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CricketWeb Tennis - Season I

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
In an alternate universe...

Professional Tennis Association Press Release said:
A DAWN OF A NEW ERA



The year 2009 sees the dawn of the Open Era - where professionals and amateurs can compete alike! The new world tour gets underway on January 5 with three tournaments - Doha, Qatar and Brisbane - in preparation for the first ever Grand Slam tournament - The Australian Open. The calendar year contains four Grand Slam events and a PTA World Tour Finals later in the year. The four events are:

  • The Australian Open (Hard Court)
  • Roland Garros (Clay Court)
  • Wimbledon Championships (Grass Court)
  • The CWLand Open (Hard Court)

In compensation for the nixing of the U.S. Open in favour of the C.W. Open in the nation of CWLand, the PTA Finals will be held at Flushing Meadows each year. The Davis Cup is mooted to begin this season, but may be postponed to 2010.

We at the PTA are very excited - and you should be as well!​
TENNIS.Com - The home of TENNIS Magazine said:


Ahead of the beginning of a new era in the tennis world - and in the absense of an adequate world ranking system - we at TENNIS Magazine have attempted to create the best representation possible of a Top 250. We understand the PTA will create their own ranking system - but here is ours alongside profiles of our top twenty!

WORLD NUMBER ONE - JASON HALL (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
DOB: 21-07-1984 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Miami's own Jason Hall is a deserving recipient of our number one player in the world tag and should be a prominent feature in the inaugural Open Era tour. Hall has dominated throughout the North American continent as an amateur, with his underrated serve shadowed completely by a thunderous forehand and an exceptional game at the net. He's yet to be really test in the clay court game, but our thoughts are that he will be equally successful at Roland Garros due to his supreme fitness and his ability to seemingly get any ball back.

WORLD NUMBER TWO - RICK HENSON (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
DOB: 03-04-1980 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Rick Henson grew up in a talented family of five in Texas - his twin brother Eric comes in on our list at number 31 whilst his sister Anne is a talented jockey in the American racing season. Henson has loomed in the shadow of America's finest player Jason Hall, but will hope to use his experience abroad to his advantage having played throughout North America and Europe. Henson's booming serve has caught even Hall off-guard, but sometimes his lessened mobility restricts his ability on clay. Will no doubt be one of the favourites for the inaugural Wimbledon Championships later this season.

WORLD NUMBER THREE - DANIJEL MICIC (REPUBLIC OF SERBIA)
DOB: 27-12-1983 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Micic is the undisputed champion of Europe and, at just 25 years of age, seems to have the peak of his form ahead of him. If one was to suggest a deficiency in Micic's game it would be his tendancy to get frustrated at line calls and also the fact that he lacks a powerful serve. But, like Hall, his ability to get almost every ball back and his background as a track sprinter makes his an imposing opponent for anyone and he will be hoping to make an impression early in the season. He has also been known to get local crowds offside with his petulant antics, culminating in one match in Bucharest where he was pelted with tennis balls by a section of the crowd in a match against Bogdan Maurer.

WORLD NUMBER FOUR - DANIEL PÃEZ BLANCO (KINGDOM OF SPAIN)
DOB: 12-09-1978 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0
Daniel Pãez Blanco is a name as synonimous with Spanish tennis as it is difficult to spell. At 30 years of age, the rise of the Open Era seems to have come at the wrong time for him, but he remains a national hero for his immense ability and the fact he remained undefeated for over three years within the Kingdom. Blanco has not yet played a game outside of Spain which suggests he is a specialist clay courter, but his ability on clay should see him become a force on the other courts. Will go into Roland Garros as favourite despite his aging legs.

WORLD NUMBER FIVE - RASMUS OLESEN (KINGDOM OF DENMARK)
DOB: 15-05-1978 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

At 30 years of age, the "Sultan of Scandinavia" can do things with a tennis ball that others shudder to think of. Despite his athletic ability and resounding crowd pleasing antics, he can become ****y and cost himself vital points by attempting overzealous shots. Still if he gets his head right, Olesen will be a force on the tour as whilst his physical condition may not be what it once was - his technical ability is so outstanding that it has become a thing of legend within central Europe.

