Week 9: Acapulco [Hurtado], Dubai [Drake], Copenhagen [Buur], Meknes [Jerez]

[SirBloody Idiot]

Dubai Tennis Championships
Quarter Finals - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) - Hard (outdoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• World No. 10 Jefferson Drake has picked up what is undoubtedly the biggest win of his career; ousting World No. 1 and defending champion Jason Hall in three sets. In his first tournament since clinching the Australian Open, Hall had looked scratchy in his first two rounds but came out in scintilating form early as he blazed to a 4-0 lead. Whilst Drake finally managed to get on the board with some comfortable holds of serve, there was nothing to suggest he'd trouble the world's best player who took the first 6-2. But Drake started to fire, and aggressively dealt with some ordinary second serves from the World No. 1. That earned him a double break and sent the match to a deciding third and final set. There, Drake was in trouble early at 15-40 in his opening service game, but gave himself ever chance by levelling it at 2-2. The set look destined for a tiebreaker, but at 4-4 Hall was rocked by a rare misfire on his forehand side to hand Drake the break. The East CWLander made no mistake on serve; clinching a remarkable 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 upset.

• It will be an all-East CWLand showdown in the semi finals after Randy Smeltz continued his rampant run through the draw with a third straight straight sets victory, this time over season I semi finalist Danijel Micic. The World No 15, who last week captured the title in Buenos Aires, has looked utterly unstoppable this week and trounced the in form Micic 6-4, 6-2. Admittedly, Micic threw away a lot of point through poor decision making, but that was in part by the determination of Smeltz to keep the points alive en route to a straight sets victory and a dynamite semi final.

• In the second semi final, Wimbledon champion Darcy Cowan will do battle with seventh seed Miroslav Brdar in a battle of the young stars. Cowan overcame a strong start from Javier Villaneuva to win 7-5, 6-2, whilst Brdar got his revenge over his Marseille final capitulation by stunning second seed Radek Špidlá 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a fantastic come-from-behind performance.

• Seeded players out: Jason Hall; Radek Špidlá.

• In the doubles, reigning CW and Australian Open champions Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard have been ousted in the semi finals by Sandro Bachunelli & Hicham Hadir. The fourth seeds started strongly with a pair of breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and despite dropping a late service game held on to take the first set 6-3. The World No. 2 team, however, struck back strongly in the second and ensured the match would go to a third; Davis putting away a backhand smash from over his head to secure the set following a long rally at the net. But as has so often been the case, the CWLanders didn't bring their A-game in the match tiebreaker and were blown away by the Italian-Moroccan pair who booked a finals showdown with Gai Kai & Lu Xun 6-3, 4-6, [10-5].

• Seeded players out: Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard.

[Mister Wright]

Bummer. Poor showing again in the tiebreaker. Seem a bit rusty after not playing together for a while, probably need to play together more often.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Originally Posted by Mister Wright

Bummer. Poor showing again in the tiebreaker. Seem a bit rusty after not playing together for a while, probably need to play together more often.

This is true. We will occasionally lose to decent teams though - you can't win every match, but we'll come back stronger for the loss I reckon and we seem to have our best for Grand Slams.

[Simon]

Looking forward to the semi final against Drake, the decision to leave South America for the week has paid off. Don't know how many points in defending etc... but if I can find my way into the worlds top 8 before the French Open I'd be delighted.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Semi Finals - Acapulco (Mexico) - Clay (outdoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• Juan Moreno has delivered a shock of sorts after thumping one of the best players on clay in the world with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Illya Altman. The second seed had made it through a brutal draw, but was no match for Moreno who was in rare touch as he completely cut down on his usual swag of unforced errors. Moreno's big win earns him a finals showdown in Acapulco with Colombia's Diego Hurtado. Hurtado overcame a sluggish start against eighth seed Ivan Genov; playing a strong second set to win it 3-6, 6-0, 7-5.

• Seeded players out: Illya Altman; Ivan Genov.

• In the doubles final, Morton Blundell will shoot for a third straight title as he and Roberto Santos beat Ivan Genov & Yordan Zakov 3-6, 6-3, [10-6]. They'll play Uzbek duo Denis Inomov & Rustam Toshpulatov after they eased past Moreno & Paolo Mandonna 6-2, 6-2.

• Seeded players out: None.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

****. I've got behind on Meknes. Will catch up tomorrow - schisse week at work.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Denmark Open
Semi Final - Copenhagen (Denmark) - Hard (indoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• Denmark's Kasper Buur will this weekend attempt to claim his maiden tour title as he won through to his second final of the season with a 6-1, 7-6(6) win over eighth seed Petr Brožik. Buur, the local hope since the elimination of Rasmus Olesen, was in stellar form early as he took the first set, but struggled in the second to be at one stage 2-4. He came back well, though, and converted his third match point for the straight sets win. In the other semi final, fifth seeded youngster Yves Parmentier won through to his maiden tour final with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over José Navarro of Peru.

