Week 13: Barletta [Velten], Jersey [Heug]

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Barletta II - Men's Singles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas Velten won in the final, beating Rick Langley 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

The Jersey International II - Men's Singles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gunther Heug won in the final, beating Aleksander Alitspritsin 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Barletta II
€42,500+H - 1st Round - Barletta, Italy - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Top Half
Bottom Half
​

• Qualifier Jason Lawley has made the most of his good form over the past weekend to advance to the second round of the clay court Challenger in Barletta. The World No. 247 caught a decent first round clash with wildcard entrant Andrea Ciano, and had no trouble coming out of the blocks as he dominated the first set. Lawley, whose formative tennis days included technique practice on the clay, looked at home as he took the first 6-1, but it wasn't all smooth sailing from there as he fell a break down in the second. Ciano had a set point at 5-3, but failed to convert - Lawley taking full stock of his chance to surge into the second round 6-1, 7-5. He plays former Roland Garros finalist Thomas Velten after the veteran Dutchman wound back the clock to continue top seed Jefferson Quezada's ordinary form. After a tight first set, it was all Velten as he eased to a 7-6(8), 6-0 win.

• Campsfield champion Roy Daniels proved he isn't yet completely comfortable on clay as he took a tough three-set win over Carlos Gonzá. The Colombian provided a new test on some slower Italian clay courts, and Daniels took a while to adjust to the chance from the quicker clay of East CWLander. Despite that, he continued to serve well and bounced back from an error-fraught second set to move into the Round of 16 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

• Finally, Rick Langley made it three-from-three as he came from a set down to comfortably beat sixth seed Massimo Prodi in a big win. Prodi, the World No. 125, was too good in the first set tiebreaker but could not keep up that pace as Langley ramped up his intensity. While he continues to adjust to the clay, Langley looked at ease as he controlled the following two sets with some aggressive stroke play and good movement. Prodi, meanwhile, played far too defensively and was made to pay as Langley set the pace in a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3 upset. Finally a draw opens up for the West CWLander, but he faces an awkward second round clash with France's David Lebègue.

• The most interesting second round clash will be Anvar Juraev against Paul Arroyo after the pair lost a game between them. While the second seeded Uzbek was far too strong for Bosnian qualifier Zoran Demonjić 6-0, 6-0 in a dominant serving display, Arroyo set about crushing Italian junior Antonio Razzeti 6-1, 6-0.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Felipe Menon;
  
  Massimo Prodi;
  
  Jefferson Quezada.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Jersey International II
€42,500 - 1st Round - Jersey, Great Britain, Hard (Indoors)

Seeds
Top Half
Bottom Half
​

• Vladimir Stakhanov's first trip to the island just off Normandy was not a pleasant one as his recent good form was brought to a screeching halt at the racquet of top seed Gunther Heug. The World No. 109 has had an injury troubled season, but dispatched the East CWLand qualifier effectively on the indoor hard courts. Stakhanov started very poorly and never really recovered in a disinterested effort as Heug moved into the second round 6-0, 6-3.

• Late wildcard entrant Marcuss Deane made the quick flight from Campsfield to Jersey after his Sunday's final, and showed no signs of disappointment as he came through a tough litmus test against Oliver Bergmann. Bergmann had produced some good tennis during qualifying and had match practice on the Jersey courts, so it was little surprise that he jumped out of the blocks to take the first set 6-3. Deane was able to play himself into some form on the new surface just days after a week on the clay, and showed no signs of fatigue as he took the second set tiebreaker 7-3 after dropping down 1-3 just six points earlier. That gave him confidence as he set up a 3-0 lead in the third, and although Bergmann drew back to 2-3 he was not able to get back into the contest as the highly rated teenager secured a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 win.

• There was no welcome return to tennis by Deane's junior partner Koal Kao as the West CWLander gave up a set-to-love lead against Iceland's Gunnar Valsson. The loose Icelandic player made his usual swag of errors, but pulled some tremendous shots out of his arse at the best possible time to distinctly frustrate Kao. After dropping the first set, Valsson struck three straight absurd winners to claim the second set breaker 7-4 before striking early in the third to lead 4-0. Kao fought back well, but it was too big for him to bounce back from as Valsson advanced 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 in an extravagent display. Kao, meanwhile, needs to play more aggressively at this level if he is to be competitive.

