Boys & Girls: Trofeo Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain, clay - Grade 1 (Week 14)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Boys & Girls: Trofeo Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain, clay - Grade 1 (Week 14)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Just Barnaby successful on the boys side. He (with Anton) and Ali are through to the doubles quarters.

Boys R2

(13) Barnaby Smith d. (Q) Alvaro Fernandez Horta (ESP) 7-5 7-6(4)
(Q) Alejandro Vedri Asensi (ESP) d. (12) Max Stewart 6-4 6-3
(15) Maxence Broville (FRA) d. Jake Hersey 6-4 6-4

R3

(4) Olukayode Alafia Dameni Ayeni (USA) v (13) Barnaby Smith

Girls R3

Ali Collins v Clara Burel (FRA)

indiana · Tennis legend

Be interesting and important next year or two for Ali. I do tend to agree that, looking mainly very much just at results, that while no doubt improving she has probably at best held her own in relative terms. As CD says the big move to the USA may have had a short term part in stalling bigger progress ( some will take to such moves like a fish to water, others less so ). I think too she has at time, like so many, had minor injury issues.

Probably wants to have some big junior successes this year before say, like Jodie, then moving much more into seniors in her final year of junior eligibility.

Anyway, may this week continue very good for her.

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

Coup Droit wrote:
Then you're probably right, Tennischamp.

Although, you'd hope that anyone who is only 16 or so is 'improving' - I mean, do you mean on an absolute basis or on a relative basis?

Because any young player must be improving on an absolute basis, it's a given (apart from in very bizarre circumstances).

I meant, on a relative basis, and from what I saw last time, I would still put her in the same category as I did when I saw her three years ago (i.e. high).

She's clearly improving, you can see from recent results.

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

indiana wrote:
Be interesting and important next year or two for Ali. I do tend to agree that, looking mainly very much just at results, that while no doubt improving she has probably at best held her own in relative terms. As CD says the big move to the USA may have had a short term part in stalling bigger progress ( some will take to such moves like a fish to water, others less so ). I think too she has at time, like so many, had minor injury issues.
Probably wants to have some big junior successes this year before say, like Jodie, then moving much more into seniors in her final year of junior eligibility.
Anyway, may this week continue very good for her.

Nice way of putting things. Totally agree.

Juniors tend to be at their best the last year or two before transitioning into seniors/pro which is expected as they are older and more experienced players.

I hope this weeks a good one for her too. All the best Ali.

indiana · Tennis legend

But in relative terms against her peers, tennischamp ?

No-one is saying that she isn't improving as an individual player as against where her oen game was and getting better results over time nor are they criticising her.

But I am far from convinced that she has moved up relative to her peers and that I took as CD's point.

Edit : thanks, tennischamp, for your last post which crossed with mine, where I was really commenting on you saying that she was clearly improving, when I didn't see that CD was saying otherewise, just introducing the "relative" caveat. I thnk that we are all together now

Tothemax · Newbie

Good luck Ali.

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

Indiana- all players are different, they all progress at different stages and hopefully all players eventually breakthrough.
Therefore, I do not see this as a bad thing, she is just taking a bit more time than others.

-- Edited by tennischamp on Wednesday 5th of April 2017 08:20:05 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Good stuff by Ali, hope she can follow it up. She has in general terms fallen a bit behind Fran Jones from the 2000 borns and I would guess she hoped for more from the last year or so.

But still so young and moves forward and consolidations will be hugely variable at that age.

I saw her in the Glasgow 15K early in the year and for the most part I was quite impressed. She will hopefully in time calm her emotions more and move on better from point to point, but also retain a feistiness that was on display.

From earlier

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

tennischamp wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
Then you're probably right, Tennischamp.

Although, you'd hope that anyone who is only 16 or so is 'improving' - I mean, do you mean on an absolute basis or on a relative basis?

Because any young player must be improving on an absolute basis, it's a given (apart from in very bizarre circumstances).

I meant, on a relative basis, and from what I saw last time, I would still put her in the same category as I did when I saw her three years ago (i.e. high).
She's clearly improving, you can see from recent results.

No, she's just getting older so of course she'll get better results. Any 17 year-old will play better and get better results than the same player as a 14 year-old. As said, it's not improving on a relative basis, just an absolute basis.

And, in fact, she made two semi-finals of Grade 2s a year ago, and made the final of a Grade 3 two years ago. So, in some ways, she hasn't even really improved on an absolute basis since then, just against the rather poor results from the last six months.

But none of this matters. She has a very good team, they will know all about short-term and long-term goals, timelines, looking at progress in an overall sense, and everything that people responsible for bringing on talented youngsters have to focus on rather than junior results. I like Ali, I like her tennis, I like what I know about her family - let's hope in five years time it's all clicked and she's where she wants to be.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I thought Antons score was interesting and have a gut feeling we see this match up on a number of occasions of the years, entirely consistent with being out servebotted by his 6ft 8inch opponent in tie breaks. It will be interesting to follow both players future careers in the long term.

Phoenix · Newbie

I have seen Ali Collins play some times over the years. Her play is progressing above average for her peers. She has a lot of fight. Her serve improving

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Hi, Phoenix - love the name - and welcome !

Yes, she's a gutsy player, it's one of the things that struck me straight away, very antsy, and terrier-like.

Phoenix · Newbie

Thank you for welcome. Very kind! Young female athletes will look up to her. More girls need to be determined. She always fights. I like it. She really is a great player. I would pay to watch her. She's entertaining! She was playing today but I do not know result

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

Ali unfortunately misses out on a quarter final spot, losing in 3 (L16) but for the good news, beats seed 1 (Paula Arias Manjon and Eva Guerrero Alvarez) in doubles with partner, Axana Marleen (BEL), beating Paula in both singles and doubles this week. They move to semis.

Barnaby wins in 3 against an American seeded player, he later beats the same player in doubles with Anton. He progresses to QF singles, SF dubs.

Good week for Barnaby and also Ali, although she lost, getting to L16 of a G1 is a great effort, I'm not sure of how she went out.

Doubles looking good anyway, I'm not sure of any scores as of yet, unfortunately.