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Week 18: Rome Masters [Blanco]

morgieb

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Dammit.

What are the chances of me getting a wildcard in a grand slam now? I'll probably go way down until after Roland Garros.
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Thanks to our relationship with the FFT and Tennis Australia, we get a wildcard for both Roland Garros and the Australian Open. So you're in with a sniff if the activity and results stay up. :)
 

Johnners

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Getting amped, wouldn't mind a deep run here to get the ranking close to the 30's.
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Internazionali BNL d'Italia II
PTA Masters 1000 - Tuesday (1st Round/2nd Round) - Rome Italy - Clay (Red)

  • Spas Delev has failed in his bid to make the second round in Rome following a straight sets defeat to Bulgaria's Ivan Genov. Despite a double bagel win in the qualifying round on Sunday, Delev could not take a set off the in-form Genov who biffed and bruised his way to a 7-5, 6-3 win. Delev was forced to come from 1-4 down in the first set but fell short of completely a great comeback as Genov claimed the first set 7-5. The second set started closer, but Delev was unable to hit enough winners against the virtual backboard that was Ivan Genov as the unseeded World No. 35 advanced to a second round clash with Henry Charles in straight sets. Delev remains in Rome this week for a doubles clash tomorrow against Morton Blundell & Roberto Santos along with the Brit Charles.

  • World No. 31 Heath Davis has picked up perhaps the biggest win of his clay career with a 6-4, 6-3 win over France's Pierre L'Estrange. L'Estrange last week beat World No. 10 Illya Altman in a straight sets upset, but failed to bring his Barcelona form to Rome as Davis picked up a convincing win. The West CWLander usually struggles to make his own pace on the clay courts but played a more patient game to outlast the French left-hander. L'Estrange, meanwhile, made too many mistakes on his usually slick forehand and was unable to break Davis' serve. The win for Davis sets up a second round clash with out-of-form Serb Radivoj Daneu in which he will start a distinct underdog.

  • There was revenge for eleventh seed Zoltán Varga as he avenged his defeat on Saturday in Barcelona with a three-set win over Jarkko Maxum. In a repeat of their semi final clash, Maxum did not look overawed after his great result in Spain as he matched it with the eleventh seeded Hungarian. Taking second set 6-1, Maxum looked in a good spot before Varga found his range at the right time en route to a 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3 win.

  • In an upset, tenth seed Illya Altman's poor form continued with a 6-1, 4-6, 4-6 loss to American Morgan Carter, while third seed Radek Špidlá started strongly but failed to rectify his awful clay record with a 6-7(8), 3-6 loss to Patrick Pascaul of France.

  • Seeded players out:
    Illya Altman;
    Radek Špidlá.
  • In the doubles draw, Asian pairing Zhijun Sun & Qingdong Tsai knocked off yet another seed as seventh seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov were beaten 3-6, 5-7.

  • Seeded players out:
    Andrej Konc
    &
    Evgeniy Maximov.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Certainly didn't expect to win in Straight Sets. 2nd round exit then. Better than expected! Hoping to go deep in the Doubles though.
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Internazionali BNL d'Italia II
PTA Masters 1000 - Wednesday (2nd Round) - Rome Italy - Clay (Red)

  • Qualifier Rob Bowenburg has pulled off one of the most stunning upsets of the clay season; knocking out Grand Slam champion and fourteenth seed Rick Henson in a tough three-set affair. Henson was almost an unbackable favourite against the West CWLander, but had it tough early as The Lob played patiently and to his own strengths. Henson never looked troubled on serve in the first set but failed to take advantage of his chance, and the qualifier pounced to claim the set 9-7 in the tiebreaker. Henson picked up the pace in the second and claimed his first break early as he took the set 6-4, but continued to be frustrated as Bowenburg took long rallies from the baseline with resilience most tennis fans haven't seen from the inconsistent westerner. It served him well in the third set as up against huge pressure he held six times to take the match to a deciding tiebreaker. Despite only producing two break points against Henson all match and converting neither of them, Bowenburg pulled off a dramatic defeat as he crept ahead early and stormed away with the third set tiebreaker to secure a shocking 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3) win. He now plays France's Patrick Pascaul.

  • Season I semi finalist and local hope Carlo Amato has fallen in the second round as seventh seed Jefferson Drake overcome a horror second set to nail a big win. Despite a dominant first set, Drake looked gone for all money as the Italian put a breadstick on him in the second set and the last East CWLander looked to be headed out of the draw. But the World No. 8 recovered and in a fine performance came from a break down early to take the third set to a tiebreaker. There the Easterner strung four points together early and eventually set up six match points at 6-0. He needed four of them before he put away a forehand winner after a return from Amato lobbed up off the net to secure a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(3) win. His third round opponent is CW Open finalist Oneil Stewart after the Jamaican crushed Almen Benaglio 6-0, 6-3.