WORLD NUMBER SIX - RADEK ŠPIDLA (CZECH REPUBLIC)
DOB: 01-02-1984 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Špidla's position at six on our list may surprise some as he hasn't yet showed the potential he did as a junior which lead him to become the underage champion of eastern Europe. But Czech fans remain optimistic that their big-serving star can make an impact on the Open circuit as he carries their flag onto the world stage. His aforementioned powerful serve has seen some talk of him as being the hardest hitter in the world, but he can be ground down by the type of opponent who returns everything - such is his lacklustre physical condition and apparent laziness. But with the promise of increased prize money, Radek could see himself become motivated enough to improve his fitness and become a real force on the tour.

WORLD NUMBER SEVEN - PATRICK PASCAUL (FRENCH REPUBLIC)
DOB: 23-01-1975 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Voted the most elligible bachelor in France, the handsome Pascaul has at times been accused about pandering to his female fans more often than he is willing to apply himself to tennis. But despite these criticisms, few can doubt Pascaul's ability as a player as he powered his way to the French national championship at the age of just nineteen. Pascaul managed to take a victory over Radek Špidla in an exhibition match in Špidla's native Prague last season, and it is victories like that which will see him move up the rankings.

WORLD NUMBER EIGHT - ZOLTAN VARGA (REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY)
DOB: 03-12-1983 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Zoltan Varga comes from an exceptionally talented family as his younger brother, János, also appears in our top twenty. Hungary seem to possess a wealth of talent ever since an intensive tennis program began following the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956 which saw them produce many eastern European champions and a hostile rivalry with the former USSR - a rivalry which resulted in the famous Budapest riots of 1979 in which twenty three people were died. Varga is only 25 and looms as a fantastic prospect as he has played on and succeeded in winning matches in various clay, hard and grass court tournaments.

WORLD NUMBER NINE - RADIVOJ DANEU (REPUBLIC OF SERBIA)
DOB: 11-11-1985 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Serbia's second representative is the popular Radivoj Daneu. At just 23 years of age, Daneu is an exceedingly promising talent for Serbian tennis and many seem to hope he becomes a better player than the petulant Micic due to his more friendly interaction with the media and fans. Daneu excels in his speed over the court and is surprisingly powerful for his size - just five foot seven inches - which has seen many a more impressive physical specimen underrated his ability. Daneu slots into our top ten with expectations he will rise throughout the season.

WORLD NUMBER TEN - ZHIJUN SUN (THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA)
DOB: 13-10-1990 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

At just eighteen years of age, our opinion is that Zhijun Sun is the most exciting prospect in the tennis world. After appearing on television at age six on a variety show upon request of the CPC, Zhijun's promise has seen money poured into his development in the hope he could develop into a sensational player worldwide. His chance comes now with his entire career ahead of him on the Open circuit - a career which could only be unsuccessful should injuries cut him down. With an impressive all-round game, Zhijun could be a real threat to Jason Hall's position at the top of the pile within the year.

WORLD NUMBER ELEVEN - JÓZSEF BOROS (REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY)
DOB: 29-03-1984 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

The second of Hungary's three representatives in the top twenty is József Boros. Boros is somewhat unheralded in comparison to the successes of the Varga Brothers and is not pertubed by this fact as he prefers to keep a low profile in his home in the town of Kisköre; only venturing out of his modest home for tennis. But the media shy Boros may have to put his modesty to bed should he achieve the success his booming forehand suggests he might as the hungry media of the Open circuit could overcome him.

WORLD NUMBER TWELVE - DAVIS KENNEDY (CANADA)
DOB: 05-08-1978 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

With a surname for a first name, Davis Kennedy is lucky he's good at tennis as he wouldn't have much chance otherwise. At thirty years of age, Kennedy may surprise some by his selection in the top twenty because he apparently uninspiring in all facets of the game. But despite his lack of obvious strengths, he has a lack of obvious weaknesses and we suspect him to be around the quarter finals throughout most events due to his undoubted consistency. Whether he can step up and claim a title is another story - and a story we eagerly await to see unfold.

