Boys: Malta ITF U18 World Ranking Tournament, hard - Grade 4 (Week 13)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Boys: Malta ITF U18 World Ranking Tournament, hard - Grade 4 (Week 13)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Lordy, that's a full British invasion !

huntley93 · Strong Club Player

Coup Droit wrote:
Lordy, that's a full British invasion !

well who wouldn't want to go to malta this time of the year!

paulisi · Tennis legend

It's Easter holidays - there is always a big GB entry in Malta. I wonder who is paying....

indiana · Tennis legend

We won't get an all Brit last 16, but it is theoretically possible since the organisers have done their duty and kept them all apart in the draw.

Query - is keeping juniors of the same nationality limited to below a certain grade? I assume ( though I've not checked at all ) that it doesn't for instance happen in junior slams?

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

paulisi wrote:
It's Easter holidays - there is always a big GB entry in Malta. I wonder who is paying....

Max A, (Lauryn JB, Eden R and Maria B in the girls) may be subsidised by the LTA to be here (although I do not know for sure). Fairly certain that the rest are all paying their own way. Quite a few of the HPCs organise a trip to the Malta Easter tournaments. This allows parents to share the cost of the coaching staff which brings the price down a bit. There's usually cheap inclusive hotel deals at this time of year which also helps make this an affordable venue for those who's kids aren't mainstream funded.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

indiana wrote:
We won't get an all Brit last 16, but it is theoretically possible since the organisers have done their duty and kept them all apart in the draw.

Query - is keeping juniors of the same nationality limited to below a certain grade? I assume ( though I've not checked at all ) that it doesn't for instance happen in junior slams?

Think it also happens in the junior slams and other Grade A events as they are still ITF events.

paulisi · Tennis legend

The Optimist wrote:
paulisi wrote:
It's Easter holidays - there is always a big GB entry in Malta. I wonder who is paying....
Max A, (Lauryn JB, Eden R and Maria B in the girls) may be subsidised by the LTA to be here (although I do not know for sure). Fairly certain that the rest are all paying their own way. Quite a few of the HPCs organise a trip to the Malta Easter tournaments. This allows parents to share the cost of the coaching staff which brings the price down a bit. There's usually cheap inclusive hotel deals at this time of year which also helps make this an affordable venue for those who's kids aren't mainstream funded.

The price I heard quoted last year for a week with a coach was extortionate. There must be a lot of well off parents out there.......

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

paulisi wrote:
The Optimist wrote:
paulisi wrote:
It's Easter holidays - there is always a big GB entry in Malta. I wonder who is paying....
Max A, (Lauryn JB, Eden R and Maria B in the girls) may be subsidised by the LTA to be here (although I do not know for sure). Fairly certain that the rest are all paying their own way. Quite a few of the HPCs organise a trip to the Malta Easter tournaments. This allows parents to share the cost of the coaching staff which brings the price down a bit. There's usually cheap inclusive hotel deals at this time of year which also helps make this an affordable venue for those who's kids aren't mainstream funded.
The price I heard quoted last year for a week with a coach was extortionate. There must be a lot of well off parents out there.......

I think if you go organised by the club, and with the club coach, it's very reasonable. As said, the coach is shared by all the players and he/she only normally gets the normal weekly salary (shared between the lot) - I think there's usually a couple of parents or club volunteers who go along to help supervise outside hours.

The club I belonged to (admittedly French) didn't even make us pay for the coach because it was part of his year contract i.e. he wasn't around to coach club members, as he normally would, but was earning his regular salary on the trip away, with a big group of youngsters, paid for as a salary by the club as he was for the other 50 weeks of the year. (Normally, one of the junior coaches went too, as aprt of his job) and quite a few volunteers (more needed for groups of younger kids, less for older ones, obviously).

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

The cost really depends on how many kids go on the trip. The usual deal is one coach whose salary and expenses are shared between all of those going. On top of that the players have their own flights and accommodation, but if the trip is organised early enough these can be relatively cheap. Both the official hotels and other hotels offer fairly cheap inclusive rates at this time of year as well and these tournaments offer free transport between the official hotels and the courts. Parents rarely accompany these trips as the whole point is to save them having to pay for their own fare and accommodation as chaperone for their child.

Nottingham and Bath have taken groups here in the past, and looking at the names on the list I suspect they are involved this time. It is also quite common for parents outside of the academies organising the trips to pay for their children to go along, which again helps bring the costs down for all involved. The academies don't advertise this service, but there's a well developed bush telegraph in junior tennis!

