Week 14 - Challenger (€64,000+H) - Verrazzano Open, Sophia Antipolis, Côte d'Azur, France (clay)

Strongbow · All-time great

RE: Week 14 - Challenger (€64,000+H) - Verrazzano Open, Sophia Antipolis, Côte d'Azur, France (clay)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Strongbow wrote:
QF: (4) Aljaz Bedene WR 93 defeated (Q) Mathias Bourgue (FRA) WR 158 by 6-4 7-6(5)
Well done Aljaz - thought he was playing last night

Have you only just noticed? I reported that result nine hours ago! confuse

Strongbow · All-time great

Stircrazy wrote:
Strongbow wrote:
QF: (4) Aljaz Bedene WR 93 defeated (Q) Mathias Bourgue (FRA) WR 158 by 6-4 7-6(5)
Well done Aljaz - thought he was playing last night
Have you only just noticed? I reported that result nine hours ago!

mea culpa - I was looking at the scores on the live app last night and he was scheduled to play some hours after Hev - fell asleep cry

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Strongbow wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Strongbow wrote:
QF: (4) Aljaz Bedene WR 93 defeated (Q) Mathias Bourgue (FRA) WR 158 by 6-4 7-6(5)
Well done Aljaz - thought he was playing last night
Have you only just noticed? I reported that result nine hours ago!
mea culpa - I was looking at the scores on the live app last night and he was scheduled to play some hours after Hev - fell asleep

OK, easily done. Apology accepted! wink

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Aljaz def Cecchinato 6-2 6-2

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

SF: (4) Aljaz Bedene WR 93 defeated Marco Cecchinato (ITA) WR 165 by 2 & 2

So pleased I was wrong! biggrin

*****

Final: (1/WC) Benoît Paire (FRA) WR 40 (CH = 18 in January last year) vs (4) Aljaz Bedene WR 93

Jan · Hall of fame

Brilliant!!!

steven · Tennis legend

Great week for Aljaz

The H2H between him & Paire is 2-2 - Aljaz won 4 & 0 on clay in St Pölten in a 10K Futures final in 2009, Benoit won from a set down on clay in Casablanca in 2013, Aljaz won in 3 close sets on grass at Queen's last year and Benoit won 3 & 0 on hard in Chennai this year.

Funnily enough, both players might well have been picked for this week's Davis Cup tie if Aljaz hadn't been prevented by the ITF and Benoit hadn't been banned by his own federation!

Spectator · All-time great

That is an irony. But well done to Aljaz for making the most of an unwanted inability to be selected.

Strongbow · All-time great

Another 22 points will do him a world of good - more if he wins smile

Vandenburg · Futures level

Bedene has done what he needed to do, he has really vultured/ flat track bullied these challengers. Will we see Edmund drop back down to the chal tour>>

indiana · Tennis legend

Vandenburg wrote:
Bedene has done what he needed to do, he has really vultured/ flat track bullied these challengers. Will we see Edmund drop back down to the chal tour>>

Cetainly not for the foreseeable and hopefully not at all.

Kyle is WR 47 and has generally been on a pleasingly consistent upward path. Just because he has not had the greatest of starts to 2017, although very good at times against good players, doesn't lead yet remotely towards challengers. Especially just entering the clay season, to be followed by the grass season.

Indeed from previous challenger discussions, I understand that as long as he is a top 50 player Kyle can't routinely enter a challenger, but may be able to take a WC. But I really don't see it on the agenda anyway.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I have no problem with Kyle staying in the ATPs even if his ranking doesn't progress over the next 12 months. The step up from challenger is a big one as players at the top level work you out much more quickly. Kyle still has plenty to learn, as he will be the first to admit, and adding some variety and a Plan B to his game is probably high up on the agenda.

Just as a comparison, I thought I would look at Sñr Carreño Busta who is a couple of years ahead of Kyle in terms of development. Here are his rankings on 1st Jan over the last few years (2013 obviously being the result of long term injury).

2012 : 136
2013 : 654
2014 : 64
2015 : 51
2016 : 67
2017 : 30
Now : 19

As is clear, his rise up the rankings paused for a couple of years around the 50-60 mark as he made the transition to ATP from Challenger. He has now broken into the Top 20 and yet he is still only 25 years old. There are currently only 5 younger players in that Top 20.

Kyle is still only 22 so let's not panic about a slower start to this year. His time will come and we need to be patient.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Bob, agreed and arguably Kyle is ahead of the PCB not only in rank at the same age but in that he hasn't had such a significant period out through injury. Just making the that top 50 position and retaining it playing exclusively ATP 250's or better is a challenge and substantial step forward, until seeded his first round draws can be brutal, more points on offer but harder to earn.

As define by his steady ranking progression 17 through to 22, by definition at the elite level and rankings further sustained and similar growth will be on a flatter trajectory.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Ali B is currently doing his part in kicking French backside - has just won the first set 6-2 against Paire.