WORLD NUMBER THIRTEEN - CARLO AMATO (ITALIAN REPUBLIC)
DOB: 09-11-1981 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Carlo Amato has the name suited to a race car driver, and he is unsurprisingly a jet on the court. Few in Italy can understand how this former national sprinter has risen over the past years after his humiliating tennis debut against Pablo Scalforo where he lost 6-0 6-1. But his metioric rise has left Italian tongues wagging as he looks to become one of the more successful clay-courters on the Open circuit. His prowess on clay aside, questions will still rise over his ability to win matches on the other courts - but if his rise from the ashes of the Scalforo loss are anything to go by; he will answer these questions in emphatic style!

WORLD NUMBER FOURTEEN - DARCY COWAN (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
DOB: 14-04-1990 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

At eighteen years of age, Darcy Cowan has the hopes of the smallest state in the USA - Wyoming - on his shoulders. An All-American athlete, Cowan's blonde hair and winning smile has made him a hit with the ladies and media, whilst his impressive tennis ability makes him grudging favourite of the men. Whether Cowan can continue his rise as an entity on the international circuit remains to be seen, but we place him in at number fourteen in hope that he can prove us right.

WORLD NUMBER FIFTEEN - TIAGO MATIAS (PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC)
DOB: 04-01-1981 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Portugal's Tiago Matias played most of his junior tennis on the clay courts of Spain before heading abroad to tour France and later the grass courts of England. He will hope that the experience on the slower and faster courts will assist him in his career early as he probably lacks the supreme ability of other members of the top twenty. What Matias lacks in skill he makes up for in endeavour and will feature in the later stages of tournaments due to supreme mental strength and consistency.

WORLD NUMBER SIXTEEN - DMITRY ORLOV (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)
DOB: 11-04-1980 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Orlov has the ability to be a Grand Slam champion - but his mental state makes one put little faith in him if he were to make it to a final. Orlov has unfortunately been labelled with the tag of a 'choker' - a tag richly deserved after his infamous run of twelve lost finals through Eastern and Central Europe. At the end of the day, Orlov is a very talented player with the ability to make it big, but his equally as imposing ability to fall apart at the seams near triumph won't see him crack our top ten just yet until he proves us wrong.

WORLD NUMBER SEVENTEEN - SANCHEZ EMELIO (KINGDOM OF SPAIN)
DOB: 30-03-1986 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Where Carlo Amato has the name of a driver, Emelio has the name worthy of a popstar so it's little surprise that Sanchez once ventured in the arena of music. At just eighteen years of age, the talented tennis player was part of the moderately successful Spanish boyband Tener Cuidado! (Watch Out!). After the hit song "Mi Amor es una Gorila" ("My Love is a Gorilla") which reached #1 right the way round Europe, the band suffered a highly publicised breakup which resulted in Emelio returning to his first love: tennis. Emelio's return was immediately successful, and the flamboyancy he showed whilst dressed up as a banana has translated on the court in brilliant style as he possesses every shot in the book and is not frightened of the big matches.

WORLD NUMBER EIGHTEEN - JANOS VARGA (REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY)
DOB: 16-10-1986 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

The younger and arguably more talented Varga brother completes the trifecta of Hungarian players in our top twenty. Little is known about Varga outside of Hungary where his brother is more commonly known, but our pick is that he will become a force to be reckoned with in years to come. Able to play on all courts, Varga took an impressive 7-6 6-4 victory over his brother in their only competitive meeting last year (the final of the Budapest Cup) and will be one to watch in the coming years.

WORLD NUMBER NINETEEN - MAARTEN BERG (THE NETHERLANDS)
DOB: 31-05-1980 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

Berg looms as one of those players who never looks all that dominant but somehow gets the job done. A blacksmith by trade, Berg's game isn't pretty but it sure is effective as his hard hitting nature and relentless chasing has earned him the position of a favourite sun of the Dutch tennis world. Berg will face tougher opponents outside the lowlands of Europe and may struggle to be a presence in the later stages of the tournament such is his fairly one-dimensional game - but with the right luck, the 28-year old Dutchman could snare a major title in the near future.

WORLD NUMBER TWENTY - DAVID CHAMPION (COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA)
DOB: 28-08-1987 | Open Era Record: 0-0 (0%) | Career Prize Money: US $0 | Grand Slam Victories: 0 | Tournament Victories: 0

David Champion is the most promising young player in Australia looms as a threat to the rest of the top twenty. His size (6 ft 8 in), a booming serve and impressive forehand and backhand strokes make him an imposing prospect for any opponent, but with great size comes a lack of mobility and he comes up woefully short at the net. Still, as many big servers before him, all he would need is a short purple patch for him to challenge the very best in the second week of the slams - Australia will be hoping the purple patch comes early in the first ever Grand Slam event: The Australian Open.

