal, Djokovic are all there. A few surprises too....Zverev, Copil, Buchanan

2. What's also really interesting is how the tournament wins have all but dried up since 2009. Increasing power in the game (training, equipment, etc), a few years of "relatively" late developers, or just no real stars emerging.

3. Bhambri. He's top 200 now and starting to get noticed, but there really hasn't been much fanfare to my mind. Is he regarded as a Nishikori (wait and he'll get there) or a Zverev (never happened).

4. Richard Gasquet.....oh. what could have been!! My wife is French and to say he's been a let down, doesn't do it!!!

Thanks again

steven · Tennis legend

Kyle broke first, in the 7th game, but Luke broke back as he served for the set, only for Kyle to break again to lead *6-5

DavidC · Tennis legend

Kyle now in the box seat at 7-5 1*-0

steven · Tennis legend

5 games in a row for Kyle now - 7-5 *3-0

DavidC · Tennis legend

korriban wrote:
Akhenaten wrote:

Cue for some stats!
16 (or less) year old that have won Futures/Satellites/Challengers since 2002
Tournaments won When
Yuki Bhambri IND 3 2009
Bernard Tomic AUS 1 2009 (1 challenger)
Chase Buchanan USA 1 2008
Gastao Elias POR 1 2007
Marius Copil ROU 1 2007
Rhyne Williams USA 1 2007
Ricardas Berankis LTU 1 2007
Kei Nishikori JPN 1 2006
Marin Cilic CRO 1 2005
Juan Martin Del Potro ARG 3 2005
Evgeny Korolev KAZ 2 2004
Novak Djokovic SRB 3 2003-04 (1 challenger)
Andy Murray GBR 1 2003
Mischa Zverev GER 1 2003
Richard Gasquet FRA 6 2002-03 (3 challengers at 16 & 3 Fut/Sat at 15!)
Rafael Nadal ESP 7 2002-03 (1 challenger)

Lleyton Hewitt, Michael Chang & Aaron Krickstein (twice) won ATP tournaments aged 16.
Wow! Thank you for doing this...it's brilliant! Just proves how dangerous a little knowledge is - many more young champs than I had imagined, but still a really select group, so I'm now watching Quinzi even more closely now and hope he joins them!
1. Not a bad indicator for who has or is likely to make top 10. Murray, Nadal, Djokovic are all there. A few surprises too....Zverev, Copil, Buchanan
2. What's also really interesting is how the tournament wins have all but dried up since 2009. Increasing power in the game (training, equipment, etc), a few years of "relatively" late developers, or just no real stars emerging.
3. Bhambri. He's top 200 now and starting to get noticed, but there really hasn't been much fanfare to my mind. Is he regarded as a Nishikori (wait and he'll get there) or a Zverev (never happened).
4. Richard Gasquet.....oh. what could have been!! My wife is French and to say he's been a let down, doesn't do it!!!
Thanks again

Thanks also (to Akhenaten) for the stats. The second question is a good one, which I don't know the answer to either. Regarding the third point Bhambri was very much part of the strong 1992 junior presence of TOmic, Harrison, Bhambri and Krajinovic - and I expected more from him at that time. In retrospect it appears that the multiple Futures titles were won in fairly weak home events, and his current ranking is highly dependent on 1 tournament (he won an Uzbek challenger), so he is some way away from top 100 level. I wouldn't dismiss Zverev, even though he hasn't reached the heights, given that he has at least had 4 years in the top 100.

Meanwhile Kyle is running away with this at 7-5 5-1*

DavidC · Tennis legend

and Kyle breaks again to win 7-5 6-1

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Looks like a comfortable win for Kyle - in the end. I doubt that clay is his best surface either. I would say he has a style more suited to the faster courts.

DavidC · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
SF: Kyle Edmund WR 805 v (WC) Mitchell Krueger (USA) WR 895 (= CH)

Mitchell won the first set 6-2 but Kyle broke in the second game of set 2 and saved a breakback point

Kyle 2-6 3-0*