Boys: 2024 U16/U18 Junior National Championships, NTC, acrylic (Weeks 14/15)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RE: Boys: 2024 U16/U18 Junior National Championships, NTC, acrylic (Weeks 14/15)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And Liam is next, 3 & 3

But Niall played very well, there's a lot to like there, Wales should be proud, he's only born in Sept. 2010, so very young compared to Liam, and others

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And then Harrison Mcelnea, 6-1 6-4 (who should be careful about calling the lines - especially when there's an umpire - and doubly especially when he's wrong)

Var · Pro player

Coup Droit wrote:
And Liam is next, 3 & 3

But Niall played very well, there's a lot to like there, Wales should be proud, he's only born in Sept. 2010, so very young compared to Liam, and others

Agree CD, some really promising youngsters coming out of Wales, led by Mimi. Like her measured progress so far. Always worried of the big break through and the challenges of sustaining the level.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And Rhys Lawlor comes through too, although not without a fair bit of difficulty in that second set - well done to qualifier Casey Drake for really making the 2nd seed have to work for it

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

In the boys doubles, the final is set as:

Jesse Clarkson and Casey Drake versus Rhys Lawlor and Alexander Winder - both pairs are unseeded, but neither pair has lost a set in reaching the finals from the first round stage.

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Wednesday 3rd of April 2024 04:24:06 PM

DavidC · Tennis legend

U16 QF

(1) Mark Ceban d. Jesse Clarkson 6-2 6-0
Harrison Mcelnea d. Charlie Harvey 6-1 6-4
(7) Liam Channon d. (4) Niall Pickerd-Barua 6-3 6-3
(2) Rhys Lawlor d. (Q) Casey Drake 6-2 7-6(3)

SF

(1) Mark Ceban v Harrison Mcelnea
(7) Liam Channon v (2) Rhys Lawlor

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

I just flicked onto the boys semis briefly - Mark Ceban is 6-1 4-1 ahead and close to winning easily; Liam Channon took the opening set 7-6.

Quick question - there are linespeople but no ball boys/girls. Players seem to be spending a lot of time fetching and knocking balls back to the servers end. Shouldn't a national championships have some ball boys/girls? Even if just at this stage? It should be a bigger deal than having none, IMO. Or am I mollycoddling them? Maybe for the finals?

Would the 18's have ball boys?

paulisi · Tennis legend

Most comps at this level and ITF don't have ball boys....

indiana · Tennis legend

paulisi wrote:
Most comps at this level and ITF don't have ball boys....

I guess it still depends on how a big a deal they want the national championships to be / should be.

Lambda · Challenger level

They had ball kids for the final last year.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Indy has captured my thoughts - I realise most events at this level dont have ball boys, but it struck me national championships, if you have them and they have the array of wild card prizes mentioned, should be a big deal. They would be to me. And we should probably treat them as such. Glad they had ball kids last year at the finals, maybe they should extend that to semis as well?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I don't think they need ball kids
And, from firshand experience, ball kids are quite an undertaking for the event
You've got to look after them, feed them, have safeguarding things in place - off the court, I mean, more than on
You've got to make sure they're picked up by the right person, that they don't wander off, even 13 year old (ie quite 'big' ball kids) need proper supervision - maybe more than the younger ones, in fact!
And they need training - a ballkid who doesn't know what to do is worse than none at all

Having an Umpire I think is essential and I'm glad they've got those now for all main draw rounds

But I wouldn't have ball kids

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 4th of April 2024 02:46:24 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Liam Channon won his semi 7-6 final set, v tight. Liam playing Mark Ceban in the final

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
For context:

Generally, there is rather less 'playing up' in the boys - the ages are more respected

Last year's event saw an amazing final

2023 U16

Ben Gusic Wan (2007) def. Oliver Bonding (2007)

The semi-finalists were Alfie King and Zach Hamrouni

In the 2023 U14:

Niall Pickerd-Barua (2010) def. Eric Lorimer (2010)

Niall, despite being well young for this year's event, came through yesterday to make the QFs

The semifinalists were Brandon Ratanavong (2009) and Nate de Mariveles (2009)

In the 2022 U14 (the direct feed-up):

Liam Channon (2008) def. Oilver Page (2008) (good final, that was)

The two semifinalists were Jesse Clarkson (2008) and Kouros Anssarizadeh (2008)

Both Liam and Jesse are still en piste this year in the QFs

Liam building on this then, well done