L16: Scott Clayton & Jonny O'Mara CR 328 (163+165) vs Tuna Altuna & Petr Michnev (TUR/CZE) CR 759 (182+577)
Not a very kind drawn for the boys this week: if they win that one, they'll almost certainly face the top seeds, Arends & Krawietz, in the quarter-final. That said, that's hardly an established partnership: Arends is playing with Antonio Sancic this week in Ortisei & they've reached the final...
As discussed ( quite a lot ) it was no doubt not these guys' #1 tennis career choice. But Joe, Luke, Scott and Jonny are really rising up the rankings and hopefully to the top 100 where they can really begin to see how they could have a long and pretty rewarding career in a sport they no doubt love. There seems to me rather a lot to like in that.
A relevant point with Marin Draganja is not only his current ranking, which is higher than either Mr Clayton's or Mr O'Mara's, but that his CH is 20. So, again, while it's a pity that it was a tight loss rather than a tight win, it's an impressive match.
