Week 31 - ATP 500 - Citi Open, Washington DC, USA (hard)

flamingowings · All-time great

Week 31 - ATP 500 - Citi Open, Washington DC, USA (hard)

Babfive · Satellite level

Can I just echo what everyone else is saying. Well done Andy, but can that please be the last Andy vs Kyle match of the year. It's not good for the blood pressure.

JonH · All-time great

Was trying to digest yesterday when this started who I wanted to win but soon realised it was Andy. Kyle has time still and will find his level. Andy needs this season and next to maybe get one more slam, perhaps back in top ten, and this win really says he's moving in the right direction. Many of his matches since coming back have been two hours plus, general fitness seems good.

He will overtake Dan soon on the comeback!

Jaffa · Challenger level

That was a fantastic match to be fair. Well played to both of them.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

A bad match by both players from what I can gather. Neither playing anywhere near their best tennis mentally. Kyle just not mentally able to get over the line bottling it when he had a chance to take the first set, then Andy playing badly the second, but getting over the line in the third.

Not sure what to make of this apart from hoping they don't play each other in Canada.

Glad Andy is already up to ATP 500 standard though

Born2WinTennis · Club Coach

So pleased for Andy, but also very impressed with Kyle last night, especially some of his returns on both sides. I was loving how energised and focused Murray was, berating himself and whacking his own leg when Kyle made some unbelievable winners on the lines. I think recovery will be the key, he's playing well enough to win the tournament, but how will his body cope with multiple matches in a week. Fingers crossed!

Jan · Hall of fame

So pleased Andy won, but so sad it had to be against Kyle. Please no more re-matches for a long time

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Well done Andy. I was torn down the middle on this one as I am sure many others were. Fantastic to have Andy back and playing competitive tennis. One more win and he is back in the Top 500 wink

But a horrible draw again for Kyle. It was clear to me that the intimidation factor of playing a friend and a mentor was still their. It was nervous school kid going back to play against his PE teacher. Despite the defeat, Kyle actually won more points on the night : 99-97

So for now, I will just agree with Indi's plea that they aren't drawn against each other next week in R2, which would be for the 4th tournament in a row.

If they play each other in a final, I will live with that.

legal-eagle · Improver

There's certainly nobody in Andy's half that he can't beat, if his body holds up in the short-term. I would love for him to make the final and have a real test against a Zverev or Nishikori.

Amidst the sympathy for Kyle and Andy having to play each other, spare a moment for Mischa and Alexander Zverev, who I believe have their first MD match against one another in the R16.

They have previously played twice at lower levels. In 2012, Mischa wiped out his 14/15 year-old brother 6-0 6-1. In 2014, a more competitive affair ended in a third-set retirement for Sascha. I'm sure he will be hoping to exact some well-meaning revenge.

bookerman · Social player

Yes so pleased to see Andy win, so no split Loyalty here, been emotionally invested in him since he was 17-18 watching him make his journey up too the top 100.

Infact i'm sure this message board was set up based on Andy trying to get to the top 100. Still remember coming here and watching us all work out what he had to do to move up the rankings. It was only then that other British tennis players got tagged on.

So nothing agaisnt Kyle dont think i'll even have half the emontionally attachment to him than i do with Andy

-- Edited by bookerman on Thursday 2nd of August 2018 01:35:50 PM

-- Edited by bookerman on Thursday 2nd of August 2018 01:54:35 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, the great weekly rankings "what if" tables looking at the potential rounds progress of Andy and these around him in the rankings when it was very much more a pen and paper job ( well, still is for me in many ways though I do look at some of these new fangled ranking sites )

Andy truly got me really into following tennis, Andy brought me to this site, and then many great folk like Steven steadily corrupted me into taking a much more general interest and taking up sometimes too much time but generally good times.

As I said before, for me Andy vs anyone is Andy. But leave off Kyle for a bit, eh ...

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

bookerman wrote:
Yes so pleased to see Andy win, so no split Loyalty here, been emotionally invested in him since he was 17-18 watching him make his journey up too the top 100.

Infact i'm sure this message board was set up based on Andy trying to get to the top 100. Still remember coming here and watching us all work out what he had to do to move up the rankings. It was only then that other British tennis players got tagged on.

So nothing agaisnt Kyle dont think i'll even have half the emontionally attachment to him than i do with Andy

Nice story. We all have our reasons for preferring one over another. I have followed Kyle in much the same way and that, as much as anything, got me into following tennis big time. As most board members will know, I first saw Kyle when he had just turned 17 and was playing QR2 in Murcia Futures. He got his first ranking point the following week. So following him up through the rankings has been very similar to your story with Andy.

I will always support both of course. But I perhaps follow Kyle that bit more closely.

-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Thursday 2nd of August 2018 02:02:51 PM

goldfish · Futures qualifying

Only been watching from 4/4 set 1 but according to commentators, Andy's games were taking 5 mins, Copil's very quick. Andy's following game was quick though. Until tie-break Andy won only 4 points on Copil's serve. Against run of play Andy went 5-0 up in TB only to lose the next 7 points.

Copil 76(5)

-- Edited by goldfish on Friday 3rd of August 2018 05:11:22 AM

Babfive · Satellite level

Andy breaks at the start of the second set to go 1-0

goldfish · Futures qualifying

Good start to set 2, better returning, more weight of shot, more intensity

Copil 76(5) 0-1* Andy