Our top 250:

Code:
1    Hall, Jason (USA)       
2    Henson, Rick (USA)       
3    Micic, Danijel (SRB)       
4    Blanco, Daniel Pãez (ESP)       
5    Olesen, Rasmus (DEN)       
6    Špidla, Radek (CZE)       
7    Pascaul, Patrick (FRA)       
8    Varga, Zoltan (HUN)       
9    Daneu, Radivoj (SRB)       
10    Zhijun, Sun (CHI)       
11    Boros, József (HUN)       
12    Kennedy, Davis (CAN)       
13    Amato, Carlo (ITA)       
14    Cowan, Darcy (USA)       
15    Matias, Tiago (POR)       
16    Orlov, Dmitry (RUS)       
17    Emelio, Sanchez (ESP)       
18    Varga, János (HUN)       
19    Berg, Maarten (NED)       
20    Champion, David (AUS)       
21    Ortiz, Johan (COL)       
22    Hainisch, Heinz (AUT)       
23    Altman, Illya (UKR)       
24    Zeman, Václav (CZE)       
25    Moreno, Juan (ARG)       
26    Machado, Carlos (BRA)       
27    Joaquin, Sergio (ESP)       
28    Li, Ming-Wang (CHN)       
29    Midid, Nilikar (CRO)       
30    Carter, Morgan (USA)       
31    Henson, Eric (USA)       
32    Murdoch, Dwayne (USA)       
33    James, Hugh (USA)       
34    Haas, Becker (GER)       
35    Maurer, Bogdan (ROU)       
36    Brdar, Miroslav (CRO)       
37    Navarro, José (PER)       
38    Alavos, Marcelo (PAR)       
39    Heug, Gunther (GER)       
40    Depuis, Jean-Alain (FRA)       
41    Fok, Wang (CHN)       
42    Onwye, Ross (MAR)       
43    Mandonna, Paolo (ARG)       
44    Sae-ul, Atthaphol (THA)       
45    Gómez, Domingo Gutiérrez (PUR)       
46    Boyd, Wayne (USA)       
47    Hewitt, Pat (AUS)       
48    Benaglio, Almen (SUI)       
49    Murray, Adam (AUS)       
50    L'Estrange, Pierre (FRA)       
51    Puder, Oleg (RUS)       
52    Harmel, Mark (BEL)       
53    Erdi, Azgin (TUR)       
54    Georgilas, Takis (CYP)       
55    Denisov, Boris (RUS)       
56    Emsis, Ivars (LAT)       
57    Tu, Haifeng (TPE)       
58    Gryzlov, Vladimir (RUS)       
59    Hurtado, Diego (COL)       
60    Hau, Li-an (TPE)       
61    Ulemek, Niko (CRO)       
62    Arsov, Branko (MKD)       
63    Schmidt, Pascal (SUI)       
64    S'ua, Murphy (SAM)       
65    Brookes, Toby (AUS)       
66    Engel, Oliver (LUX)       
67    Boniek, Zbiginiew (AUT)       
68    Wetzel, Sipko (NED)       
69    Bruce, Randy (USA)       
70    Aleksejev, Taavi (EST)       
71    Genghini, Jean-Christophe (FRA)       
72    Stewart, Oneil (JAM)       
73    Jones, David (AUS)       
74    Donaldson, Bjorn (SWE)       
75    Highsmith, Oscar (GBR)       
76    Griffen, Jack (USA)       
77    Konc, Andrej (SVK)       
78    Cordiero, Valter (POR)       
79    Menon, Felipe (BRA)       
80    Quezada, Jefferson (CHL)       
81    Veno, Akihiko (JPN)       
82    Cohen, Tal (ISR)       
83    Gorshkov, Gregor (RUS)       
84    Gupte, Harpreet (IND)       
85    Moreno, Néstor (ECU)       