• Seeded players out: Petr Brožik.

• There was no luck for Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum in their doubles semi final as they failed to capitalise on a strong start against top seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov. The Belarusian-Slovak pairing surprisingly dropped the first set, but combined well to take the second inside of a half hour. That hurt the CWLanders badly who never really recovered; falling out of the draw 3-6, 6-1, [10-6].

• Seeded players out: Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum; David Kestenholz & Daniel Zwygart.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

****. I've got behind on Meknes. Will catch up tomorrow - schisse week at work.

No worries mate. Been a pretty hectic week (and weekend coming) for me, so just taking the chance to get some things up.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Dubai Tennis Championships
Semi Finals - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) - Hard (outdoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• Jefferson Drake has survived a second set disaster in Dubai to edge out a sensational three-set win over his compatriot and Davis Cup team mate Randy Smeltz to advance to the final. Fresh off a win over the World No. 1, Drake started confidently as he brought up two break points in the first game of the match. Smeltz, however, showed his usual fight and staved them off in a first set that went on serve right to 3-3 in the tiebreaker. There, Drake got the jump on his countryman and took the breaker 7-3 on the back of a four-point run. But if he thought he had the momentum, he was seriously mistaken as the World No. 15 imposed himself on the match in the most convincing style as he took the second set to love in just thirty minutes. Drake was clearly rattled by the three backhand winners against him in his first service game of the second set, but needed to quickly stop the leaking in the third. He did just that; breaking Smeltz for a 3-1 lead and clinging onto it. Whilst Smeltz survived three match points on his own serve, he could not save Drake's only one on his own as the World No. 10 moved into his first final of the year 7-6(3), 0-6, 6-4.

• His opponent in the final will be talented youngster Miroslav Brdar who smashed fourth seed Darcy Cowan in straight sets. Brdar stands to move to No. 10 in the world should he beat Drake in the final, and looked in unbelievable form as he moved into his second final in as many weeks 6-1, 6-3.

• Seeded players out: Darcy Cowan; Randy Smeltz.

• Drake will not be joined on finals day by World No. 2 doubles team Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard after they were upset by fourth seeds Sandro Bachunelli & Hicham Hadir. In a tight contest the two teams traded sets in a high quality display of tennis, but it was the Wimbledon champs who were too good in the match tiebreaker as they marched into the final 6-3, 4-6, [10-5]. Their opponents will be Gai Kai & Lu Xun who survived a three-set affair against Morgan Carter & Jason Hall with a 7-6(2), 3-6, [10-7] win.

• Seeded players out: Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Meknes Challenger II
Third Round - Meknes, Morocco
Singles

• Jason Lawley was thoroughly outclassed by number 1 seed Johan Ortiz. Lawley had performed admirably against higher ranked opponents so far in Morocco, but Ortiz was clearly a bridge too far for the young CWLander. The first set saw Lawley unable to win a single match, Ortiz overwhelming him with pin-point accurate strokeplay. Lawley performed better in the 2nd set, only conceding a single break, but never came close to breaching the Ortiz serve. 6 - 0, 6 - 3.
• 5th seed Roy Daniels endured an energy sapping win against Hungarian Imre Medgyessy. Daniels was unable to gain a single break of the Hungarian's serve and grew increasingly frustrated at the Hungarian's accurate service game. The 2nd set was stolen by Medgyessy with the match's only break of serve as Daniels' first serve deserted him temporarily. The 2nd set was sandwiched by two marathon sets which went to tie breaks, which Daniels stole. 7 - 6 (7 - 4), 4 - 6, 7 - 6 (7 - 5). Daniels will play...
• Phoenix Wleft in the Quarter Finals as the East CWLander bossed 15th Seed Jamie Barral. Daniels will not be looking forward to facing the youngster who has already despatched 2 seeded players and on the form that Wleft showed against Barral, it will be a tough match. Wleft broke Barral twice early on to surge into a 4 - 0 lead, but the Spaniard came back to break twice himself to 4 - 4. Just as it looked like Barral had taken the momentum, Wleft broke again to lead 5 - 4. Serving for the set, Wleft slipped behind 0 - 30 before hammering down two aces and two serves which Barral could not return cleanly to take the set. The 2nd was less exciting as Wleft took the only break of serve to lead 4 - 2 and Barral could not stage a comeback, Wleft progressing 6 - 4, 6 - 3.
• Koal Kao will still remain in the draw after a stunning fightback against 16th seed Tommy Schaap. After his win against the 2nd seed Michele de Kinsele in the previous round, Kao seemed to have gained a large local following who cheered him on despite Schaap launching out of the blocks to take the 1st 6 - 1. However, the crowd did not falter and Kao found his way back into the match; taking two breaks in the 2nd set and 1 break in the 3rd to progress 1 - 6, 6 - 3, 6 - 4. He will face 7th seed Cameron van der Cleer in the quarters.

