Week 41 - USA F26 ($15,000) - Houston, TX (Hard)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

RE: Week 41 - USA F26 ($15,000) - Houston, TX (Hard)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

A second successive break gives Blumenberg a *3-0 lead in the second set.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

But Josh has got it back to 3-3 . . .

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

And Josh takes the match 6-2 7-6(5)

steven · Tennis legend

L16: (1) Ed Corrie WR 345 beat Sascha Zverev (GER) WR 745 (= CH, 16yo junior no. 2) by 2-6 6-3 6-3
L16: (6) Josh Milton WR 542 beat Alex Blumenberg (BRA) WR 701 (CH 697 in Sep) by 6-2 7-6(5)
L16: (4) Dan Smethurst WR 469 lost to Dimitar Kutrovsky (BLR) WR 560 (CH 312 in 2012) by 3 & 0 bleh
L16: (WC) Tommy Bennett UNR lost to (8) Tyler Hochwalt (USA) WR 573 (CH 570 in Sep) by 3 & 0 cry

QF: (1) Ed Corrie WR 345 v (6) Josh Milton WR 542

ITF H2H 2-2 - Josh won both of their meetings last year but Ed has won both of their meetings this year.

indiana · Tennis legend

Josh wins 3 TBs out of 3 over his 2 matches. I've heard it said that strong servers are generally the folk to go with in TBs. Not always...

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

So, the bad news is that they play each other and one has to lose.

And the good news is that they play each other and one has to win.

8 points for someone. . . .

steven · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
So, the bad news is that they play each other and one has to lose.

And the good news is that they play each other and one has to win.

8 points for someone. . . .

Given their recent form, for once I think it's probably a good thing that we are guaranteed a winner.

Having said that, neither of them had particularly easy matches today and both came through

Salmon · Tennis legend

The race for year end British no. 5* has become more interesting with Kedmund's unfortunate withdrawals. If you chip off the points that they're defending this year...

Corrie - 120
Willis - 117
Edmund - 110
Rice - 105
Hewitt - 89
AWard - 87
Farquharson - 74
Klein - 71

To break into the top 300, you need about 146 points. To get to the AO qualies, you need about 163 points, assuming the cut off will be around 270.

* absolutely pointless in the long run, but let me have my share of fun. Do let me know if you've spotted an error.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

It's not pointless, salmon, there's lots of points ! In fact, the more you win, the more points you get !!!!

Some of the players will be more interested, I reckon, than others.

I reckon that Kyle, for instance, won't give a monkey's if he finishes in the top 5.

But Marcus and team may well be very motivated to get that no. 5 slot (point to prove ?)

Certainly, Marcus, Ed and Dave have extremely few points to defend by the end of the year, which makes it very interesting just to see where they can end.

Ash and Alex Ward have quite a lot so it'll be more tricky.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yeah, you are correct with the "point to prove" thing. In an ideal world, it shouldn't matter if you are ranked GB no. 6 or if you got to no. 5 by playing a weak Futures in December, because you will be the same player that you were.

But it's not an ideal world when it comes to getting sponsors (LTA or private). Being able to boast that, "I am the GB no. 5 and despite being on a shoestring budget, I am ranked ahead of a guy that won a round at Eastbourne" sounds much better than, "Oh, hi. I'm the GB no. 8 and instead of going to Qatar in December, I attended a strength and conditioning camp."

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, I agree, although it's a hard call because, of course, if by skipping Qatar and doing the strength and conditioning camp you then become GB no 3 the next year then maybe doing the weak futures was the wrong move and short-sighted.

It would be nice if it was just a function of your goals and your short/meduim/long-term progress plan etc. etc. but of course budget/sponsors will very much come into it - it has to.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Time for one of Ed's famed comebacks? He's just bagged the second set by 6-3 to take the match into a decider! wink

-- Edited by Stircrazy on Friday 11th of October 2013 06:28:01 PM

paulisi · Tennis legend

Jaggy1876 wrote:
Hope ed comes through here.

-- Edited by Jaggy1876 on Thursday 10th of October 2013 11:14:59 PM

I cannot make my mind up. Josh needs the points more, but Ed probably has more potential to make it, unless Josh sorts his serve out.

steven · Tennis legend

SF: (1) Ed Corrie WR 345 v Jeff Dadamo (USA) WR 659 (CH 480 in 2012)

Ed lost to Dadamo in straight sets in Orange Park last year but the American is an old college foe (they both went to different colleges in Texas) and this video suggests that Ed has a rather better memory of playing him during his college days http://bit.ly/1bjJkrJ

-- Edited by steven on Friday 11th of October 2013 07:52:59 PM