looks like we have a final set

James had 3 more bp's in game 5 but couldn't take them.

bah

On days like this, hard to take too many positives about the next level of GB men in Andy's shadow. Our number 2 loses first round in the lowest level Challenger, our number 3 loses first round in a slightly higher rated Challenger, and our number 4 loses first round in a GB $10k Futures to another Brit outside the top 750. Our number 5 looks like he's picked up an injury and hasn't played for a number of weeks, and our number 6 hasn't played since week 5 and isn't entered into any tournaments until  at least week 12, apparently on holiday according to one poster on this site.

God bless Ed Corrie, and please lets keep our fingers crossed for Kyle this week, to give us all a little feel good factor.

I'm sure theres good news to be found in all of this (help me out LTA), but I'm struggling a tad.

R1: James Ward WR 205 lost to (8) Gianluca Naso (ITA) WR 196 by 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3

I can see korriban's point ...

Some might have left the word "just" out of SMC's post and left it at "couldn't convert any" ! Quite important. Just as Dan Smethurst ( 9th best ranked in line ) won quite a few more points, but ultimately not enough that counted in his very disappointing defeat in Cardiff.

I'm afraid my thoughts today are along the lines of korriban's sad litany. It hasn't been a day for much optmism about a number of our best ranked male players. I am sorry if I have maybe sounded harsh on one or two threads, but it's not been good. And it's not in isolation.

They are in the main no doubt doing their best, but I more think back to recent LTA stuff about the state of British tennis with these incredible statements from wotsisname ( not the Dodger ) including the immortal comments after declaring the glorious good health of British tennis ( with many very arguable and selective statements ) that went along the lines of "but we won't get complacent though" and tennis followers around the country went "you've lost the plot, mate !"

I must try as much as possible not to let my feelings on these who run British tennis transfer too harshly to individuals, and James and Jamie in truth had difficult matches today. Boggo suffered too much for too long for being the best of the rest when really the word of note there is "best", and what the rest were like was not his problem. But British men's tennis in general is in a poor place ( and you won't hear that from the LTA ! ).

Let us all hope for much better days to come.

His name was Simon Long. 

James and Jamie's matches were tough and relatively close, but they were playing the Italian #9 and the French #24 respectively. 

To Julia's point, I'm SURE all of our boys were trying their best, but I'm equally sure they weren't doing their best. We all know they are much better than this on their day, its just those days dont happen often enough. Why they cant string performances together is, at times, a mystery.