Brilliant day for both the men and women. I can't recall 8/9 getting through round 1 in the last 20 years whilst I have been following, but unfortunately don't have time to check when it last happened.

What can be better than a day at the Wimbly qualis, thats free, when it doesnt rain, and the Brits are winning left, right and centre?

To keep it quick, my Golden Awards for the day (men and women) are as follows:

Best Quote:
Marcus Willis towards the end of the second set, to the public: Time to go massive or go home.
And he did go massive, and he didnt go home. Superb win. British tennis is richer for the character that is Marcus.

Best Comeback Win even under insect attack:
Joe Salisbury who played a most amazing second set TB, and really gutsy, good third set, despite being stung by a bee (and a nasty lump cams up on his knee). The first set and a half were frustrating, he really didnt play very well, served poorly, especially when it matters, and the match was there, just out of his grasp. The Italian served for the match. But Joe clung on, forced the TB and then as above

Best Feelgood story:
Lisa great win. After all the injury problems shes had, and outside the fold, really, it was wonderful to see her win.

Best Physical Phenomenon:
Gabi Taylor she put in SUCH a shift today truly amazing fight and intensity the whole match against a real classic Spanish savvy woman who makes you play every inch of the court. The crowd were willing her through that second set tie-break, the relief was enormous..

Player I felt most happy for:
Harriet she played the BEST match unlike lots who start all blazing and then lose their nerve, Harriet was a little tentative at the beginning, and then started to really take the ball on, really impose herself, it was super tennis, against a Chinese player who was very competent and a tall, hard-hitting girl. Three service winners to finish, backhand winners, some clever volleys, it was just lovely. So pleased for her as shes always impressed me (but dont know what shes been doing this past year..)

Best Others:
Well done, Ed love it when the old guns take out the young upstarts great match.
Well done, Katie B shes always been a lovely striker of the ball, but the injury really knocked her back, I think she was shaking when she won, actually shaking. And she was close to bottling it in the middle of the second, but upped the positivity just when she needed to.

Biggest crowd:
Frat v Harrison

And huge well done to Katy Dunne who left it all out there, has made huge strides with her serve, and couldnt have played any better, really. Just got beaten by a woman whos that little bit better (at the moment). Good effort from Maia too, although that match was mainly on her opponents racket.

Worst organisation:
40 min queue to get in. Why does everybody have to write their name and address? If you were a bad person, you might lie, or has that not occurred?

Nike-you-should-be-ashamed-of-yourself Award:
To Nike (obviously). Their new womens kit is a little white see-through floaty thing, that looks 100% like a skimpy nightdress, and is so transparent it looks like the girls are playing in their underwear (AND the floaty bits keep getting in their way as they try and hit the ball). Apparently, Wimbledon main event has banned it ! (Or insist modifications have to be made). Not surprised. Inappropriate was the word I kept hearing.

Sorry, Steven - I never really know if I can go till the last minute, and then I tend to skulk in the background.... I think I saw you but it was towards the end but wasn't 100% sure and it was on the other side and you were surrounded by people so I continued to skulk....

To make my answer make sense, this is from Steven's post in the men's thread (my fault as I'd mixed up men and women in my first one):

"I'd concur with CD re "Best Feelgood story" and the "Nike-you-should-be-ashamed-of-yourself Award" (they're strong women, Nike, don't dress them like flouncy little girls! So impractical too, some of the girls had done their best to tame them but it wasn't easy) and not disagree with him on most of the others.

I wouldn't concur with "Best Physical Phenomenon" but I'm guessing CD may not have stayed late enough to see Freya (if any GB girl there is almost certain to make the top 50, it's her - very imposing and the toughest of the GB girls mentally, I'd say, which is not to disparage the others) and I wouldn't agree with all of what he said about Katy's match, but I'm flagging now (and I still have the GB top 25 tables to update and a last run through of a talk my wife's giving in the US tomorrow/today to watch on Facetime before I can go to sleep), so I'll try and write a bit more about the women's matches I saw on their thread tomorrow."

Actually, 'physical phenomenon' was probably the wrong term (I was flagging too last night when I wrote it!). It was meant in regard to the match, not the player.
I saw a fair bit of Freya's match (up till the MTO) and she is - and always has been - my favourite young player of that age to make it, even above Katie Swan, and a wonderful physical player, certainly above Gabi. I failed to mention her just because her match hadn't finished. (NB The lower back was one thing but she seemed to be having trouble breathing too or was I imagining that? Would tie in with having a cold, which is great credit to her, if so, given how she was playing).
I just meant that the miles Gabi had to put in and the weight she was having to put on each shot (given her size and age) was phenomenal, against such a physical player as D Lino.

Interesting though that you think Katy D could have done more/something different?

Anyway, net net, the girls did brilliantly. And Laura R and Katie Swan (and Tara, I think) were all there, all looking happy, so the signs are good.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Wednesday 22nd of June 2016 08:16:04 AM

Thanks to those that were there for their commentary and summaries. I just wish I could get away from work to join you, but you fill the void very well.

Yep, thanks for those great reports CD :D

...it was a long first game back with about 4 deuces but Freya holds :D
6-5*