Week 46 - Challenger ($50,000) - Yokohama, Japan (Hard)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

RE: Week 46 - Challenger ($50,000) - Yokohama, Japan (Hard)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Millman opens the next with the 1st ace of the match by either player. At 30-0, Millman makes a rare excursion to the net but Kyle spears the BH down the line. Not much else on offer though. Millman holds.

*2-2

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Strong service game from Kyle there. Holds to love. Very little between them so far in this second set.

3-2*

Priesty · Challenger level

I do wish Kedders would stop doing so well in these Asian challengers. These disturbed nights really aren't doing me any good.... smile

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Another ace out wide from Millman to open the next game but then Kyle spears a great BH winner down the line. Kyle gets to 15-30 but Millman holds on again.

*3-3

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

At 0-15 in the next Kyle plays a great approach shot but then nets the easy volley. Under pressure at 0-30. Kyle gets back to 30-30 with some good hitting and then throws in the dropshot. Millman reads it well though and earns himself a BP. Kyle saves it with some more big hitting and then earns a game point. Two more errors though and Millman has another BP. This time it's Millmans turn to query a call as Kyle hits another outright winner. Deuce. But Millman takes the next two points and has his break.

3-4*

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Millman using the serve wide to the deuce court very well and getting cheap points. Kyle gets to 40-30 but then just misses with an inside out FH.

*3-5

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

At 15-30, Millman wins a monster point putting away an overhead as Kyle can't quite clear him with the lob. Kyle saves two MPs though and we are back to deuce. Another MP comes and goes for Millman. Terrific from Kyle as he fights for everything and seals the hold with another winner.

4-5*

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

If you are going to break Kyle, now would be a good time. Millman solid as ever though. 30-0. Kyle refuses to lie down though and we are back to 30-30. Oh dear. Ace out wide to the deuce court again. MP Millman, which he takes as Kyle's return goes wide.

GSM Millman 6-4 6-4

Priesty · Challenger level

Aaagghhh......... cry

That darn milkman again. I woke up at 4am GMT for bladder emptying purposes and despite my semi-somnolent state managed to remember about the match so logged on, by which time the first set had just finished. Some very encouraging signs from Kyle I thought, and in 6 months time I would expect a very different result.

Nice to see a warm embrace at the end, and I thought the milkman's brilliant white top was most appropriate......

Right, see if I can get back to sleep now....

-- Edited by Priesty on Sunday 16th of November 2014 04:45:37 AM

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

So not to be for Kyle this time but I thought he played well on the whole. He went out with a game plan to attack and stuck to it. There were winners and there were errors as you would expect from that game plan but Millman was just too strong again. In the end it was just the one break of serve in each set.

It should be pointed out though that Kyle's 8 games today is the most anyone has taken off Millman over these last two weeks as he has breezed to two consecutive Challenger titles without dropping a set. Credit where it is due to him for that and sadly that is another Ashes whitewash for the season as Australia beat GB 4-0 in Challenger finals.

Great to see Kyle finishing the season on a strong note though. Time for some rest and then some hard graft in the off season so as to come out firing at the start of next year.

Safe trip home Kedders. And thanks for keeping me up until all hours this week. I need some sleep.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Suppose we had better make it official - sadly.

Final: John Millman (AUS) WR 195 beat Kyle Edmund WR 230 6-4 6-4

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Thanks Bob, re watched the Taralagon game, this performance sounds like another step up! Very disappointed that the milkman didn't loose his bottle but kyle can take away so many positives.

Kyle although 4 years younger than Millman in that game looked the cleaner hitter and overall the more powerful player. Given millman has dominated this block of challengers just by being a bit more consistent I don't see Kyle has to make much of a step up to be in a similar position with great potential to push past him in his next phase of development. Well done Kyle on a fantastic couple of weeks out east.

Another closed season of hard work alongside a block or two of challenger tournaments like this and I can see this years challenger Aussie whitewash reversed with our wins by up and coming players just into their twenties and hopefully some early round ATP/ slam success by the end of next year.

I don't feel it will happen all at once and we will see periods of consolidation indeed it may take a couple of years but how great would that be!

Sim · County player

Thanks for the commentary Bob. Sounds like Kyle played well, but not quite well enough against Millman who is on a very good run. Still a very good week for Kyle and a positive way to end the year. Onwards and upwards!

GBJ · Club Coach

Just got up at around 6am once the math had finish and watched it before reading Bob's commentary (thanks Bob!). I agree with what's been said so far.

Kyle must have been so frustrated to have got to 15-30 in so many of Millman's service games (two or three times in each set I think) and never even seen a break point. Do we think Kyle was just unlucky here or was he getting slightly tight when he had slight chances? I didn't watch the other recent British losses to Millman but does he maybe have a habit of just being that bit more solid when he goes down a bit on his service games?

From my perspective, given the way Kyle was the aggressor dictating the outcome of most points it just seemed he was a little unlucky to miss some aggressive shots by small margins from these 15-30 situations and if these had started to fall in that bit more at any point he was close to getting ahead/back into it.

To me it all looked very much like just a little more good form/confidence (which Millman obviously would have had much more of today), or even just getting a break and Kyle could have just as easily won in straight sets instead. He may have lost but given the opponent and Kyle's ballstriking I was much more encouraged about Kyle's future potential by today's match than by wins earlier in the week that I watched (though its always best to see someone finding a way to win).