QR1: David Rice WR 788 vs (qWC) Jorge Aramburo (MEX) UNR QR1: Alejandro Moreno (MEX) UNR vs Sean Thornley WR 1024
Good on the boys for having a go in a foreign Challenger on clay! They would both appear to have a decent chance of progressing at least to QR2, where David would in all probability face the Italian q5, Alessio di Mauro (WR 394), & Sean the Czech q4, Marek Michalicka (WR 382).
I presume their appearance in the singles qualies means they'll be in the doubles (WR 422, if I've done my sums properly).
Both boys will have to play twice today if they win their respective QR1 matches: David kicks off at 16.00 GMT & then at possibly about 21.00, Sean at about 20.00 &, potentially, at some time after 22.00, give or take.
QR2: David Rice WR 788 lost to (5) Alessio di Mauro (ITA) WR 394 by 2 & 2
It would have been a minor miracle for Dave to beat di Mauro on red clay! His QR1 win was his first singles win on red clay since Antalya Futures qualifying 4 years ago (not quite as big a gap as Sean!)
-- Edited by steven on Monday 25th of March 2013 12:41:16 AM
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
Now *1-3 as Michalicka holds to 40 - unfortunately Thornley had two BPs but did not convert them. You can't knock his effort here though. Fighting in every single game.
Argh. I think that'll be that. Michalicka breaks to 15 after Thornley affords him three BPs; and he takes the second of them.
1-4*
-- Edited by LHarvey89 on Monday 25th of March 2013 02:36:05 AM
Sean Thornley has taken the first set 7-6(3) against Alejandro Moreno Figueroa. Made a bit of a meal of it, mind - was *5-3 40-0 up, ended up being broken to 40, before AMF held (his first hold of the match) to take it to five all.
Sean: "Been a long time since I won a match after seeing this on my socks. #clay #dirt #grind #adidas http://t.co/PU96FGrhJy"
Couldn't resist checking - I make it his first singles win on red clay since he beat Marcelo Demoliner in a junior event in Mar del Plata, Argentina almost exactly 7 years ago. Demoliner went on to win a clay court Challenger 3 years later and is now WR 255 ...
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
I saw Thornley posting a few things up on Twitter, so assumed he was done for the day. Twenty minutes later he's out on court!
He was a double break up against Michalicka and serving for the second set at *5-2, but his tenth double fault gave MM two breaks points and the Czech duly converted. So now 5-3*
Michalicka is a pretty decent clay courter too, and has won a few Futures titles on his favoured surface. If I remember correctly, he came back from no where against Kyle Edmund earlier this year in one of the clay events in Florida, was something like 2-6, 3-5 to 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.