Week 20: Madrid Masters [Blanco]; Busan [Langley]; Sarasota [E.Henson]

[SirBloody Idiot]

BTW, Tuesday in Madrid saw five of the six finalists last week lose. Oxenstierna didn't play.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Disappointed in Su'a. Should have done better. Especially after bowling so well in the NZ Masters game last week.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open II
PTA Masters 1000 - Wednesday (2nd Round) - Madrid, Spain - Clay (Red)

• Heath Davis has won the all-West CWLand battle in Madrid with a straight sets win over lucky loser Rob Bowenburg. The World No. 29 was in fine touch as he produced some clinical serving in tight moments in an overpowering performance. The two Rome quarter finalists were evenly matched for most of the match, but it was Davis' class and coolness under pressure which allowed him key breaks of serve as he secured a third round place with a 6-3, 7-5 victory. There he'll meet the World No. 1 Jason Hall - a man he's never beaten.

• Davis' doubles partner Jojo Mustard will be at his side in the round of sixteen after a 6-4, 6-3 win over Spain's Ion Andueza. It was regulation for Mustard who played far better than he did yesterday with some confident ground strokes and attacking flair. Mustard's backhand carried too much punch for Andueza who for the most part relied on errors from the World No. 18. Unfortunately for him they didn't come as Mustard cruised into the next round in straight sets.

• He will meet American fifth seed Dwayne Murdoch who came from a break down in the second set to beat Spas Delev. The American was in cruise control in the first set as he answered Delev's power with interest to claim the set six games to two, but in the second he found himself down a break at 2-4. Avoiding a decider, Murdoch broke back and then broke Delev's will with a dominant tiebreak performance to secure a 6-2, 7-6(0) win. Murdoch and Mustard recently met in the semis of Monte Carlo with the American winning 6-1, 6-3.

• It seemed finals over the past weekend have been bad news for many players, but Estoril champ Sven Oxenstierna broke that hoodoo with a 6-2, 6-2 thrashing of Christian Mary. Mary was clearly out of his depth against the World No. 4 who has been the second best clay courter this season, and he didn't need to get out of first gear as he smashed Mary in straight sets. He faces another Frenchman next, though sixteenth seed Patrick Pascaul is a far superior player. After beating Antonio Bachunelli 6-7(8), 7-6(0), 6-4 in the first round, he made light work of Hungary's János Varga winning one and four.

• Finally, fourth seed Jefferson Drake wasn't at his best in his second round match but eventually had too much for Sanchez Emelio. In what was mostly a tight match, Drake put his foot on the gas at the right time after several disappointing moments throughout the match to burst ahead a break late in the deciding set. Emelio had two break back points to take it to 5-5, but Drake finally turned on some of his best tennis including an awesome inside-out forehand winner to bring up match point. When he's on he's a joy to watch, and stringing four points together he won 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4. He now meets Brit Henry Charles who enjoyed a 6-2, 6-2 win over Toby Brookes.

• Seeded players out: Rick Henson; Oneil Stewart.

• Miami champions Carlos Machado and Dênis Rodrígues were on the receiving end of a disappointing loss as Rob Bowenburg and Jarkko Maxum picked up a surprise straight sets win. The eighth seeds opened up a 5-1 lead, before completely imploding as Bowenburg and Maxum took twelve of the last thirteen games in an unbelievable display. In fairness, the Brazilians were poor and made ridiculous amounts of errors after going ahead the double break as the CWLanders merely had to keep the ball in play at times. Their amazing 7-5, 6-1 win sees them meet continental allocations Donovan Burbach and Ben Turner next in what is a very winnable second round match.

• Seeded players out: Carlos Machado & Dênis Rodrígues.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Tasty win there against The Lob. I've got plenty to play for against Hall as a win there could see a lovely quarter-final match up between doubles partners as Mustard is in the same section of the draw. Seems pretty unlikely I'll beat Hall here, mind, though the incentive is there to perform at my best.

[Marcuss]

Fml.

[Johnners]

[SirBloody Idiot]

Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open II - Singles
PTA Masters 1000 - Thursday (3rd Round) - Madrid, Spain - Clay (Red)

• Twelfth seed Jojo Mustard has earned a measure of revenge for his Monte Carlo defeat with a come-from-behind win over American fifth seed Dwayne Murdoch. In arguably his best win on clay, Mustard clawed his way back from a set and a break down to send their third round clash to a deciding third set with some tremendous defensive hitting. Murdoch was typically aggressive and pounced on his opportunities, but Mustard showed a cool head and great calmness to edge his way to a 4-2 lead in the decider. Murdoch had two more break point opportunities, but failed to convert either as Mustard clung on to a 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4 win.

• He meets World No. 1 Jason Hall in the quarter finals after Hall proved too good for Mustard's doubles partner Heath Davis. That being said, it was a sign of how far Davis has come as he pushed Hall deep in both sets before finally succumbing to the American's poise and class under pressure as Hall won 6-4, 7-5.

• In a big upset, World No. 4 Sven Oxenstierna was beaten in straight sets by sixteenth seeded Frenchman Patrick Pascaul to hand him a rare clay defeat this season. The third seed was a big favourite to win, but in a last minute glitch to his French Open plans he was ousted 4-6, 5-7 by the resolute and flashy Frenchman. Pascaul now meets sixth seed Rasmus Olesen.

• Finally, fourth seed Jefferson Drake won through to a winnable quarter final with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Henry Charles of Great Britain. In a much improved performance, Drake tore through the fifteenth seed with brilliant strokeplay and some great changeups to finally put some wins together. He faces Russian Dmitry Orlov who has dropped just one set this week and eased past Pierre L'Estrange 6-3, 6-4.