86    Tadić, Adem (CRO)       
87    Lachance, Sébastien (FRA)       
88    Thursfield, Oliver (RSA)       
89    Li, Wang (CHN)       
90    Holland, Jimmy (USA)       
91    Morkel, Haiku (NOR)       
92    Cesljar, Ivan (CRO)       
93    Simr, Michal (CZE)       
94    Gonzã, Carlos (COL)       
95    Juraev, Anvar (UZB)       
96    Santos, Roberto (BRA)       
97    Isaev, Denis (BLR)       
98    Peters, Alex (GER)       
99    Bhutia, Ritwik (IND)       
100    Zakov, Yordan (BUL)       
101    Vollan, Tom (NOR)       
102    Vuriak, Viktor (UKR)       
103    Aksu, Emrem (TUR)       
104    Volkoff, Evgeny (RUS)       
105    Fosdike, Mikel (FRA)       
106    Gross, Jiří (CZE)       
107    Doh, Ninteh (JPN)       
108    De Kinsele, Michael (ITA)       
109    Renard, Bertran (FRA)       
110    Lebègue, David (FRA)       
111    O'Raherty, James (IRL)       
112    Rodrigues, Dênis (BRA)       
113    Oertel, Matthew (RSA)       
114    Cunningham, Sam (NZL)       
115    Berianidze, Gocha (GEO)       
116    Chasiotis, Dimitris (GRE)       
117    Boniek, Jurgen (AUT)       
118    Eban, Yitkhak (ISR)       
119    Genov, Ivan (BUL)       
120    Yan, Zin Hlet (MYA)       
121    Rodriquez, Diego (ARG)       
122    Pushkov, Yevgeny (RUS)       
123    Whitehouse, Scott (GBR)       
124    Durand, Christopher (FRA)       
125    Eisenhauer, Max (GER)       
126    Gritsjuk, Anton (EST)       
127    Russel, Andy (GBR)       
128    Nadal, Luis (POR)       
129    Marín, Aldo (PAR)       
130    Sanchez, Miguel (MEX)       
131    Lee, Inmin (KOR)       
132    Bachunelli, Antonio (ITA)       
133    Nesterov, Ilja (KAZ)       
134    Ali, Irmak (TUR)       
135    Miller, Butch (USA)       
136    Dinov, Gjorgi (MKD)       
137    Ficher, Anothy (USA)       
138    Warren, Roger (GBR)       
139    Cross, Rory (CAN)       
140    Fedrique, Alonso (ESP)       
141    Thorpe, Samuel (USA)       
142    Timko, Mario (SVK)       
143    Osaka, Kiyo (JPN)       
144    Scalforo, Pablo (ITA)       
145    Ambrose, Pat (GBR)       
146    McDonald, Jake (AUS)       
147    Bosich, Viktor (SRB)       
148    Petrus, Linus (SWE)       
149    Sãnchez, Patricio (CHL)       
150    Tessier, Joseph (FRA)       
151    Molina, Miguel (ECU)       
152    Couto, Ricardo (POR)       
153    Schutt, Daimen (CAN)       
154    Smith, Frank (CAN)       
155    O'Malley, Eoin (IRL)       
156    Ivanov, Tomas (LIT)       
157    Pelayo, Felipe (MEX)       
158    Prodi, Massimo (ITA)       
159    Tsatsos, Michail (CYP)       
160    Franklin, Robert (AUS)       
161    Husin, Oleg (UKR)       
162    Vives, Pablo (ESP)       
163    Polak, Pavel (CZE)       
164    Corona, Guillermo (MEX)       
165    Inomov, Denis (UZB)       
166    Soler, Antonio (ESP)       
167    Fernando, Rafael (ESP)       
168    Claverini, Marzio (BRA)       
169    Henriksson, Henrikk (SWE)       
