I thought I'd create a topic for British players over in America on the equivalent of the AEGON British Tour, and the first one up is quite a noteworthy one, apparently:
From the tournament description:
MEN'S WILDCARD AVAILABLE TO MEMPHIS OPEN
THE WINNING TEAM OF THE MEN"S DOUBLES EVENT WILL RECEIVE A WILD CARD FOR THE PRO TOURNAMENT IN FEBRUARY! THIS WILDCARD WILL BE FOR MAIN DRAW DOUBLES. The 2016 pro-tournament will be a 250 point ATP event. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to play in a professional tournament against world class players. Please click on the link option to go to the Memphis Open website and get a chance to get special deals for tickets to next year's tournament. The tournament staff asks participants to support the Memphis Open by buying tickets. Your support helps in keeping the tournament's awesome 1st place trophy of a wildcard to the Memphis Open. Please note that this is replacing the qualifying singles wildcard.
So, good to see one of our ex-college lads in with a shout here:
(If you're wondering why unranked players can be seeded, it's because they're using Universal Tennis Ratings to seed players rather than WRs)
R64: (1) Joe Salisbury WR 646 bt Jonathan de Jesus (USA) UNR by 0&0 R32: (1) Joe Salisbury WR 646 bt Healy Fuess (USA) UNR by 4&3 R16: (1) Joe Salisbury WR 646 bt (9) Andrew F. Bolds (USA) UNR by 1&4
QF: (1) Joe Salisbury WR 646 vs (6) Spencer R. Richey (USA) UNR
and, arguably more importantly, in the doubles:
R64: (1) Joe Salisbury + David O'Hare (IRL) bt Eric Burchett + James Jackson (both USA) by 0&0
R32: (1) Joe Salisbury + vs Brooks Buffington + Mitchell J. Peters
Two doubles rounds due to be played later this evening (so, through the night, for us, with Singles QF due for tomorrow morning.)
Would be interesting to see Joe and David have a shout in the MD of a Doubles 250 event in Feb. I assume if it were to happen, they might allow Joe a WC for Singles Qualifying too... We can but hope!
-- Edited by BradMarx90 on Monday 28th of December 2015 09:38:22 PM
-- Edited by BradMarx90 on Monday 28th of December 2015 09:43:46 PM
-- Edited by BradMarx90 on Monday 28th of December 2015 09:47:19 PM
If I remember correctly, Mr Salisbury and Mr O'Hare played in the MD of the Memphis doubles a few years ago, when they were still students there. They drew the Bryans - then at their peak - in the first round and did well. I remember it because it was the first time I'd really noticed them. Hope that this time they can get the WC and do even better.
Their semi is against Hunter and Yates Johnson (whom I rather assumed were brothers, and on googling discover are in fact another set of doubles-playing twins). Brits have played them before and won, so I am hopeful! But the two Johnsons and Nathan Pasha/Thomas Cook are, I would have said, the two main threats. Pasha is good - though I've never heard of Thomas Cook before. But what better name for a pro who travels?
Edit: Except that he is not a pro who travels, from the looks of it on Google, but a fellow Georgian who is doing this for the jollity of it all.
I'm rather hoping that since there are no other Memphis players left in the doubles draw, their coach is helping them again ...
-- Edited by Spectator on Tuesday 29th of December 2015 10:03:59 AM
Thomas Cook is a 25-year-old American who reached just outside the top 1000 as a Junior but since 2010 hasn't played a single match on the senior tour, not even in qualifying. One assumes he's spend most of his time on the USTA tour, like some of our Brits do. Not a huge threat, but looks like he was at Georgia State.
His Universal Tennis Rating is 12.91. Joe's is 14.46. O'Hare's 13.93. So it's looking promising.
Actually, googling suggests that he doesn't play professionally, but is part of a local league. Got a good education as well as playing tennis, so maybe he's working in business. Anyway, good on him for having a go. One wishes him well, though not against Messrs Salisbury and O'Hare.
Good on them! I didn't want to say it before they won, but I did wonder when reading the above whether the decision to award a MD doubles card rather than a QS one for this tournament had anything to do with the fact that Memphis has a "local" doubles pairing that could be competitive at main draw level, but perhaps may not have anyone who could be competitive in singles.