• Seeded players out: Miroslav Brdar; Henry Charles; Danijel Micic; Dwayne Murdoch; Sven Oxenstierna; Zoltán Varga.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Dammit. Would have loved a match up with El Mustardo. Biggest shock of the week seeing the Ox exit so poorly.

[Mister Wright]

Can't believe I missed this over the last few days. Maybe I should stay away a bit more often, given Mustard is going so well.

Tough match up next round though.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Originally Posted by Mister Wright

Can't believe I missed this over the last few days. Maybe I should stay away a bit more often, given Mustard is going so well.

Tough match up next round though.

Been a very fine week. Hall might be a step too far, but in a good spot to steal a top 16 seed at Roland Garros.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open II - Doubles
PTA Masters 1000 - Thursday (2nd Round) - Madrid, Spain - Clay (Red)

• Henry Charles and Spas Delev have failed in their bid for a quarter final spot; going down in a tight one to Ion Andueza and Sanchez Emelio. In a fine performance, the makeshift duo put together a spirited display but lacked the team polish the Spanish pairing had who secured a 6-4, 7-5 win. Charles and Delev combined well and may consider a Roland Garros combination, but it was Andueza and Emelio who advanced to a quarter final matchup with Jefferson Drake and Martti Korpinen. The fourth seeds put some recent poor form behind them with a 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of Aussies David Champion and Toby Brookes.

• Second seeds Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard will meet Antonio Bachunelli and Jean-Alain Depuis in a rematch of their Rome final on Friday following a straight sets win over Denis Isaev and Pierre L'Estrange. The West CWLanders faced their biggest test in a while in the form of the Franco-Belarusian duo and found themselves trailing 3-5 in the first set. But a composed performance allowed them to take ten of the last eleven games to secure a good win 7-5, 6-1 and another meeting with Bachunelli and Depuis.

• Finally, Rob Bowenburg and Jarkko Maxum advanced to the quarters but will need to lift their game considerably if they are to beat top seeds Hugh James and Ralph Robinson. The CWLanders expected an easy win against continental allocations Donovan Burbach and Ben Turner but were taken deep in both sets by the determined Americans. Eventually they won 7-6(5), 7-5, but face the world's best pairing who finally turned it on in their match. After an indifferent year, the top seeds made a statement that they intend to defend their Roland Garros crown with a 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Artem Krohmal and Merab Shvelidze.

• Seeded players out: Sandro Bachunelli & Hicham Hadir.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Busan Open Challenger Tennis II
PTA Challenger Tour - Quarter Finals - Busan, Korea Republic - Hard

• Rick Langley has won the battle of the West CWLanders as he booked a place in the semi finals in Busan with a come-from-behind win over Brett Read. It was only the second set which separated Read from the eighth seed in a largely even contest characterised by long rallies and some conservative tennis for the most part. After Read took the first set 7-5 after claiming his third service break, Langley turned it on in a dynamic second set display as he took it 6-1 in just over half an hour. A shell-shocked Read needed time to compose himself in the third set and quickly found himself in big trouble at 0-3. However the veteran found his feet with a fortuitous break of serve courtesy to an ill-timed double fault from Langley. With the score at 5-6, Read led 30-0 and looked likely to take a big run of momentum into the deciding tiebreaker. However in a dramatic turnaround Langley played some sensational tennis to claim four points in a row and in the process the match to book a semi 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 and leave his compatriot reeling after a massive missed opportunity.

• At least one West CWLander will be in the final after Scotland Rivers finally announced his presence as top seed with a 6-0, 6-4 mauling of Kim Roger Olsen. Rivers had ambled his way through his two matches so far, but faced a man who had dropped a set in both of his matches this week. Making a statement, Rivers was dynamite in the first set as he dominated the Norwegian in just twenty-four minutes with clean hitting and his finest serving of the week. Leading 4-0 in the second, Rivers missed a chance to take a double bagel and despite a late fightback coasted to his straight sets win to go a win away from the final.

• In the other semi, Korea's Lee Inmin meets Dieter Bonhof of Germany.

• Seeded players out: Tu Haifeng.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Oops. Well done Jojo

[morgieb]

At least I lost to a fellow CWLander.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open II - Singles
PTA Masters 1000 - Friday (Quarter Finals) - Madrid, Spain - Clay (Red)

• Jojo Mustard put up a brave performance, but was ultimately beaten by World No. 1 Jason Hall in straight sets. Mustard, whose ranking with rise to World No. 15 after this week, matched the American top seed right throughout the match but failed to provide enough break point opportunities on the Hall service. Hall, meanwhile, created thirteen break points in his 6-4, 6-4 win and though he converted just three of them it was enough to overcome the West CWLander in straight sets. Hall now meets eighth seed Rasmus Olesen who beat Patrick Pascaul 7-5, 7-6(4).

• Neither CWLander will appear in the semi finals as Jefferson Drake missed a golden opportunity to test himself against the best clay courter in the world; stunned by World No. 49 Dmitry Orlov. Orlov made it three straight two-set wins by completely outclassing the wayward fourth seed 6-2, 6-3 with some sublime hitting against a cavalcade of unforced errors from Drake. Drake now has the doubles and Nice to get himself primed for Roland Garros, while Orlov meets second seed Daniel Páez Blanco who beat Carlo Amato 6-4, 6-1.

• Seeded players out: Jefferson Drake; Jojo Mustard; Rasmus Olesen.