Week 46 - Challenger ($50,000) - Yokohama, Japan (Hard)

steven · Tennis legend

Week 46 - Challenger ($50,000) - Yokohama, Japan (Hard)

steven · Tennis legend

Btw unfortunately Jamie is in the top quarter with the only top 100 player in the draw as the other seed, (1) Tatsuma Ito WR 65.

Doonan · Intermediate Club Player

Baker wins 4-6 6-2 6-2

steven · Tennis legend

By avenging that 3-set defeat in Lexington, Jamie edges ahead in the race for year-end GB no. 2 but needs another win to be sure of ending the year in the top 250.

L32: (7) Jamie Baker WR 251 beat Matt Reid (AUS) WR 269 (CH 254 in Apr) by 4-6 6-2 6-2

L16: (7) Jamie Baker WR 251 v Andrea Arnaboldi (ITA) WR 387

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Jamie broke for *3-1

Both players holding serve apart from the one break *5-3

JB takes opening set 6-3

JB 1/3 on bps, AA 0/2

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AA holds to 30 *0-1

Poor serving from JB, 4 missed first serves, including a df, as he is broken to 15 0-2*

Jamie earns a bp but it is saved *0-3

Baker broken to love 0-4*

Comfortable hold for AA *0-5

JB eventually holds after wasting numerous game points 1-5*

AA dominant as he holds to love for 1-6

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JB broken from 30-15 0-1*

AA holds to 15 for *0-2

JB holds to 40 while I'm doing the washing-up 1-2*

Then gets to 0-40 before taking his 2nd bp for *2-2

JB holds to 15 for 3-2*

AA holds to 15 for *3-3

JB holds after a long game while I'm brushing my teeth 4-3*

JB earns a bp 2nd serve, saved. Big chance gone. AA holds *4-4

JB holds from 15-30 for 5-4*

AA holds to love in 23 secs (approx) for *5-5

JB wastes 4 game points then gets broken on AA's first bp of a long game 5-6*

AA holds to 30 5-7

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After a solid first set Jamie went missing until a break down in the third, recovered impressively then looked in a strong position at 4-3* bp 2nd serve but failed to take his big chance. 4 game points came and went at *5-5. AA far superior on aces, percentage won behind first, and bp success according to Bet365's stats. A distinctly unimpressive 6-3 1-6 5-7 loss for Baker

-- Edited by kundalini on Wednesday 14th of November 2012 02:02:16 PM

korriban · Challenger level

Thanks for the match report. Looks like another so so performance - not much in it.

An aside: great result for young Taro Daniel of Japan, beating the top seed Ito (60ish ranking). Taro has had a very good transition year from juniors (he's a 93 I think, like Oli and George), rising steadily up the rankings to around 320, getting stronger and stronger results in Futures, then starting to compete more regularly in Challengers recently. A lot of pundits thought he could give Ito a good game this morning.

Aside 2: Taro Daniel also beat Arnoboldi this morning (the guy who beat Jamie) in 2 very convincing sets. Watch out for Daniel in 2013. Good for the game that the Japanese and Taiwanese (and to a lesser extent Chinese and Koreans) are making a move - when lots of men/women from a "new" tennis nation start to break through at the same time, it implies they have national programmes which are starting to work - so can be studied/copied by the Brits

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 16th of November 2012 07:24:12 AM

christian · Intermediate Club Player

Thanks for the report, a big disappointment for sure. Hot on the heels of Loughboro, just feels like another wasted opportunity to earn big points.

indiana · Tennis legend

Thanks for all the info, kundalini.

Pity about how the chances to break and hold "missed" at 4 -3* and *5-5 to lose out at the end of the final set. But reading the rest and looking at the scoreboard info, it looks like it would arguably have been a bit of a steal from not such a great performance if Jamie had won the match.

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

James McGee tweeted a photo, looks like a remarkable crowd for a challenger event.