JonH comes home wrote:

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Oh, missed that well done Sonay!

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 So had I in amongst the excellent longer runs. But CD highlighted in Sonsy's individual thread just what a set of results Sonay has had. 

1 Emily Webley-Smith - For her first singles wins of 2023, regaining her WTA ranking and qualifying for the main draw of a 100k tournament.

2 Harry Wendelken - two stellar matches to come through Surbiton Challenger qualis - the one against PHH was just brilliant - deserves the nomination for that alone

3 Isabelle Lacy - qualifying for Surbiton 100k and beating top 100 Madison Brengle in the MD

4 Toby Martin - first ITF singles QF since 2021, first in M25 since 2019, after beating the 2nd seed, ATP 346, and battling his next win in 3h 41m

5 Andy Lapthorne - French Open quad wheelchair doubles champion with Donald Ramphadi, unseeded. His 14th career doubles slam. Has come back from severe mental health problems and deserves to get back to the winners circle

6.Kristina Paskauskas - reaching finals of ITF W15 - Monastir, Tunisia, unseeded, beating higher ranking players than herself, only beaten by top seed of much higher ranking

7. Emily Appleton - for qualifying for a 1st WTA 250. I'd like to nominate all 4 tbh but she was the biggest surprise.

8. Katie Swan - playing superb tennis the whole week at W100 Surbiton, beating the #1 seed (WR67) and reaching the biggest final contested by a British woman for a year or so.

9. Grace Chinwike - only 13 - has just won TWO titles at J30 level, back to back, in Nigeria.

10. George Loffhagen - reached the QF in the Nottingham Challenger, beating Virtanen WR 131 in the process. Will be into the world top 400 and GB top 10.

11. Liam Broady/Jonny O'Mara - Having won the Surbiton Challenger they are now in the Final of the Nottingham Challenger. As yet, unbeaten on grass this season.

12. Billy Harris - for a CH ranking win against Lestienne (WR67) at qualies of Queens. I think only the 2nd time he's beaten a top 100 player.

13. Jacob Fearnley & Johannus Monday - for winning the doubles title in the Nottingham Challenger 125 - despite being offiicially unranked (0+510) and both only 21

14. Andy Murray - Andy returns to the top.40 for the first time since 2018 and no doubt the first top 40 singles player with a metal hip, after his Surbiton and Nottingham challenger titles.

15, Katie Boulter - for winning her first WTA 250 title at Nottingham as a wild card

16. Jodie Burrage - for being runner up for the first time in a WTA250 at Nottingham as a wild card

17. Heather Watson - for reaching the SF at Nottingham, producing some of her best tennis since last summer. Also she also reached the doubles final (with Harriet)

18. Sonay Kartal - very impressive over the first 3 weeks of the grass season beating WRs 113 (1 & 0), 125, 136 and 151 all in straight sets with her 2 losses being in 3 sets to WR 77 and WR 125 (Boulter).

JonH comes home wrote:

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foobarbaz wrote:

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Wow, with over a week still to go, have we ever had such a strong list to choose from?

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 I think it is an all time high! We have had a month or two in the past where I expected the 20 nominations barrier might get pushed, but the month tailed away in the end. I think we have 16 in the end one month, not sure we have ever reached 18 but no doubt someone somewhere would know - it isnt a stat I have tracked. With 18 so far this month and the week and a half left, 20 or feels quite possible! And my poll will only deal with 20, so it is into groups time 

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Deciding on who is in each group could be a bit tricky. Or maybe just use the list order as it is, first half in one group, and second half in the other.

indiana wrote:

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Nor sure it is necessarily so much the case just now but all things being equal the first half of the list is liable to be stronger since these were chosen for early month achievements with time to consolidate further.

Anyway best of luck, Jon. Maybe have two groups with similar men, women, juniors, wheelchair, singles, doubles makeups as I think you may have done before?

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 Exactly - I have a tried and tested approach from when I used to use groups as the main approach. I try and even out men and women, seniors and juniors, singles and doubles and then wheelchair players into the groups. 

it tends to work and the main aim is to get a nice feeling of balance ! 

ETA - I also try and balance out players who mostly play ATP and WTA tours as opposed to ITF tours within the men and women. Now and then it doesnt quite work and some people often find their favourites together but I cant second guess that and , being honest, its not for me to try and seed peoples favourites or who I think might win as that isnt my job ! 

JonH comes home wrote:

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quick question re our list - maybe CD is the best to answer this, but anyone can! - do we regard Isabelle Lacy and Kristina Paskauskas as juniors still or seniors; ie are they playing junior events at all, or have they now broken out into purely seniors play?

Thanks!!

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 It's not a question of 'regard', or my opnion (), it's the ITF definition

This year, anyone born in 2005 or younger is a junior.

If you're 2004 or older, you're an adult

So Kristina is adult as she's 2004

And Isa is junior as she's 2006

1 Emily Webley-Smith - For her first singles wins of 2023, regaining her WTA ranking and qualifying for the main draw of a 100k tournament.

2 Harry Wendelken - two stellar matches to come through Surbiton Challenger qualis - the one against PHH was just brilliant - deserves the nomination for that alone

3 Isabelle Lacy - qualifying for Surbiton 100k and beating top 100 Madison Brengle in the MD, followed by Golubic at Ilkley

4 Toby Martin - first ITF singles QF since 2021, first in M25 since 2019, after beating the 2nd seed, ATP 346, and battling his next win in 3h 41m

5 Andy Lapthorne - French Open quad wheelchair doubles champion with Donald Ramphadi, unseeded. His 14th career doubles slam. Has come back from severe mental health problems and deserves to get back to the winners circle

6.Kristina Paskauskas - reaching finals of ITF W15 - Monastir, Tunisia, unseeded, beating higher ranking players than herself, only beaten by top seed of much higher ranking

7. Emily Appleton - for qualifying for a 1st WTA 250. I'd like to nominate all 4 tbh but she was the biggest surprise.

8. Katie Swan - playing superb tennis the whole week at W100 Surbiton, beating the #1 seed (WR67) and reaching the biggest final contested by a British woman for a year or so.

9. Grace Chinwike - only 13 - has just won TWO titles at J30 level, back to back, in Nigeria.

10. George Loffhagen - reached the QF in the Nottingham Challenger, beating Virtanen WR 131 in the process. Will be into the world top 400 and GB top 10.

11. Liam Broady/Jonny O'Mara - Having won the Surbiton Challenger they are now in the Final of the Nottingham Challenger. 

12. Billy Harris - for a CH ranking win against Lestienne (WR67) at qualies of Queens. I think only the 2nd time he's beaten a top 100 player.

13. Jacob Fearnley & Johannus Monday - for winning the doubles title in the Nottingham Challenger 125 - despite being officially unranked (0+510) and both only 21

14. Andy Murray - Andy returns to the top.40 for the first time since 2018 and no doubt the first top 40 singles player with a metal hip, after his Surbiton and Nottingham challenger titles.

15, Katie Boulter - for winning her first WTA 250 title at Nottingham as a wild card

16. Jodie Burrage - for being runner up for the first time in a WTA250 at Nottingham as a wild card

17. Heather Watson - for reaching the SF at Nottingham, producing some of her best tennis since last summer. Also she also reached the doubles final (with Harriet)

18. Sonay Kartal - very impressive over the first 3 weeks of the grass season beating WRs 113 (1 & 0), 125, 136 and 151 all in straight sets with her 2 losses being in 3 sets to WR 77 and WR 125 (Boulter).