Boys: French Open, clay (Week 23)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Boys: French Open, clay (Week 23)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Disappointingly direct British involvement ends in the first qualifying round (Joanna Garland is in the main draw)

QR1

Mateus Alves (BRA) d. (q13) Blu Baker 6-1 6-3
Karlis Ozolins (LAT) d. (q6) Harry Wendelken 6-2 3-6 6-2

JonH · All-time great

I dont follow juniors too much, I'm afraid, but have we ever had an event recently with no boys or girls singles participant's?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

It's pretty shocking to have no entrants.

Of course, you could say that Jack and Anton would have got in if they'd entered. And Emma would (almost certainly) have got in if she'd played a bit more juniors to boost her ranking.

Which is true - up to a certain point.

But it's missing the key fact that Swiatek would have been in - apart from she's playing the last 16 of the adult main draw. And Cori Gauff would have been in - apart from the fact she was winning rounds in the adult qualis (despite being 2004-born). And so would Xiyu Wang, apart from she was also winning in the qualis. And Tseng, the top boy, is not here either, being ATP 420.
i.e. there are quite a few of the very top juniors who do not play and our top juniors are not (quite) in the same league as those lot so it's hardly a comfort for our lack of representation, it just says we have a couple of very promising players (but not quite at the level of some other very promising players) and we have no one just behind them.

That said, juniors is hardly the be all and end all.

But it's certainly a bit sad to see no one at all in the main draw of a grand slam......

flamingowings · All-time great

JonH wrote:
I dont follow juniors too much, I'm afraid, but have we ever had an event recently with no boys or girls singles participant's?

That bloke Steven was asked this very q on twitter:

Steven

@GBtennis

2006 was the last time there were no British players in the junior singles draws at Roland Garro

JonH · All-time great

flamingowings wrote:
JonH wrote:
I dont follow juniors too much, I'm afraid, but have we ever had an event recently with no boys or girls singles participant's?
That bloke Steven was asked this very q on twitter:
Steven

@GBtennis

2006 was the last time there were no British players in the junior singles draws at Roland Garro

Wow

Strongbow · All-time great

1983 was the last time we had a woman in R4. Jo would have to get to the final (to beat the other Jo). Shame about Blu and Harry. So many injuries with the girls.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

Strongbow wrote:
1983 was the last time we had a woman in R4. Jo would have to get to the final (to beat the other Jo). Shame about Blu and Harry. So many injuries with the girls.

Realistically don't see Jo getting to the final. As for the other Jo in 1983 she really should have got to the final. Lost to Mimi Jausovec on clay and then beat her on the grass courts of Eastbourne a couple of weeks later. That was the closest we ever got to a Grand Slam female singles finalist after Wimbledon 1977.

JonH · All-time great

ROSAMUND wrote:
Strongbow wrote:
1983 was the last time we had a woman in R4. Jo would have to get to the final (to beat the other Jo). Shame about Blu and Harry. So many injuries with the girls.
Realistically don't see Jo getting to the final. As for the other Jo in 1983 she really should have got to the final. Lost to Mimi Jausovec on clay and then beat her on the grass courts of Eastbourne a couple of weeks later. That was the closest we ever got to a Grand Slam female singles finalist after Wimbledon 1977.

But jausovec did win French in 1977 as well as reaching us open and aus open semis in her career. No slouch and clay was her best surface, whereas it was Jo duries weakest. Not sure I'd agree she should have won that semi. Either way, Chris evert was waiting in the final so would have been favourite who ever she met in final!

JonH · All-time great

Jo duries problem was always movement. She could hit well and through opponents on slower surface. In clay it kept coming back and she struggled a lot more. 1983 was an epic performance on that basis

DavidC · Tennis legend

Although there is no direct British involvement in the singles draws, Harry has made it into the doubles draw with his Finnish partner, and plays tomorrow

Doubles R1

Virtanen/Wendelken (FIN/GBR) v Llamas Ruiz/Torres (ESP/ARG)

Strongbow · All-time great

Good luck to Harry biggrin

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I see Garland has to come back tomorrow to serve for her Jr R1 match (3-6 6-3 *5-3) against the local Manon Leanard. I saw it to be resumed on the order of play tomorrow without knowing the score, so watched the final set on delay - quite a feisty little affair and Joanna seemed to have more of the crowd support. Play was suspended around 9.45pm.

Manon looks quite a bit like Iga Swiatek.

Edit - Garland was broken when servong it out, but managed to break back to win 6-4 in the third.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Monday 3rd of June 2019 12:10:29 PM

DavidC · Tennis legend

Harry's doubles partner Otto Virtanen lost today to Pablo Llamas Ruiz in singles, and this was compounded by a narrow defeat in the doubles against the same player +. Otto, seeded 9, unusually was the highest seed to lose in round 1 of the boys or girls event.

Doubles R1

Llamas Ruiz/Torres (ESP/ARG) d. Virtanen/Wendelken (FIN/GBR) 6-0 2-6 [10-8]

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Seems a bit strange talking about a technically not British girl on a junior boys thread, but I suppose the thread starter DavidC did mention her in the second post and it's not worth it's own thread, but a great win for Garland earlier today, especially after a 1-6 opening set. She came back to win 7-6(7) 6-2 and had to save a MP in the tie break. Shnaider had been getting a lot of hype on Tennisforum in recent weeks.