• Seeded players out:Carlos Gonza (8, COL), Miguel Molina (12, ECU), Jamie Barral (15, ESP)

Doubles

• An inform Koal Kao and Phoenix Wleft overcame the 4th seeds Moberg & Petrus in an extraordinary turnaround on the outer courts. The Swedes dominated the first set with Kao & Wleft only holding two service games with extreme difficulty. The 6 - 2 scoreline flattered the CWLand duo and it looked as if the seeds would stroll into the next round. The Swedes continued the momentum in the 2nd but where they grabbed their break points in the first, the CWLanders were able to prevent the breaks in the 2nd. In a classic smash & grab job, Kao squeezed a passing shot by Moberg to steal a break at 4 - 4 and then hold to take the set 6 - 4. In the match breaker, the Swedes surged into a 5 - 0 lead before a comeback from the CWLanders took it to 8 - 8. Petrus then double faulted under pressure to give a match point opportunity the the CWLanders. Wleft sent down an ace to progress to a match against the 2nd seeds 2 - 6, 6 - 4, [10 - 8]

• Seeded players out: Moberg & Petrus (4, SWE)

[Simon]

Damn, well done to Drake though.

[dontcloseyoureyes]

We'll have some battles over the coming years, that's for certain. A good match, comrade.

Hopefully I can finish the job.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Finals Day - Acapulco (Mexico) - Clay (outdoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• Colombia's Diego Hurtado has handed Juan Moreno his second finals loss in as many weeks following a come-from-behind win in the Acapulco final. The fifth seed dropped the first set 4-6, and in a marathon second set was forced to save three championship points in a tiebreaker he edged out 12-10. Despite missing chances, Moreno did not give up the title easily, but it was the Colombian that had his way as he went on to take the Acapulco crown 4-6, 7-6(10), 6-3.

• Seeded players out: Juan Moreno.

• The Bahamas' Morton Blundell has claimed a third straight doubles title after he and Roberto Santos beat Denis Inomov & Rustam Toshpulatov in the final. After combining with Wayne Boyd to take the San Jose and Memphis championship, Blundell continued his hot streak alongside the Brazilian as they surged to a 6-3, 3-6, [12-10] win over the Uzbeks.

• Seeded players out: None.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Denmark Open
Finals Day - Copenhagen (Denmark) - Hard (indoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• World No. 84 Kasper Buur has claimed his first career title, doing it in his home country with a 6-4, 6-1 win over fifth seed Yves Parmentier. The Belgian, in his first career final, looked overwhelmed by his chance to claim a maiden tour title and was outgunned by the Dane in a comprehensive display. Buur had already had a taste of the big stage in a final in Costa do Sauípe on the clay, and capped off a tremendous week with a strong display against the World No. 55 to claim the first Denmark Open.

• Seeded players out: Yves Parmentier.

• It was a similar smashing in the doubles final as top seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov claimed their second title of the season with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Denis Isaev & Tom Vollan. Earlier in the month the pair came from a set down to win the final in Zagreb, but did it much easier against the Johannesburg champions in a straight sets mauling.

• Seeded players out: None.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Dubai Tennis Championships
Finals Day - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) - Hard (outdoors)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's doubles (Seeds - Draw)

• World No. 10 Jefferson Drake has capped off a successful week in Dubai by claiming his first title of the year; beating Miroslav Brdar in a hotly contested straight sets win. If the 500 points wasn't enough incentive, the winner's cheque of $383,000 might have been as the two traded breaks in a tense start to the match. With both players taking top three scalps in the semi finals, it was little surprise they were evenly matched before Drake finally earned the decisive break at 5-5 in the first. With two aces, he brought up three set points and claimed the first with a terrific running volley; the World No. 10 roaring in approval as he ran to his chair for the break between sets. But Brdar was not going to wilt like he did last week in Marseille, and looked to shoot for the kill with some clinical serving. Realising that his top ten spot was up for grabs, Drake continued to resist as he held all six of his service games in the second set to send it to a tiebreaker. There, Drake was too good as he attacked Brdar's second serve to hit two clean winners off of it as he surged to his first title since Båstad and his fifth from seven finals.

• Seeded players out: Miroslav Brdar.

• Despite a disappointing second set, fourth seeds Sandro Bachunelli & Hicham Hadir were too good for China's Gai Kai & Lu Xun as they took the doubles title in three. After a horror 1-6 second set it looked as if the Wimbledon champions were in trouble, but they mounted a great revival to come from 0-3 down in the match tiebreaker to take the title 7-5, 1-6, [10-6].

• Seeded players out: None.