DavidC · Tennis legend

Sadly Max retired from his match, but there was a good seeding upset for Ewan

R1 (L64)

(Q) Andrea Trapani (ITA) d. (1) Max Stewart 7-5 2-1 rtd
(Q) Aidan McHugh d. Ilgiz Valiev (RUS) 6-2 6-1
(9) Michiel De Krom (NED) d. (Q) Bradley Stoneham 6-0 6-2
Jeremy Gschwendtner d. Jernej Zaplotnik (SLO) 6-7(3) 6-4 6-1
(Q) Ewan Lumsden d. (4) Gvidas Motuzas (LTU) 2-6 6-1 6-4
(14) James Davis d. (WC) Giorgos Konstantinou (CYP) 6-0 6-2
Barnaby Thorold d. Aleksa Lazarevic (SRB) 6-4 7-6(7)
Razvan Marius Codescu (ROU) d. Jack Burkill 7-6(4) 6-3
(LL) Igor Straatsma (NED) d. (WC) Bradley Buckland 1-6 7-6(3) 7-5
(11) Giles Hussey d. Feliksas Sakalauskas (LTU) 7-5 6-4
(Q) Adam Jones d. Arsan Arashov (KAZ) 6-0 6-0
(3) Valentin Vanta (ROU) d. Ryan Gaskin 1-6 7-5 7-6(7)
(5) Bart Stevens (NED) d. Nick Brookes 6-2 6-2
Jake Hersey d. (WC) Maximilian Gatev (SUI) 6-2 6-2
(13) Matthew Story d. Maxim Sabeshinskij (GER) 6-4 6-1
Ricky Hernandez v Ryan Nijboer (NED)

R2

(Q) Aidan McHugh v (Q) Tibo Colson (BEL)
Jeremy Gschwendtner v Luis Erlenbusch (GER)
(Q) Ewan Lumsden v Guy Stokman (NED)
Iuca Provosto (ITA) v (14) James Davis
(12) Simon Carr (IRL) v Barnaby Thorold
David Pata (ROU) v (11) Giles Hussey
(16) Boris Schweiger Muzar (SLO) v (Q) Adam Jones
Jake Hersey v (10) Vlad Andrei Dancu (ROU)
(13) Matthew Story v Nicolas Merzetti (ITA)
Ricky Hernandez or Ryan Nijboer (NED) v TBD

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

With the British boys having lost two real close ones (hope Ryan Gaskin sees the positives - SO close to beating the third seed . . . ), finally one goes our way:

Ricky Hernandez def. Ryan Nijboer (NED) 6-1 3-6 7-6(5)

Play (2) Neos (CYP) next

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Half the results in from Round 2.

(q) Adam Jones got a nice win over the seeded lad. Jeremy also won in two (he won some good matches recently in Scandinavia, I seem to remember). As did Matt Story.

Barnaby and James Davis lost horribly close three-setters.

But Ewan, again, managed to win his three-set close one. As did Giles.

DavidC · Tennis legend

R2

(Q) Tibo Colson (BEL) d. (Q) Aidan McHugh 3-6 6-0 6-3
Jeremy Gschwendtner d. Luis Erlenbusch (GER) 6-1 6-3
(Q) Ewan Lumsden d. Guy Stokman (NED) 3-6 6-4 6-4
Iuca Provosto (ITA) d. (14) James Davis 1-6 6-3 7-5
(12) Simon Carr (IRL) d. Barnaby Thorold 3-6 6-4 6-4
(11) Giles Hussey d. David Pata (ROU) 4-6 6-2 7-5
(Q) Adam Jones d. (16) Boris Schweiger Muzar (SLO) 6-2 7-5
Jake Hersey v (10) Vlad Andrei Dancu (ROU)
(13) Matthew Story d. Nicolas Merzetti (ITA) 6-2 6-0
Ricky Hernandez v (2) Eleftherios Neos (CYP)

R3

(9) Michiel De Krom (NED) v Jeremy Gschwendtner
(Q) Ewan Lumsden v Iuca Provosto (ITA)
(8) Hugo Gaston (FRA) v (11) Giles Hussey
(Q) Adam Jones v TBD
Jake Hersey or (10) Vlad Andrei Dancu (ROU) v TBD
(13) Matthew Story v Ricky Hernandez or (2) Eleftherios Neos (CYP)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

In the later matches, Jake became yet another Brit to lose out at the very end of a tight three set match.

Ricky Hernandez pulled off one of the best results, though - beating the second seed in two sets.

Lots of doubles too