• Finally, there was some more joy for the West as Pierre Rose benefitted from a nervy Michail Tsatsos in his three-set win. Tsatsos had three opportunities to have a chance to serve for the match and took none of them as Rose played the percentages well in a displined display. With the score at 4-4 in the third set, Rose double faulted to give Tsatsos three break points to go to 5-4. But Tsatsos blew all three - two by netted rally shots and one ridiculous overhead smash that went three or four feet long. That miss crippled his confidence and Rose claimed nine points in a row to secure a second round showdown with Jordan Mutch by virtue of his 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Sebastian Moss;
  
  Yevgeny Pushkov.

 

[Jarquis]

Boom

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Barletta II
€42,500+H - 2nd Round - Barletta, Italy - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Top Half
Bottom Half

• Campsfield Challenger champion Roy Daniels has failed to continue his good form in Barletta after a frustrating second round defeat to Australian qualifier Thomas Cartwright. In a tense affair, both players looked utterly incapable returning so it was little surprise there was no service break in the two-hundred minute affair. But while Daniels last week went 6-0 in tiebreakers, he dropped two today against the tall Australian who capitalised on his good qualifying campaign to surge into the quarters 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 7-6(1).

• Cartwright's work is cut out for him as he plays former French Open finalist Thomas Velten. The 34-year old Dutchman continued his rampant form as he cut up West CWLand qualifier Jason Lawley in an hour-long clinic. Fresh off a win over the top seed, Velten dominated the rallies and produced few errors to frustrate Lawley into mistakes. While not possessing the firepower he once had, the movement and smarts were still there as he advanced to the quarter finals 6-1, 6-2.

• There was one good moment for the young nation as Rick Langley moved into the quarter finals with a come-from-behind win against David Lebègue. Lebègue has produced good tennis on the clay in the past, and in the opening set played high quality tennis to claim it 7-3 in a tiebreaker. But Langley continued to press, and had his first opportunity to registered in the second set breaker. He produced the same scoreline, but there was still no clear leader as the match went to 4-4 in the third. Langley, though, was the man to shine as he slammed home a forehand volley having worked Lebègue off the court to break before serving out the match 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-4. He will now face his biggest test yet against third seed Fernando Aguero who recovered from a second set blue to beat Felipe Pelayo 6-0, 2-6, 7-5.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Gocha Berianidze;
  
  Roy Daniels.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Jersey International II
€42,500 - 2nd Round - Jersey, Great Britain, Hard (Indoors)

Seeds
Top Half
Bottom Half

• Despite a good start to his tournament on Tuesday, Marcuss Deane has failed in his bid for the quarter finals in Jersey after suffering a three-set loss against third seed Jiří Gross. Gross was very good in his first round clash and provided stiff opposition in the perfect indoor conditions in Jersey, and he struck first to take the first set 6-4. But Deane, whose serving style is one of a man well beyond his years, hit back and managed to take the second set to a tiebreaker where he got the better of the older man. Claiming that 7-5 after going down 1-5, Deane stormed into the decider full of confidence but could not capitalise on early break point opportunities. That failure cost him, and Gross snatched a late break thanks to a backhand that just took the line to move through 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5.

• Pierre Rose has come from a set down to destroy Brit Jordan Mutch to book a quarter final showdown with unseeded Lithuanian Aleksander Alitspritsin. Rose, ranked No. 246 in the world, was a slight underdog against the young British player, and after dropping the first set things looked grim. But Mutch fell apart completely and took two injury timeouts in the second set which he dropped 1-6. He would have been better off retiring as Rose had his way with him in the decider () to secure passage 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Jack Griffen.

 

[Jarquis]

Boom, crash. Yeah that's me coming back down to Earth

 

[Paid The Umpire]

Great to see this back in swing!!!!!!

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Barletta II
€42,500+H - Quarter Finals - Barletta, Italy - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• Talented World No. 155 Rick Langley has produced one of his best performances of the year by coasting into the semi finals of the Open Barletta with a straight sets thumping of third seed Fernando Aguero. After claiming the title in Salinas back in January, Langley has been dumped out at the quarter final stage of a Challenger event on four occasions from four attempts. It was understandable that he came out breathing fire in Barletta, and in a thoroughly dominant display he caught a top 100 scalp with a 6-3, 6-1 upset. Aguero played pushing tennis of the worst kind, and was duly punished for it as Langley finally broke his quarter final hoodoo in attractive style. He now plays second seed Anvar Juraev who took his third win in straight sets by beating Renato Varas of Chile 6-1, 7-5.

