Week 32 - Challenger ($100,000) - Aptos, CA, USA (Hard)

daisy · County player

RE: Week 32 - Challenger ($100,000) - Aptos, CA, USA (Hard)

RJA · Hall of fame

By my reckoning this win takes Dan to WR 169 and if he wins the final he would go to WR 160. If he does the latter he would stay British No2 going into the US Open, probably ranked around 168-170. Hopefully it would help provoke a response from James and if we are really lucky these two could chase each other up the rankings.

RJA · Hall of fame

OOP is now out and the singles final starts at 11AM local time so 7PM BST.

RJA · Hall of fame

There is no doubt Dan has underachieved over the last 3 years or so but in retrospect we probably all expected too much, too quickly, based on him winning the 2009 Jersey challenger. I don't think it is fair to assume that those years were entirely wasted or that he could have suddenly started playing like this at any time. While he has always been in pretty good physical shape he is clearly a lot stronger now than he was a couple of years ago when he obviously didn't have the kind of power on court that he has demonstrated in the last two weeks. Furthermore while something has obviously clicked at some point this year from a mental perspective I don't think that was an overnight thing. Growing up and maturing is a process that varies from person to person but it is pretty much always a process as opposed to an event. You would hope that while the last three years haven't been great that Dan will have learnt a lot about the game and himself.

-- Edited by RJA on Sunday 11th of August 2013 02:38:03 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

stevemcqueen wrote:
A short interview with Dan - nothing really interesting, but he said that next week he'll fly to Bolletieri's in Florida for a week's training before US Open qualies,
I wish Dan wouldn't start each response with "No yeah..."

Great to hear that he's going to Bolletieri's for a week.

He really is beginning to 'live the life' of a top tennis player.

Even the nature of his tweets seems to me to have slightly changed.

I watched most of the Klahn match yesterday and he's an attractive player when it's all working but, possibly, rather up and down - looking forward to tonight.

Rooting for you, Dan.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
OOP is now out and the singles final starts at 11AM local time so 7PM BST.

Looks like there has been a change of plan and we are now back to a 1pm start. (local time). That would make it 9pm UK time I think.

scottie1 · Futures level

Coup Droit wrote:
stevemcqueen wrote:
A short interview with Dan - nothing really interesting, but he said that next week he'll fly to Bolletieri's in Florida for a week's training before US Open qualies,
I wish Dan wouldn't start each response with "No yeah..."

Great to hear that he's going to Bolletieri's for a week.
He really is beginning to 'live the life' of a top tennis player.
Even the nature of his tweets seems to me to have slightly changed.
I watched most of the Klahn match yesterday and he's an attractive player when it's all working but, possibly, rather up and down - looking forward to tonight.
Rooting for you, Dan.

Dan has showed last couple of weeks the talent he has. I think now he realises how good he can become maybe Andy winning Wimbledon has woken up a yearning in Dan to do well. What a waste all these years playing futures when he had the most talent of all the players in the British circuit.

indiana · Tennis legend

Actually, I am just so glad the penny has apparently dropped with Evo when he is still "only" 23.

His was a career that could have been akmost totally wasted vis a vis his talent. As it is he still has many years in which to make a real mark on the game.

TMH · Futures qualifying

Gets the 4-3 mini-break but throws it away with two really soft errors. Now Klahn has 2SPs.

This is going to go the same way as last week isn't it? Has CP on his opponent's serve, can't take it and then... I seriously hope not...

Awful tie-break. I think Dan won just the single point on his own serve and pretty much just gifted Klahn the set with a series of tame UEs.

Going to be a mighty effort to win this now.

-- Edited by TMH on Sunday 11th of August 2013 09:29:06 PM

-- Edited by TMH on Sunday 11th of August 2013 09:39:58 PM

Jan · Hall of fame

great defence from Dan to save the first set pt. Now another

But it's one set all now.

-- Edited by Jan on Sunday 11th of August 2013 09:28:40 PM

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Evans 0-1 Klahn with the minibreak
1-1 gets it back
1-2
2-2 and gives it away again
2-3
3-3 and gets it back
4-3 Dan up the minibreak for the first time with another passing shot
4-4 goes long on the forehand
4-5 into the net Evans down a minibreak again
4-6 Klahn serving for the set
5-6 Klahn should have taken that, missed the overhead into the net back on serve!
5-7 Evans nets again

Klahn sounds happy!!

6-3 6-7(5) into a third we go cry

-- Edited by imoen on Sunday 11th of August 2013 09:56:08 PM

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I also wonder at this time, how much credit we should give Leon Smith. To pick Dan ahead of Jamie Baker for the DC tie against Russia was a controversial decision in many people's eyes but with hindsight, it was absolutely the right one. It certainly seems to have been a turning point for Dan.

I said at the time that the team spirit that Leon managed to achieve was fantastic and his influence over the players in that regard has been impressive. And it is well documented that he and Dan sat down for a heart to heart and planned out a strategy for the rest of the year. Leon just seems to have the ability to bring out the best in people and perhaps in Dan, more than anyone.

TMH · Futures qualifying

That's a big hold from Dan. Saves 2BPs and holds for 3-3.

-- Edited by TMH on Sunday 11th of August 2013 10:00:00 PM

Priesty · Challenger level

Sometimes our guys do seem to mature and suddenly 'kick on' in their early to mid-twenties after spending a few years in the backwaters. Mark Petchey and Martin Lee are 2 guys who spring to my mind who spent years on the futures/challengers before suddenly making the leap up into the top 100, though not for that long in Lee's case.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Completely agree about Leon, I'm sure he's probably out there with him at the moment. He has been instrumental in helping Evo begin to achieve his potential. Evo was impressive at Nottingham and Queens, but in the last couple of weeks has probably taken it up a notch further.