170    Blundell, Morton (BAH)       
171    Reiter, Martin (AUT)       
172    Dorofeev, Sergey (RUS)       
173    Badlee, Strongth (USA)       
174    Karlen, Alex (SUI)       
175    Pangalos, Petros (GRE)       
176    Charles, Henry (ENG)       
177    Crespo, Guilermo (ARG)       
178    Cobos, Emelio (ARG)       
179    Aguero, Fernando (ESP)       
180    Carty, Ramon (PER)       
181    Todorovski, Nikola, (MKD)       
182    Bradley, Jason (USA)       
183    Bolivar, Hristo (BUL)       
184    Gibbons, Iestyn (SWE)       
185    Tito, Brendan (PUR)       
186    Stefanovic, Goran (SRB)       
187    Petkoviä, Savo (SRB)       
188    Dos Santos, Anderson (BRA)       
189    Jensen, Uffe (DEN)       
190    Tarasovs, Juris (LAT)       
191    Bak, Maarten (DEN)       
192    Alitspritsin, Aleksander (LIT)       
193    Rojas, Alex (CHL)       
194    Mazibuko, Lucky (RSA)       
195    Oh, Dong-Jin (KOR)       
196    Butler, David (NZL)       
197    Morales, Manuel (PER)       
198    Dorogan, Roman (UKR)       
199    Arroyo, Paul (ECU)       
200    Rodriguez, Julio (ARG)       
201    Gai, Kai (CHN)       
202    Moss, Sebastian (GBR)       
203    Lesley, Shaun (RSA)       
204    Li, Bing (CHN)       
205    Quiceno, Jorge (COL)       
206    Bolton, Jimmy (GBR)       
207    Ghitã, Radu (ROU)       
208    Räihä, Matti (FIN)       
209    Snich, Johan (SWE)       
210    Brozik, Petr (CZE)       
211    Haas, Christophe (SUI)       
212    Färkkilä, Lari (FIN)       
213    Doungtong, Adul (THA)       
214    Pasveer, Mischa (NED)       
215    Reynoso, Luis Roberto (MEX)       
216    Velten, Thomas (NED)       
217    Allani, Davis (AUS)       
218    Ryzhikov, Nikolai (RUS)       
219    Andrade, Ricardo (ECU)       
220    Pellegrini, Marco (ITA)       
221    Lubbers, Marc (NED)       
222    Vilkki, Ville (FIN)       
223    Rabin, Benjamin (ISR)       
224    Kemp, Andrew (USA)       
225    Seel, Peter (GER)       
226    Micu, Marius (ROU)       
227    Himanez, Excabar (ESP)       
228    Thompson, Andy (GBR)       
229    Zhukov, Andriy (UKR)       
230    Sever, Primoz (SVK)       
231    Parmentier, Yves (BEL)       
232    Vučemilović, Stipo (CRO)       
233    Overgaard, Jesper (DEN)       
234    Kulanin, Sergey (BLR)       
235    Bonhof, Dieter (GER)       
236    Medgyessy, Imre (HUN)       
237    Vollan, Kim (NOR)       
238    Johnston, Lance (NZL)       
239    Solent, Leander (IND)       
240    Miller, Ryan (RSA)       
241    Baek, Ji-Hoon (KOR)       
242    Onwye, Hayden (MAR)       
243    Enderwold, Stow (GER)       
244    Haradsun, Tamakuchi (JPN)       
245    Hoffman, Nico (LUX)       
246    Iftime, Viorel (ROU)       
247    Mizrahi, Ya'acov (ISR)       
248    Samaras, Michael (GRE)       
249    Davide, Phillippe (BEL)       
250    Jerez, Rodrigo (CHL)
Proposed 2009 Schedule:


The signups are closed in the other thread, but I'll allow newcomers to come in now and then following each Grand Slam.

The tennis players from CWLand.

  • Roy "Rock" DANIELS - SBI
  • Jefferson DRAKE - DCYE
  • Rob "The Lob" BOWENBURG - NUFAN
  • Heath DAVIS - ...
  • Billy SPLEEN - pinchy81
  • Randy SMELTZ - Simon
  • Sven OXENSTIERNA - Vimes
  • Ryan "Ranga" FREDERICKS - sanga1337
  • Andy PIMPKINS - Jakester
  • Spas DELEV - Clapo
  • Suryakant SINGH - cricketboy29
  • Caresh MAHBOOB - Bobisback
  • Mat MITCHELL - Matteh
  • Jamee HANCIANU - Jamee999
  • Brett READ - Nnanden
  • Jojo MUSTARD - Mr Wright
  • Jean-Paul VALLEY - pasag
  • Hamish MCSPORRAN - Pup Clarke
 
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NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Awesome right up, the names seem very realistic!

Are none of us ranked in the top 250?
How does it work exactly, like how would we all be included in the 32 man field if we aren't even ranked in the top 250?

Bowenburg has chosen Chennai as he doesn't want to spend too long in Australia and wants to check out the Chennai Express.
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
The basic premise is that everyone starts on 0 points (hence the beginning of the Open era) and I'll be a tad more lenient with the CW players when it comes to wildcards and the likes :) .
 

Jamee999

Hall of Fame Member
You're an absoloute ****ing gun. Looking forward to this so much.

Brisbane please. (J. Hancianu)
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Doha; Chennai; Brisbane (Qualifiers) - Jan 5-11 Season I

Qatar ExxonMobil Open
Qualifiers - Doha


Competition Details

Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half

Qualifying was a fairly successful affair for the new nation of CWLand as Jefferson Drake managed to pull off a surprising run of upsets to cruise into the main draw of Doha after having been handed a wildcard. The 23-year old was handed a tough draw to start with against third seed Viktor Bosich of Serbia. But Drake started strongly to take the first set and, despite a falter in the second set, the fiery Belarus-born grass courter proved too strong for his 28-year old opponent, taking the match 7-5 2-6 7-5. The second round was much less onerous as he came up against British journeyman Samuel Moss. Despite going down a break early, Drake showed his undoubted ability to storm back into the contest to claim the first set and go on to win the match 6-3 7-5. Blake would have expected a tougher match in the final against Ghana's Blessing Mpotso who had managed to upstage eighth seed Uffe Jensen in the first round, but would be surprised by the lack of resistance shown as he breezed into the main draw with a 6-2 6-1 victory.

Mat Mitchell would be drawn in the same quarter of the field as Drake but would fall at the second hurdle in disappointing style. Mitchell was handed little-known Lithuanian Aleksander Alitspritsin and dispatched him in clincal fashion with a 6-1 6-1 victory in just under an hour. Mitchell's good form continued in the second round against Mpotso of Ghana as he claimed the first set in convincing fashion before being blown away in the second set. Mitchell would recover from the disappointment and looked a shadow of his confident self to crash out in three sets - 4-6 6-1 6-4. Mitchell's performance was enough, though, for the Doha organisers to hand him a wildcard into the main draw.

Wildcard Spas Delev was handed a tough first match against grizzled 30-year old veteran Vance Stojanovski from Macedonia. Delev managed to take a set off his stronger opponent but it was bookended by a disappointing tendancy to blow the bigger points. Delev was at his finest in the second set as he blasted away his less talented opponent, but his inexperience cost him in the third as he had a chance to go a break up. His large serve at times could not cover for his lack of height as Stojanovski took delight in playing the lob shot to great effect.

Qualifiers: Roman Dorogan (UKR); 7-Nikola Todorovski (MKD); WC-Jefferson Blake (CWL); Lari Färkkilä (FIN)
Wildcards: Mat Mitchell (CWL); Ali Al-Yazidi (QAT); Yousif Hassan (QAT)

Chennai Open
Qualifiers - Chennai

Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half

Rob "The Lob" Bowenburg obviously impressed the right people despite a disappointing second round exit as he was handed a well-deserved wildcard by the tournament organisers. Bowenburg was handed a tough professional debut against Canadian third seed Frank Smith and looked out of his depth in the first set. But "The Lob" stormed back into the contest as he showcased his impressive arsenal to claim the final two sets - finishing the match off with his patented lob which caught the baseline and sealed a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win. His second round was less brilliant as he looked off his game against 20-year old Merab Shvelidze of Georgia. Bowenburg was broken in the opening game of each set and never looked in it as his opponent stormed to a 6-4 6-3 win. But his first round win was enough to see Bowenburg into the main draw as Shvelidze stormed into the draw over eighth-seed Thomas Velten.

Australian-born CWer Ryan Fredericks defied his name as a pure clay courter as he took Estonian second seed Anton Gritsjuk to a grueling three set encounter. Fredericks surprised the Estonian in the first set as he broke in the second game and managed to hold on to each service game from then on to claim the first set. But the class and experience of Gritsjuk shone in the second as he finished it off in just half an hour and threatened to blow his younger opponent out of the water. But Fredericks was up to the task and pushed his more experienced opponent all the way in the third before falling in a tiebreaker 5-7 6-2 7-6(6).

It was a disappointing qualifying tournament for Sven Oxenstierna as he was caught woefully short against teenage Spaniard Rafael Fernando. At just nineteen years of age, Fernando proved too strong for the clay court specialist who struggled to hit winners - attempting to grind down Fernando. "The Ox's" tactics didn't work as his younger opponent proved too quick and too strong en route to a convincing 6-3 6-1 victory.