• Meanwhile, Saturday's second semi final pits Dutch veteran Thomas Velten against Puerto Rican Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Fernando Aguero;
  
  Néstor Moreno.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Jersey International II
€42,500 - Quarter Finals - Jersey, Great Britain, Hard (Indoors)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• In contrast to his compatriot in Barletta, qualifier Pierre Rose was on the receiving end of a thrashing from Lithuania's Aleksander Alitspritsin. After a successful week on the island of Jersey, Rose's good form came to a screeching halt as the World No. 198 moved to his first semi final of the season in a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win. Rose struck few winners and was outmuscled by the bigger bodied Baltic player, who meets sixth seed Takis Georgilas in Saturday's second semi final.

• In the first semi final, Germany's Gunther Heug meets Spain's Sergi Canadillas.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Jiří Gross;
  
  Jeremy Natale;
  
  Scott Whitehouse.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Barletta II
€42,500+H - Semi Finals - Barletta, Italy - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• West CWLand's Rick Langley will compete in his second Challenger final of the season after a confident straight sets win over second seed Anvar Juraev in the semi finals at the Open Barletta. The Uzbekistani was a raging favourite to take out the clash, but surely underestimated his opponent who continued his tear through the bottom half with aggressive tennis. The unseeded Westerner has played great tennis this week after a slow start, and will hope that tomorrow's final will earn him a second career title. The tall Juraev's serve was not as consistent as it has been this week and he was made to pay as he gave Langley too many break point chances. As it was, Langley converted three of eleven which was too much for Juraev who was beaten 3-6, 5-7.

• Langley now faces former French Open finalist Thomas Velten who survived a scare against Puerto Rico's Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez. Velten was forced to save six match points in the second set when down 4-5, 5-6 and then in the tiebreaker. Saving those, Velten broke Gómez's spirit as the Puerto Rican understandably crumbled to a 6-3, 6-7(10), 2-6 loss.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Denis Inomov.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Jersey International II
€42,500 - Semi Finals - Jersey, Great Britain, Hard (Indoors)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• In Sunday's final, top seed Gunther Heug will play unseeded Lithuanian Aleksander Alitspritsin. Heug dispatched Sergi Canadillas of Spain 6-1, 6-4 while Alitspritsin's unstoppable form continued as he monstered sixth seed Takis Georgilas 6-1, 6-1.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Takis Georgilas.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Langley :o

welcome to ATP soon

 

[Paid The Umpire]

Maybe baby,

That said I might wait for one more match before I blow the trumpets or anything else.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Barletta II
€42,500+H - Final - Barletta, Italy - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

Overcast conditions met the two combatants in Barletta as underdog Rick Langley sought to upend veteran Dutchman Thomas Velten in the final of the Barletta Open. Velten, the 2001 French Open runner-up, was forced to save multiple match points in the semi finals and was keen to start much more strongly against the man who has silently assassinated many favourites during the week. It was a perfect start he sought and a perfect start he received as the Dutch No. 3 looked dynamic in his search for his first title in the Open Era. In his second final of the season, Langley was tentative and struggled to put pressure on the 35-year old who earned two breaks of serve to go ahead 4-0. While Langley managed to hold twice in the first set, it was looking like a fizzer as the World No. 153 eased through the first set 6-2.

Langley needed to lift his game significantly in the second set if he was to avoid a flogging, and snatched an early lead by way of a stroke of luck. Down 30-40, Velten had an open court to draw level at deuce before taking the net and sending the ball wide. That was the spark Langley needed, though he had to find a double break to feel confident as his serve continued to falter. He got it in the eighth game to avoid having to serve it out as Velten double faulted to hand Langley the second set 6-2. Perhaps more importantly, the West CWLander was serving first in the decider.

But the momentum swung again, and Langley had the worst possible start to the third as Velten drew an error on the backhand side to take a 1-0 lead. He consolidated for a 2-0 lead, and the pressure was all back on Langley to find a way back into the set. Despite two opportunities in the fourth and sixth games, Langley could not get the break back and was crippled in the seventh as Velten played controlled tennis to take out a 24-shot rally. Bringing up a match point in his next service game, Velten struck a clean forehand winner for the title and 80 PTA Ranking points 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

While Barletta is a long way from 2001's 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6 loss to one-shot wonder Max Baccarini, the signs are good for Velten to make one last Roland Garros push.

• Seeded players out: None.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Jersey International II
€42,500 - Final - Jersey, Great Britain, Hard (Indoors)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• Top seed Gunther Heug survived a spirited display from Lithuania's Aleksander Alitspritsin to clinch the title 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

• Seeded players out: None.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Unlucky, Langley.

 

[Number 11]

Happy to finally be progressing through 1 or 2 rounds in challengers.