For those of you wondering what Jamie Murray was up to this week, well he's in Atlanta and at the weekend he attempted to qualify for the singles main draw:
Sadly he lost in a battle of the lefties...
Rd1: J Levine [USA] bt J Murray [GB] 6-3, 6-3
18 year old Jesse Levine reached no 14 in the juniors last year and he trains at the Nick Bolliteri academy. He's ranked 890 in seniors so this was a match Jamie had a good chance of winning.
Jamie is still in the doubles with Australia's Alun Jones [for those of you who may be wondering what's happening to the Fleming/J Murray partnership, I can explain but it'd have to be via pm. Send me a pm if you want to know].
I believe that Jamie's schedule is to continue playing in the States for the next two weeks in challengers and then head back to GB for two weeks of grass court training.
Jamie may have been off form in the singles but he and Jones have had a fabulous victory in rd1 of the doubles:
Rd1: J Murray/A Jones [GB]/[Aus] bt G Dragcevic/N Healey [1] 7-6[2], 6-1
That's highly impressive to beat this pair so comfortably. Dragicevic is a doubles specialist ranked 107 and has reached a challenger final this year in doubles and has played several ATP events in 2006. Healey is ranked 105 in doubles, and has also played several ATP doubles tournaments.
Next up:
QF: J Murray/A Jones v A Delic/P Simmonds [USA]
Delic and Simmonds edged out fellow Americans Scoville Jenkins and Bobby Reynolds 10-8 in a champions tiebreak. Delic is ranked 127 in doubles and has played ATP San Jose and Memphis this year, Simmonds is only ranked 609 but has made challenger quarters and semis this year in doubles. Still after that rd1 win you'd have to rate Murray and Jones as favourites. According to Judy Murray, Delic is a hard hitter with a single-handed backhand to die for and Simmonds has a really monstrous serve.
QF: J Murray/A Jones [GB]/[Aus] bt A Delic/P Simmonds [USA] 6-2, 4-6, 10-6
Great result for Jamie which will take his doubles ranking back into the top 200 and he'll overtake Colin. Congrats to both of them for holding their nerve in the champions tiebreak.
They will play either wildcards Cozad [USA] and Jarvholm [Swe] or Armando [USA] and Sa [Brz] in the semis.
After this tournament Jamie will head back to Britain.
Jamie's doubles ranking will now be back in the top 200, he's now the British no 2 at doubles with Colin Fleming at no 3.
Jamie's back in Britain this week, all I know of his movements is that he's going to a party on Friday night but am not sure whether he plans to play in Edinburgh - if he wants a wc, I'd be surprised if the GB F8 organisers don't give him one.
