Joel travels all the way to Vietnam, gets direct entry into the MD and promptly draws the Nş2 seed in the opening round.
L32: Joel Cannell WR 1164 v (2) Seong Chan Hong (KOR) WR 365 (=CH)
That's a tough draw, especially if you haven't played competitively for a while. Joel told me at Wimbledon that once he started playing again after a summer break for A Levels, holidays etc, he would play 9 tournaments in 12 weeks to finish his season. I guess this is the first of those weeks. Hopefully he will get some kinder draws as time goes on but for now, he will just have to upset the odds and beat the seed. He has the ability to do that.
Regardless of the retirement, that's an excellent way for Joel to start his trip to Vietnam. I really hope he can take advantage this week. A few more points in the bag and he will be able to avoid qualifying on a more regular basis. (Next week it looks like he will be in qualies).
L32: Joel Cannell WR 1276 beat (2) Seong Chan Hong (KOR) WR 365 (=CH) 1-6 6-4 4-1 (ret)
L16: Joel Cannell WR 1276 v (Q) Rio Noguchi (JAP) WR 1757 (=CH) (Age 17)
Joel was a set and a break down and I'd almost given up on any chance of him winning his first Futures singles QF but fortunately, *he* hadn't given up!
QF: Joel Cannell WR 1276 beat Congsup Congcar (THA) WR 1993 (CH 1472 last Sep) by 4-6 6-3 6-4
SF: Joel Cannell WR 1276 v Yuichi Ito (JPN) WR 754 (CH 325 in 2010)
Where have all the seeds in the bottom half gone? Well, Joel upset the 2nd seed (by ret.) in R1, his QF opponent upset the 8th seed in R2 and his SF opponent edged out the 7th seed in R1 and the 4th seed in the QFs.
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
Should push Joel close to the top 1000 in a big group of players(ranking wise) who are capable of pushing on K Oakley, B Harris, Tom F, Imran, Toby, Josh P, Jonny G, Jay Clarke and Robbie R
Always gets the day off to a good start when I wake up to news like this. So pleased for Joel. Never won a R2 match before this week and here he is in the SF. As an added bonus, he should gt an SE for next week and avoid the qualies. If he keeps playing like this, then qualies will soon be a thing of the past anyway.
Always gets the day off to a good start when I wake up to news like this. So pleased for Joel. Never won a R2 match before this week and here he is in the SF. As an added bonus, he should gt an SE for next week and avoid the qualies. If he keeps playing like this, then qualies will soon be a thing of the past anyway.
Good luck in the SF Joel.
As qualifying starts tomorrow, he will get an SE into the main draw
Always gets the day off to a good start when I wake up to news like this. So pleased for Joel. Never won a R2 match before this week and here he is in the SF. As an added bonus, he should gt an SE for next week and avoid the qualies. If he keeps playing like this, then qualies will soon be a thing of the past anyway.
Good luck in the SF Joel.
Thought that'd put a smile on your face
Really pleased/impressed that he's managed to capitalise on his R1 victory - you see it so often when a guy gets an excellent surprise first-round win, and then loses rather tamely in R2.
Great start to his trip. (And presumably all injury issues are a thing of the past ?? And no longer connected to the Belgian academy in any shape or form?)
Always gets the day off to a good start when I wake up to news like this. So pleased for Joel. Never won a R2 match before this week and here he is in the SF. As an added bonus, he should gt an SE for next week and avoid the qualies. If he keeps playing like this, then qualies will soon be a thing of the past anyway.
Good luck in the SF Joel.
Thought that'd put a smile on your face
Really pleased/impressed that he's managed to capitalise on his R1 victory - you see it so often when a guy gets an excellent surprise first-round win, and then loses rather tamely in R2.
Great start to his trip. (And presumably all injury issues are a thing of the past ?? And no longer connected to the Belgian academy in any shape or form?)
Belgian academy ? Don't remember that one. Joel trains with JTC and has done for some time. He had a couple of minor injury issues at the end of last year but the main reason he has played so little over the last few months has been down to A levels etc. Am I missing something or are you perhaps mixing him up with someone else (Tom F, Billy H?)
As for Joel, I have said for some time that he is on my Top 500 potentials list for the end of 2017.