  • No troubles for Monte Carlo champ Sven Oxenstierna as he started his campaign for a third Masters title with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Zhijun Sun of China. A clear second favourite with the bookies to claim the French Open crown, Oxenstierna was too good for the Chinese 20-year old who was recovering from a tough first round clash on Monday. While some suggest he may have peaked too early this clay season, Oxenstierna was never really tested by Zhijun Sun as he secured a straight sets win despite a late fightback from the Chinese No. 1. He now meets Russia's Dmitry Orlov after he knocked out one of the last two Italians in the draw Antonio Bachunelli 6-0, 6-3.

  • Where he picked up what was arguably the biggest win of his clay career yesterday, Heath Davis has followed it up with the biggest win of his clay career with a three-set win over embattled Serbian eighth seed Radivoj Daneu. The World No. 9 has had a miserable year shedding 2,380 ranking points and five places, and his frustration was increased as the World No. 31 and self-professed "clay court hack" secured a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win. Davis, whose only title came at Pickford last season, picked up where he left off on Tuesday serving-wise as he denied Daneu any real opportunities to build momentum. Despite dropping the second set after serving for it just minutes earlier, the West CWLander did not let that phase him as he picked up what was eventually the match-winning break at 3-3 in the third set. Serving it out to love, Davis now meets ninth seed Dwayne Murdoch who struggled past Argentinian qualifier Paolo Mandonna.

  • Making it a perfect day for CW singles was Jojo Mustard as he ousted fifteenth seed Danijel Micic in three sets. The Serbian Davis Cup champ breezed through his first round match against good opposition, but struggled in breezy conditions and against a better opponent as Mustard kept his fine clay form alive. In a three set tussle, Mustard served well and profitted from inaccurate backhands from the Serb who blew too many opportunities. With a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win, Mustard now plays second seed and defending champion Daniel Páez Blanco who was a 6-1, 6-2 winner.

  • Seeded players out:
    Henry Charles;
    Radivoj Daneu;
    Rick Henson
    ;
    Danijel Micic.

  • Eighth seeds Ion Andueza & Sanchez Emelio were the latest casualities in the doubles draw as they were beaten by Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum. The CW Unity team were in great touch as they ousted a decidedly lacklustre Spanish duo in straight sets with some dominant tennis. The 6-3, 6-3 win sets up a clash with Artem Krohmal & Merab Shvelidze the Ukrainian-Georgian team.

  • No such luck for Spas Delev as he and Henry Charles were thrashed 6-1, 6-4 by Morton Blundell & Roberto Santos. It was a big blow to the pairing after the top seeds in their sections - Hugh James & Ralph Robinson - were beaten.

  • Seeded players out:
    Ion Andueza &
    Sanchez Emelio;
    Hugh James &
    Ralph Robinson.
 
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SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Fairly insane day for the CWLanders. I know it looks a bit cheaty, but it wasn't.

Singles draw finally updated in first post and I'll do the doubles later.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
**** a duck. Clay court hack comes good. Still, Murdoch'll straight-sets me - he's in decent form, I believe, so he's gonna be a tougher proposition to take down.

Looking forward to taking the court with El Mustardo shortly.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Knew Mustard was a big chance of making the 3rd round, if he can get past the 3rd round he's a big chance.

Also looking for big things in the doubles.
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Nice Lob, surely can beat Henson.
Maxum thank you for never doubting me! Huge win against Henson. Pretty insane win really considering I didn't break serve once! Hard luck against Varga bro.

Good to see we've won doubles too.

Very nice wins by Davis and Mustard against seeded opponents.
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Internazionali BNL d'Italia II
PTA Masters 1000 - Thursday (3rd Round) - Rome Italy - Clay (Red)

  • West CWLand's fun-loving giant Heath Davis has secured a second consecutive win over top ten opponents on clay with a three-set win over ninth seeded American Dwayne Murdoch. The World No. 31 ensured he would debut inside the world's top thirty regardless of his result in the quarter finals as he ousted the Monte Carlo finalist with yet another morale boosting win. Davis' serve has helped him throughout this week, but even more than that he's held his own with his groundstrokes against some talented baseliners. The aggressive American looked to have him beat in the second set as he managed two breaks of serve to take the set 6-2, but Davis would not relent as he looked for ways to finish points with that powerful forehand. Murdoch too often got suckered into playing cross court away from the backhand slice of Davis as the patient West CWLander avoided playing any really aggressive shots on his weaker wing. It was a tactical masterpiece by Davis and his camp as he secured a 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 win and a quarter final spot in a clay court Masters Series event.

  • He will not play doubles partner Jojo Mustard in the quarter finals, though, as the World No. 20 was delivered a wake up call by second seed Daniel Páez Blanco. Mustard's form on clay this season has been wonderful (save for a semi final pizzling in Monte Carlo), but against the world's best clay courter he was unable to advance. The 3-6, 3-6 scoreline perhaps flattered Mustard as Blanco really had the match won at 4-0 in the second set. A late break gave the World No. 2 a brief fright, but it seems the Spanish veteran has ironed out the injury bugs from his game as he set up a showdown with Davis in straight sets. Davis' victory robs the draw of a Murdoch-Blanco quarterfinal rematch, but the West CWLander will take in the confidence that he managed a win over the only player to beat Blanco on clay in the Open Era. In reality, though, Blanco is stylistically a poor matchup for Davis with Radivoj Daneu and Murdoch far inferior returners to the Spanish legend and more prone to unforced errors.

