Week 29 - Challenger (€42,500) - Eskisehir, Turkey (Hard)

korriban · Challenger level

RE: Week 29 - Challenger (€42,500) - Eskisehir, Turkey (Hard)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

David barely got a first serve in that game (and one DF and one near DF - 'let' on second serve). Maybe tiredness ? i.e. should have won the 'easy' first round match FAR quicker . . .

but while there's life . . .

korriban · Challenger level

4-4. And that's the problem. A 20+ stroke three quarter pace rally where Dave had 2 or 3 good chances to go forward at deuce, followed by a 35+ stroke three quarter paced rally where he had 4 or 5 short balls to attack but bottled out of every one of them.

4-5*

steven · Tennis legend

Chiudinelli serving for the match ... 30-30 and he seems to have sat down - did anyone see what happened?

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

L16: (5) Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) WR 162 defeated (Q) David Rice WR 434 by 5-7 6-3 6-4 cry

****

QF: Ed Corrie WR 337 vs (5) Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) WR 162

korriban · Challenger level

steven wrote:
Chiudinelli serving for the match ... 30-30 and he seems to have sat down - did anyone see what happened?

Yes. The Swiss simply dumped a routine volley into the net. From 30-0 up, he had made 2 UEs in a row. He appeared to claim that he had tripped on something on the court, and just sat down and requested the tournament referee.....to me an obvious scam. Did anyone notice the Radwanska-esque handshake from Dave at the end? Not surprised.

Shame. But if Mr Rice is serious about his singles career, this was the RIGHT result. This isn't juniors or the club championships - you simply can't play like this at Challenger level and expect to make much progress.

Chiudinelli was really not much of a player - thought Ignatik was a lot better - so I'd like to think Ed would fancy his chances on Friday.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Someone has to 'do' something about that sort of gamesmanship. I mean, officially (I hope Ed will certainly 'do' something about it on the court in the next round).

Dave has a few questions to ask himself but congrats to him all the same. 10 points. Another cheque for 1000 pounds from the LTA. Would be nice to see him get a coach (new coach?) and try and work on a few things - he's only 24, there's a good 6 years in front of him where he could make an impression.

korriban · Challenger level

Coup Droit wrote:
Someone has to 'do' something about that sort of gamesmanship. I mean, officially (I hope Ed will certainly 'do' something about it on the court in the next round).

Dave has a few questions to ask himself but congrats to him all the same. 10 points. Another cheque for 1000 pounds from the LTA. Would be nice to see him get a coach (new coach?) and try and work on a few things - he's only 24, there's a good 6 years in front of him where he could make an impression.

I agree. If he can get this far playing in this pat-a-cake way, imagine how much further he could go with a bit of, well, Ed Corrie aggression, positivity and gamestyle in his locker. I'm sure Ed would be delighted to inherit Dave's extra height (no way is he 5'10) to help his own serve, so why can't Dave try a more positive approach too.

One thing I noticed in Ed's match. His opponent had a first serve called out, complained to the umpire, and then Ed (without prompting) walked forward, circled a mark, and "gifted" his opponent an ace. On one level, good for him, but if he shows the same sportsmanship against Chiudinelli, the Swiss will throw every trick in the book at him. Ed's behaviour seems to be the exception - laudable, gentlemanly, sporting - but potentially open to abuse. Bad calls tend to even out over the long run - but if you "help" your opponent every time, when they invariably won't "help" you.....the odds aren't so great!

Shhh · Challenger level

I saw Dan Cox be just as sporting in a match at Frinton a few years ago korriban. I thought at the time it may be a good move in the sense that the other player is far less likely to "try it on" with someone so genuine??????? I don't know, just a theory......certainly very laudable in every other way.

SMC1809 · All-time great

Stircrazy wrote:
korriban wrote:

How tall is Mr Rice....6'3? 6'4? Surely power ought to be an asset.
177 cm, according to Tennislive.co.uk, so "only" about 5'10" .

I'd be very surprised if he wasn't 6'3" at least. His nickname of Big Dave isn't an ironic one.

steven · Tennis legend

Shhh wrote:
I saw Dan Cox be just as sporting in a match at Frinton a few years ago korriban. I thought at the time it may be a good move in the sense that the other player is far less likely to "try it on" with someone so genuine??????? I don't know, just a theory......certainly very laudable in every other way.

You'd hope so - it probably works with some players and not with others. Certainly if more players did it and it became the accepted thing to do, it would make things better! It wouldn't surprise me if Ed is professional enough to base whether he does something like this on whether his opponent is a player who deserves to be treated decently or not. Chiudinelli seemed very unsporting against Dave long before the sit-down protest in the final game.

Anyway, I'm certainly liking all the things I'm hearing about Ed from those of you who saw his match

Spectator · All-time great

Good to see that a player whom one has wished well because he seemed to be a thoroughly decent sort has confirmed the fact once again and so visibly. Must admit that I'd hope he would do the right thing regardless of the nature of his opponent. As you say, Steven, if you can do something to create a world in which "right" is also "norm," that's all to the good!

Hope that he is able to outplay Chiudinelli quite comprehensively. And glad to see him (and Messrs Rice and Thornley) doing well at Challenger level.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I don't know about Challenger level but, at a fair bit lower level, I've certainly seen some players who HAVEN'T done the 'decent thing' feel the consequences.

I mentioned the Spanish 'code of honour' guys and I've seen cases where some player has 'cheated'/acted up/ not behaved 'honourably' and, oops, suddenly he's got no hitting partners, no space for him in the only car, no one to lend him a cap when he finds he's forgotten his, a mobile telephone when his has got no more battery (and he needs to check his match time, as on one occasion) . . .

Maybe none of this matters to Chiudinelli because he's got his own team and friends around him (but he's not THAT high up the ranks - he's far from raking it in) but tennis is a very small world.

So, great for Ed - I'm with Spectator - act properly, Ed - if the ball was in, it was in (and maybe the surprise element will rattle your opponent and you'll win a few extra points off it!).

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

SF: (2) Marin Draganja & Mate Pavic (CRO/CRO) CR 203 defeated (3) David Rice & Sean Thornley CR 413 by 4 & 3 cry

For all there was a difference of only one place in the seedings, the difference in actual ranking seems to have told in the end & judging by the ease with which the Croats held their service in the first set (to love or 15 at worst), Sean & Dave were unable to make any real impression on it, whereas they were holding theirs to 30 or 40 every time. hmm

korriban · Challenger level

Well Chiudinelli certainly played poorly against Mr Rice, but he's playing extremely well today against Ed.

Lots of big first serves, and BH down the line causing all sorts of problems. Ed's barely had a look in.

*0-3.

Now *0-5. Ed getting little rythmn on the Swiss serve, and Chuidinelli always in the rally on Ed's serve. Very one sided, mostly becuase of how well Chuidinelli continues to play.......can he keep this level up for the whole match?

I don't think so.

1-6. Ed failed to win a single point on the Swiss first serve in the whole set: 0/11.

Can't say the scoreline is anything but 100% fair. Ed being soundly beaten, rather than losing it at the moment.

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 19th of July 2013 09:35:57 AM

-- Edited by korriban on Friday 19th of July 2013 09:51:45 AM