Week 24 - ATP 500 - Aegon Championships, The Queen's Club, London (grass) - doubles

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Week 24 - ATP 500 - Aegon Championships, The Queen's Club, London (grass) - doubles

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Ken and Neal have just tweeted that they are playing Guccione and Sa in qualies. They should be on court right now.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

QR1: (qWC) Ken Skupski & Neal Skupski CR 159 (78+81) vs (q2) Chris Guccione & André Sá (AUS/BRA) CR 102 (49+53)

That's a tough one! cry

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I still find it remarkably frustrating that a doubles team such as Ken/Neal (or even Guccione/Sa for that matter) has to qualify, when a pairing of Kyle/Aljaz (not disrespect to them) who have no intention of trying to earn a living out of doubles get directly into the MD. I would much rather see doubles WCs go to specialist doubles pairings.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

I can see your point Bob to a certain extent by I guess it comes to quality of overall ability sometimes Kyle and Aljaz being by far the better tennis players. It may seem annoying at face value which I guess it is by there is no hiding the fact Doubles is the B team of tennis.

indiana · Tennis legend

Bob in Spain wrote:
Ken and Neal have just tweeted that they are playing Guccione and Sa in qualies. They should be on court right now.

RJA was on the ball as to the undoubted reason why they played their Surbiton final last night while some of us were err going why ? / what ?

All the best, guys.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Guccione/Sa take the 1st set 6-4

Spectator · All-time great

Guccione on grass going to be really difficult (don't know Sa so much). Good luck for the second set.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

QR1: (q2) Chris Guccione & André Sá (AUS/BRA) CR 102 (49+53) defeated (qWC) Ken Skupski & Neal Skupski CR 159 (78+81) by 4 & 5 cry

indiana · Tennis legend

No doubles sums required for the post Queens WR 1. It will be Jamie.

Jamie will start the week 15 points ahead of Mahut (7535 to 7520) and has nothing to defend, whereas Mahut ( champion here last year ) can't gain and noone else can take over the mantle.

RJA · Hall of fame

Bob in Spain wrote:
I still find it remarkably frustrating that a doubles team such as Ken/Neal (or even Guccione/Sa for that matter) has to qualify, when a pairing of Kyle/Aljaz (not disrespect to them) who have no intention of trying to earn a living out of doubles get directly into the MD. I would much rather see doubles WCs go to specialist doubles pairings.

Look Bob. It is bad enough that the members of Queen's have to put up with this awful annual invasion of their club in the first place but on top of that they have to put up with a brummie yob getting a main draw wild card. I really do think that further expecting them to tolerate the presence of scouse riff raff in the doubles main draw is pushing things too far.

Spectator · All-time great

Interesting, RJA. There was a (long) time when I felt that Ken Skupski's seemingly inexplicable cold-shouldering by the establishment was probably at least partially related to the fact that he doesn't quite fit the Home Counties tennis player type. One of the things that I've always felt showed his own merit was his willingness to step into DC play when they came a-calling because they needed him, despite his having been overlooked for so much on so many occasions. But I don't really sense that so much in the past few years - though others with more information may differ. It feels as if the brothers are recognised for their merit - though (like Colin Fleming, Dom Inglot et al) they suffer from being regarded as "just doubles players." In this case, I suspect the issue is more the latter than any prejudices against their background. Colin Fleming in effect got "the doubles wildcard" (and who knows whether he would have received it if Andy Murray hadn't been the 'bait' in the original configuration) ... and thereafter it was singles players first.

-- Edited by Spectator on Saturday 11th of June 2016 04:50:46 PM

Spectator · All-time great

I do also wonder whether, from a DC point of view, the powers that be feel that there's merit in increasing Kyle Edmund's doubles experience. He's got a good doubles record as a junior; he just hasn't played much since. But if he were a doubles, as well as a singles, threat, it would make the team far more resilient in the long term.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
Bob in Spain wrote:
I still find it remarkably frustrating that a doubles team such as Ken/Neal (or even Guccione/Sa for that matter) has to qualify, when a pairing of Kyle/Aljaz (not disrespect to them) who have no intention of trying to earn a living out of doubles get directly into the MD. I would much rather see doubles WCs go to specialist doubles pairings.
Look Bob. It is bad enough that the members of Queen's have to put up with this awful annual invasion of their club in the first place but on top of that they have to put up with a brummie yob getting a main draw wild card. I really do think that further expecting them to tolerate the presence of scouse riff raff in the doubles main draw is pushing things too far.

I am guessing that this is intended to be a sarcastic p*** take out of Queens ? confuse

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Disappointed to report that Neal was injured early in the match and was struggling to continue. His injury may keep him out for a period of time. Apparently, the court was damp and not really playable but the players were instructed to go out and play anyway.