Week 48 - USA F39 ($25,000) - Waco, TX (indoor hard)

paulisi · Tennis legend

Week 48 - USA F39 ($25,000) - Waco, TX (indoor hard)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Got there in the end.

SF: (5) Alex Ward WR 373 beat (Q) Trevor Johnson (USA) WR 1116 6-2 7-5

Final: (5) Alex Ward WR 373 v (Q) Danny Thomas (USA) UNR (CH 1133 Nov 2017)

Edit

Corrected the ranking for Thomas. His CH was only a couple of weeks back but he is now unranked.

-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Friday 1st of December 2017 10:27:54 PM

Spectator · All-time great

Excellent.

Danny Thomas, according to the ITF, is 18 with a JCH of 19. Finalist in doubles at Roland Garros, where he and Vasil Kirkov vanquished a number of very good teams. Finalist in the Trofeo Bonfiglio doubles, too. Won the Banana Bowl doubles. QF USO juniors singles (lost to Skatov). In his professional career, he partnered with Denis Kudla to win (in part because of Libietis' disastrous injury) the Charlottesville Challenger doubles, beating, inter alia Paes and Raja, Doubles WC at the US Open, so probably won the national tournament for juniors as well. Interestingly, this is his first really strong singles run.

indiana · Tennis legend

Well done Alex.

Danny Thomas did have a SF run in a Costa Rica futures last November. These are his only previous senior singles points though and dropping these recently is why he has gone from a CH 1133 on 06/11/17 to now unranked.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I love to see teenagers, regardless of nationality, do well at futures. For me it is the rational for their existence. It will be interesting to see how Danny progresses, he is the only one of this years 27 Blue chip potential scholar athletes to sign with an agent and go pro. Obviously a bright boy, he had interest from Virginia, Georgia and Stanford amongst others.

Age wise he seems to be occupying a momentary trough behind a wave of "next gen" superstars and I just wonder whether the USTA were keen to really support him as one of the best prospects of the 1999 birth cohort. Korda (2000), Bryce and Kypson are also yet to commit. Oliver Crawford is (as Jody Burrage could have been) tucked up in Gainesville with the other Gators.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Oakland2002 wrote:
I love to see teenagers, regardless of nationality, do well at futures. For me it is the rational for their existence. It will be interesting to see how Danny progresses, he is the only one of this years 27 Blue chip potential scholar athletes to sign with an agent and go pro. Obviously a bright boy, he had interest from Virginia, Georgia and Stanford amongst others.

Age wise he seems to be occupying a momentary trough behind a wave of "next gen" superstars and I just wonder whether the USTA were keen to really support him as one of the best prospects of the 1999 birth cohort. Korda (2000), Bryce and Kypson are also yet to commit. Oliver Crawford is (as Jody Burrage could have been) tucked up in Gainesville with the other Gators.

I'm not so sure about the trough. If you look at the 18 year-olds, you've got Shapovalov, Moutet, Ruud, de Minaur etc. It's a good batch. And one stage even younger, Felix Auger-A has carved himself out a good claim to being the leader of next-next gen stars, as well as Nicola Kuhn, and Oliel and Korda. And Fomin is top 1000 although only 16. However, I think the 21 age Next-Gen definition is right - it's the age it starts to get really interesting. So these names might look quite different in three years time. But for the moment, it's a useful group.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Sorry I probably didnt make it clear enough the trough was in reference to US players hence the interest of the USTA, the other players yet to commit are also the US juniors in that 99/2000 cohort most likely to go pro... with the obvious exception of Crawford who is already a Gator

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Saturday 2nd of December 2017 05:16:10 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Sorry, my fault, I'm with you now.

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

Alex takes the first set 6-1. Breaking in all of Thomas' service games.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Halfway to a second consecutive title

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

Breaks in the 1st game of the second set and then holds of 3 break points to lead 2-0*

paulisi · Tennis legend

cruising...

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Alex is the for the second week in a row:

Final: (5) Alex Ward WR 373 defeated (Q) Danny Thomas (USA) UNR by 1 & 1 biggrin

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

And we have a winner! Well done Alex!! 6-1 6-1

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

Should put him back into the top 300 as well!