Week 25 - ATP 250 - Viking International - Devonshire Park, Eastbourne (grass)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Week 25 - ATP 250 - Viking International - Devonshire Park, Eastbourne (grass)

indiana · Tennis legend

Even the lowest (q8) seed is WR 105.

Plus the q1 abd q2 seeds have rarely played on grass and neither has an ATP tour MD win on it. Gombos hasn't even a challenger or ITF MD win on grass.

Not saying our guys will win but can't really complain about the draw on this stage.

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 19th of June 2021 01:18:38 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Go, Ali !

He's playing well, pretty close, not quite on top, will probably lose the first set, but it's very respectable.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And Ali did get pipped in the first set, as expected, 4-6

But is playing well, and is now a break up in the second. Kwon getting a bit annoyed.

Meanwhile, young Lui (still a junior) is hanging in there, only one break down, 3-5*, and making sure Gombos doesn't have it all his own way.

It's less close as a match, but very decent

DF · Tennis legend

Your Ali G took the second set 6-2 setting up the decider

DF · Tennis legend

Lui meanwhile is 2-0 up in the second set having lost the first 4-6

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

DF wrote:
Your Ali G took the second set 6-2 setting up the decider

It's going to be tight.....

I remember him losing a real heartbreaker in Surbiton (although I seem to remember he then got an LL spot, so it didn't matter) but I almost had a coronary..... Him and Jay and Ryan Storrie were all very much of a muchness at one time (ahead of Alexis Canter, Max Stewart, Ewan Moore, and all the others in the same cohort, in my view). Jay's doing pretty well. Ryan's been long-term injured. So maybe today it's Alistair's turn???

Meanwhile, Seagull's Lui is doing well too - lost the first but got break in the second

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

L28: Cameron Norrie WR 41 (= CH) vs Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) WR 56 (CH = 48 in February last year)

L28: John Millman (AUS) WR 43 (CH = 33 in October 2018) vs (WC) Jay Clarke WR 233 (CH = 153 in July 2019)

L28: (WC) James Ward WR 333 (CH = 89 in July 2015) vs Vasek Pospisil (CAN) WR 66 (CH = 25 in January 2014)

L28: Frances Tiafoe (USA) WR 65 (CH = 29 in February 2019) vs (WC) Liam Broady WR 146 (CH = 137 in April)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

OK, I'm getting nervous.

Ali had break points against him in both the last service games. But managed to hang on. Still coming into the net. Chip and charge. Slice and hope.

Now 5-2*

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Love the first point:

Ali came in 'en chausettes' as the French say. A bluff.

Then wrong-footed him, made him slip.

Then scooped up a drop shot and bunted it down the line.

But three MPs weren't enough. Kwon served quite well (and got blinkin lucky when one groudnshot hit the net)

And now it's *5-3 and crunch time

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

QR1: (qWC) Alastair Gray WR 1132 defeated (q1) Kwon Soonwoo (KOR) WR 79 by 4-6 6-2 6-3

DF · Tennis legend

Well done!!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Bless him, and his cotton socks !

Brilliant win. And well deserved.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

That's 6 points and EUR 3.5k for Alistair

Meanwhile, Lui has got himself into a TB for the second

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

QR1: (q2) Norbert Gombos (SVK) WR 89 defeated (qWC) Lui Maxted UNR by 6-4 7-6(4)