Week 5 - Challenger (€46,600) - Open Bretagne Occidentale, Quimper, France (indoor hard)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Week 5 - Challenger (€46,600) - Open Bretagne Occidentale, Quimper, France (indoor hard)

indiana · Tennis legend

'Just' QF so far. It takes 3 rounds to get there these days if you start in Challenger R1.

Jeff Stelling · Club Coach

No offence but if he makes it to the semis he is on the very brink of the top 150 in play

-- Edited by Jeff Stelling on Thursday 31st of January 2019 10:25:35 PM

-- Edited by Jeff Stelling on Thursday 31st of January 2019 10:25:54 PM

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
'Just' QF so far. It takes 3 rounds to get there these days if you start in Challenger R1.

Wishful thinking on my part, obviously! wink I keep forgetting. Corrected.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Never seen Safullin play but he's one of the many top juniors who's had real problems making it in adult tennis.
He's 21 now so still young, still time.
But he won a junior grand slam (the Aussie one), and got to number 2 in the world, so you would expect him really to be better than atp 283 now.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Never seen Safullin play but he's one of the many top juniors who's had real problems making it in adult tennis.
He's 21 now so still young, still time.
But he won a junior grand slam (the Aussie one), and got to number 2 in the world, so you would expect him really to be better than atp 283 now.

confuse

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Interesting perspective I agree, to a certain extent reflects how the mind works and is capable of coming up with plausible but contradictory nonsense perhaps how a hardcore gambler thinks and indeed how a betting company may advertise their punt or how a hardened gambler may justify one.

He is one of the many good juniors who dont but its surprising because he was a good junior that he hasnt at 21? But he was a good junior and hes ranked 286, that cant be right, probably worth a punt?

A different perspective taking the heuristics out of it Would be to say

1/ a significant proportion of successful junior players do not transition to top level tour players.

2/ Players who reach the ATP top 200 as teenagers often do.

He hasnt made the top 200 as a teenager and therefore it is unlikely (like our very own (sort of) Brydan Klein) he will ever be a top 50 player.

Much safer to keep your 10ps in your pocket and enjoy the odd coffee

Its interesting to look at his futures wins mainly Greece, Turkey and Sharm, he probably missed a step and needed to experience winning in the tougher Spanish and USA circuits dominate that cohort of players and its an easier step I think. If he had been British he would have got LTA support and perhaps more opportunity after a singles junior slam win.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 1st of February 2019 05:35:13 AM

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 1st of February 2019 05:36:03 AM

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

I'm very pleased to have been wrong Dan not turning things around. It really didn't seem likely after he had lost serve half way thru the 2nd set.

Dan gets an even later slot tonight - he plays 2nd match not before 6.30 local.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
Never seen Safullin play but he's one of the many top juniors who's had real problems making it in adult tennis.
He's 21 now so still young, still time.
But he won a junior grand slam (the Aussie one), and got to number 2 in the world, so you would expect him really to be better than atp 283 now.

The ITF page has him at 283

https://www.itftennis.com/ProCircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=100169944

Whereas the ATP has him as you've posted, SC.

What are we to do when even the sites can't agree about this new blinkin' ranking nonsense???

And no 10ps on him, thanks, Oakie, never seen him (unless, of course, the odds are ridiculously generous )

Jimmy09 · Intermediate Club Player

Watched the whole match last night and no idea as to how Dan won other than grit and determination. The courts look to be playing super slow? Evo's slice doesnt appear as effective as it does usually. Also seems to be having some issues with the second serve. Having said that it's really a testament as to how far Dan has come since his comeback when he's grinding out these wins. It must of been hard to play events like this off the back of the Aus open.

Michael D · All-time great

Grit, determination and a lot of variety in his game, Jimmy. He wears opponents down physically and mentally because they can never fully predict him. And I love his volleying and overhead skills which make up a lot for him being relatively short as far as pro tennis players are concerned. Shots that Lestienne was making in the first set he was failing to near the end, whereas Dan tightened up his game if anything, for instance, not giving away free second serve's to Lestienne's forehand any longer.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Jimmy09 wrote:
Watched the whole match last night and no idea as to how Dan won other than grit and determination. The courts look to be playing super slow? Evo's slice doesnt appear as effective as it does usually. Also seems to be having some issues with the second serve. Having said that it's really a testament as to how far Dan has come since his comeback when he's grinding out these wins. It must of been hard to play events like this off the back of the Aus open.

Yes. As well as a bit of a choke on Lestienne's part and - as Ace V has analysed - one very dodgy line call in Dan's favour on a really important point at the end of the second set.

What I loved was the atmopshere - great crowd support for all the good tennis, not just the French player. They loved the battle. And Dan did too.

And Dan also did an amazing job, I thought, of making his point to the umpire - forcefully, clearly but within the rules - if there's no shot clock, or clock of any type, it would seem right for the umpire to warn the player first if they are getting very close to a time warning. It was almost as though he 'took charge' (Dan, that is) from that point on. Making his presence felt. To Lestienne AND the umpire.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Good for Dan to play a game and win when his slice is relatively ineffectual, his single handed backhand is a fabulous shot when he opens up and his forehand not to shabby. There is also something impressive about an athlete well under six foot who can generate a more than decent first serve due to the flexibility in his back. When hes not working on the conventional aspects of conditioning he needs to follow the example of a Mr Giggs and crack on with some yoga, purely selfish of course when he is playing like this I want his career to last an aeon!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

The lower ranked French lads doing very well again today.
Nice for the crowd and great for the players themselves to take advantage of the home events.
There's now 15th seed Barrere in the top-half semi-final against unseeded Bourgue.
Also, nice to hear the umpire give a little speech straight after the match that's just finished, praising the Estonian (Zopp) and highlighting some of his career.

JonH · All-time great

Dan about to start. I've decided against fish and chips tonight. Gonna man up.