Excellent Liam - glad I managed to see some of this!

paulisi wrote:

---

Fantastic win - bagel.

---

And an unbelievably comprehensive one at that.  He finished with another love game and was only 2 points off a Golden set.  Both those points were Kudla winners so that was an entire set without any UEs.  Absolutely stunning performance.

Go Liam.

If he can reach anything like the level of the 2nd set, he'll be too good for Duckworth tomorrow. Fantastic performance!

No need to qualify now. SE guaranteed.

Just a shame really that Liam has left this run a bit too late to qualify for the WTF this year. On this form, he could have made quite an impact  

Seriously though, that 2nd set was "different planet".

So pleased for Liam what an amazing year for development of his game, he must be so proud if what he has achieved and given his efforts I hope he gets his reward tomorrow.

The transition from junior to senior I think is very tough for players who are not 6ft 5 plus where because of the fundamentals of trigonometry increased physical strength with maturity does not get translated directly into the players game. There needs to be a simultaneous development of technique and game craft to maintain accuracy. Liam's great success as a junior has lead to comparison with contemporaries who push 190 cm and as we know the Isners of thus world are not where they are because of the subtleties of their game. Right at the very top the will to win, game graft, stamina and athleticism become relatively more important. Liam has shown phenomenal growth in all these areas in 2014.

The highlight for me has been his dog days of summer USA itf trip which was by some deemed a struggle. I think he was undone a little by the vagaries of the itf seeding system. He really only struggled with one player Mitchel Franks who is in college and therefore under ranked. Liam met him early in a couple of tournaments and lost which can easily be misinterpreted as slow progression, however it has helped his development. He has obviously learnt how to win when loosing to opponents and come back another day.

Similarly Andy has had to battle process to get his ranking back up which has skewed results... But 2014 has allowed a phenomenal recovery from a career threatening injury. Kyle has also flown up the rankings, still 19 and now a direct entry into challengers and progressed deep in some! Liam's development this year has shown we need to be patient. Wardy is arguably the most improved British player this year and Evo has lived up to expectations.

I really feel 2014 has been a great year for British Mens singles and it's not over yet!