Qualifiers: 1-Ivan Genov (BUL); Sheng Yiming (CHN), Merab Shvelidze (GEO); 6-Henry Charles (ENG)
Wildcards: Ashim Kumar (IND); Rob Rowenburg (CWL); Leander Solent (IND)

Brisbane International
Qualifiers - Brisbane

Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half

It was heartbreak for Heath Davis as blew two huge chances for direct qualification into the main draw of the Brisbane International in his final against Yuri Pushkov. Davis surprised all after being issued with a wildcard as he upset eighth seeded Australia James McDonald in three sets despite being beaten pants down in the second. That blemish wasn't enough for the exciteable Kiwi-born player who got revenge on McDonald for having grown up in a much better country - claiming it 6-4 0-6 6-2. Davis came up against compatriot Billy Spleen in the second round and handed out his own set-to-love lesson to claim the match. After Spleen worked his way to the first set, Davis fired up to claim the second in a breaker and hand out a tennis lesson in the decider en route to a 4-6 7-6(2) 6-0 victory. Davis was still underdog against third seed Yuri Pushkov in his final and surprised all by storming out to a 5-1 lead. But Davis was embarassed as Pushkov stormed back to claim six games on the trot to win the first set. One set and two racquets later the match was squared at 1-1 and Davis looked like causing an upset as he raced to a 3-0 lead. But he blew it against the composed Pushkov fought back and claimed the match 7-5 4-6 6-4. Davis' performance was enough for a wildcard into the main draw.

19-year old Billy Spleen was made to work for his victory over Australian Rob Franklin in the first round as the pair traded tiebreakers to see the match locked at a set a piece. The evenly matched pair continued to slog it out in the decider, but it was the impressive Spleen who charged to victory with an impressive 7-6 6-7 6-4 victory. A potential all-Aussie afair had become an all-CWLand affair in the second round and it was the younger Spleen who took the first set over Heath Davis. But Spleen struggled against the booming serve of Davis - particularly in the breaker - and lost the second set before being trounced in the decider; losing the match 4-6 7-6 6-0.

Jamie Hancianu's dream run came to an end agonizingly short of a direct qualification in the main draw of the Brisbane international. In his opening match, Hancianu fought back from a set down to only concede three games over two sets against Bulgarian Hristo Bolivar to claim his first Open era win in three sets - 6-7 6-1 6-2. He was just as impressive against Guillermo Crespo in the second round who had managed to upstage fifth-seeded German Max Eisenhauer as he fought valiantly to claim the match in straight sets. Buoyed by his win over Eisenhauer, Crespo threw all he had against Hancianu but was outclassed in both sets 7-6 7-5. The nineteen year old came up against a tough task in his final against top seed Aksu Emrem and managed to take a set off the Turk. But the 25-year old's experience helped him over the line in three hardfought sets - 6-4 3-6 6-4. Jamie's sensational performance saw him join Davis with a wildcard into the main draw.

Qualifiers: 1-Emrem Aksu (TUR); Scott Whitehouse (GBR); Yuri Pushkov (RUS); Morton Blundell (BAH)
Wildcards: Heath Davis (CWL); Jamie Hancianu (CWL); David Allani (AUS)

The following decided to sit these tournaments out and will play at Sydney or Auckland.
  • Roy Daniels
  • Randy Smeltz (Sorry mate, I'd already done it)
  • Andy Pimpkins
  • Suryakant Singh
  • Caresh Mahboob
  • Brett Read
  • Jojo Mustard
  • Jean-Paul Valley
  • Hamish McSporran
 

Simon

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Yeh no worries mate, Randy will hit the town in Brissie for a few nights and head to Sydney for next week.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Not bad, not bad at all.

One request though. In the opening post of this thread, could we have a list of all CWLand players and their forum IDs. I have no idea who the heck Billy Spleen is.

EDIT: This looks exceptionally well done already. Good stuff. Loving the detail and the draw attachments.
 
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pinchy81

International Vice-Captain
Superb write up mate

TBF I'm glad it was Heath who knocked me out though, yet disappointed that i couldn't manage a single point in the final set
 

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