  • Fourth seed Sven Oxenstierna continues to scythe his way through the bottom half with a impressive 6-3, 6-0 routing of Dmitry Orlov. The inconsistent Russian player hadn't dropped a set this week in a return to some much-needed form, but he faced the second best clay courter on the planet playing near his best tennis. Oxenstierna continues to bully opponents from the baseline with his long limbs enabling him to return almost anything. Gone are those serving woes, too, that plagued him last season as he wasn't broken by the Russian en route to a straight sets win.

  • He plays CW Open finalist and twelfth seed Oneil Stewart who prevailed in a bizzare clash with seventh seed Jefferson Drake. In what was billed as one of the most exciting clashes between two of the best shotmakers in the draw, Stewart and Drake fought out a surprisingly low quality scrap littered with unforced errors. With eleven service breaks between them, neither player topped sixty per cent of first serves for the match in what one premier tennis forum dubbed a "mug fest". After dropping the first set with a late break of serve, Stewart came back from 2-4 down in the second to send the match to a deciding third set as Drake hit two successive double faults to drop the set 5-7. This time it was tit-for-tat with breaks before the Jamaican finally held late to force Drake to serve to stay in the tournament. He couldn't as he crashed out 7-5, 5-7, 5-7 in yet another disappointing end to a high profile tournament.

  • Finally, qualifier Rob Bowenburg was a distinct underdog in his third round clash against World No. 23 Patrick Pascaul but played anything like it as he secured a stunning straight sets victory. While people in the past have written Bowenburg off as a hard courter, perhaps the West CWLander's game is more suited to the clay as his aggressive style and athleticism makes him a nice alternative to many of the European scrappers. There is little doubt that Pascaul has underachieved in the Open Era and would have hoped this was his chance to breakthrough. It wasn't. In a similar vein to his second round win, Bowenburg broke just once but conceeded no service breaks himself in his 7-6(2), 6-3 win. His serve isn't massive, but he places it well and uses the kick to great effect. He now faces his biggest test yet against fifth seed and Season I finalist József Boros of Hungary.

  • Seeded players out:
    Jefferson Drake;
    Dwayne Murdoch;
    Rasmus Olesen.
 

SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Internazionali BNL d'Italia II
PTA Masters 1000 - Thursday (2nd Round) - Rome Italy - Clay (Red)

  • Two-time Grand Slam champions Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard looked to sound a warning in preparation for their attempt to win a first major off hard courts as they eased past Asian Continental Allocation Ritwik Bhutia & Shyam Sequiera. With both players forced to fit in the doubles match following singles third round clashes earlier, they could be forgiven for starting slowly. To their credit, though, they didn't as they played good enough tennis to defeat the spirited Indian pairing 6-3, 6-2. Without playing their best tennis, they set up a quarter final showdown with Mark Harmel & Yves Parmentier of Belgium who managed a three-set win over the Henson brothers of the USA.

  • Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum were unable to replicate their great form from the first round as they were trounced two and love by Artem Krohmal & Merab Shvelidze. The East European team commanded control over the match as Bowenburg and Maxum looked quite flat in their match on the Pietrangelli. The Trans-CWLand unit effectively gave up at 0-4 in the second set and did not win another point as Krohmal and Shvelidze advanced 6-2, 6-0.

  • There was some consolation for Jefferson Drake as he and Martti Korpinen beat dangerous Uraguayan pairing Mario Acosta & Gonzalo Castro. The fourth seeds were too good for the Costa do Sauípe finalists as they took the match 6-3, 6-4 but needed five match points to do it. They plays Rasmus Olesen & Dmitry Orlov.

  • Seeded players out: None.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Bloody Norah. Just what is going on out there? This is a strangely unfamiliar turn of events, though judging by how Blanco dealt with Jojo, a double bagel could be in the offing.

And a solid doubles performance with El Mustardo. Good to see!
 
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SirBloody Idiot

Cricketer Of The Year
Bloody Norah. Just what is going on out there? This is a strangely unfamiliar turn of events, though judging by how Blanco dealt with Jojo, a double bagel could be in the offing.
It's bizzare. From an out-of-character standpoint, for Davis and Bowenburg to snare the wins they have has been mathmatically so improbable.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
It's bizzare. From an out-of-character standpoint, for Davis and Bowenburg to snare the wins they have has been mathmatically so improbable.
Three stunning wins in a row for me, and the Lob surely couldn't be happier with his performance. How much will getting to the Quarters here improve my ranking? A seeding for the French Open, potentially?
 

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