We have an all Brit Final.

TBarM7 · Intermediate Club Player

We have an all Brit Final.

Spectator · All-time great

Do indeed remember you ... you had very nice things to say about Jamie Baker et al - how could we forget?! Nice to have you back on the board. And thank you for your work on a tournament which has proved a happy hunting ground for so many GB players!

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Craig

Thank you for some excellent tennis. The final is intriguing, big hitter Kyle could either smash or be bamboozled by Evos constant adjustment of pace? Who wins, I honestly don't care!!

Good luck with the post match interview. Be interesting to hear what Hilts has to say being one of the last players in an all British Challenger final and now coaching both!

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Saturday 6th of February 2016 05:34:23 AM

Robin · Lower Club Player

Hi Craig, looking forward to the post match interview.

On a side note, has Dan and Kyle played each other before?

indiana · Tennis legend

I come to, oh its a Saturday, good, hey lets see if Kyle won, yay he did, though (grumpily) did this thread starter need a separate thread over the matter given all Brit challenger finals are so commonplace anyway, OK they're not, but. Anyway, let's read : "I'm back, boys and girls ..." - oh yea, are you, do I/we care, who is this ...

Ah, I see, I see

Craig, thanks so much for getting in touch again and priming us re your interview with the winner. Didn't you not just have some very nice things to say about Jamie Baker, but didn't he stay with your family or maybe I've got that wrong? Jamie last seen working as a pundit and interviewer for the BBC during our Davis Cup triumphant final (we continued to do quite well after we beat the USA).

I hope the week finishes off well for all you folk there and the Brits provide a great final.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yikes, I read ( from Steven, of course ) that it's the first all Brit Challenger final in nearly 11 years and first outside the UK this century, maybe ever!

Dallas is indeed honoured

PS: and very first official match between Kyle and Dan.

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 6th of February 2016 07:30:06 AM

paulisi · Tennis legend

It might even be a decider as to who gets the second Davis Cup slot against Japan.

steven · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Yikes, I read ( from Steven, of course ) that it's the first all Brit Challenger final in nearly 11 years and first outside the UK this century, maybe ever!

Taken from my table at http://bit.ly/challfin, which only covers this century. I think we tried to look for an all-GB Challenger singles final outside the UK when it looked like it might be a possibility at one point last year and there was nothing to be found, though that might be because pre-mid 1990s Challenger records are a bit sparse.

Robin · Lower Club Player

indiana wrote:
PS: and very first official match between Kyle and Dan.

Thanks

TBarM7 · Intermediate Club Player

-It will be just the second ATP Challenger Tour final between two Brits in the past 20 years. The last was Nottingham 2005, when Alex Bogdanovic defeated Mark Hilton.

-It is the first all-countrymen final on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. Last year, there were a total of 26.

-Great Britain had won just two Challenger singles titles from 2010-2014. It is now guaranteed a ninth title in the past 13 months. Last year, Edmund won three and Evans one. Aljaz Bedene (3) and James Ward (1) also lifted trophies.

TBarM7 · Intermediate Club Player

I believe this will be their first meeting.

TBarM7 · Intermediate Club Player

Yes, Jamie is doing very well. He's engaged, working for a bank and like you said, doing some commentary at the majors and during DC.

Yes, when he was on tour he'd train at our Club and from time to time stay with my family. Matter of fact, he helped me bring in my 40th birthday 4 years ago. Oh the stories from that night.

Is there anything you would like me to ask Daniel or Kyle after the match? I've been doing "rapid fire" questions following the interviews and players have been loving it.

For example, "If you won the lottery, your first purchase would be"? So if you have fun questions you'd think either player would like to answer, fire away.

Cheers

TBarM7 · Intermediate Club Player

My post match interview with Kyle is up on the tournament Facebook page(Tennis Championships of Dallas) or my personal page.

Congrats to Kyle and Daniel. Great week by both.

thejester · Satellite level

TBarM7 wrote:
My post match interview with Kyle is up on the tournament Facebook page(Tennis Championships of Dallas) or my personal page.

Congrats to Kyle and Daniel. Great week by both.

And congratulations to you on a great tournament, and welcome back to the board!

TMH · Futures qualifying

Link here for anyone interested (if you don't mind me posting it Craig!):

www.facebook.com/TennisChampionshipsOfDallas/videos/10154547561855031/

Thanks for the stats as well, fascinating stuff and all in all pretty encouraging for British tennis. Who won the two titles in 2010-14 - both Wardy?

Find it interesting that Kyle's a fan of X Ambassadors - I don't know anyone else who's heard of them!