Blewy
Cricketer Of The Year
Sure mate im keen...
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CricketWeb Tennis - Season I
- Thread starter SirBloody Idiot
- Start date
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Stuttgart; Båstad; Manta Challenger (1R) - July 13-19 Season I
MercedesCup
First Round - Stuttgart
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Seeds - Draw)
Fifth seed Randy Smeltz has made a confident start to his MercedesCup assault in his place of birth after easing past local qualifier Marcus Heindrich in straight sets. In his first competitive match on clay since claiming the title in Warsaw, the world number 20 dominated the opening set to claim it inside half an hour. But after claiming the first 6-1, Smeltz's aggression lessened as Heindrich did all he could do to stick with the fifth seed in the second set; going break-for-break as both men struggled to wrest authority from the other. But in a lengthy tiebreaker after a taxing hour-long second set, Smeltz managed to just edge out his brave opponent to advance 6-1 7-6(7). The fifth seed now faces Paraguay's Aldo Marín who proved too good in three sets for wildcard Peter Seel.
The draw has opened up for former world number 25 Jamee Hancianu after he slaughtered Queen's Club quarterfinalist Lee Inmin in straight sets. The Costa do Sauipe finalist has struggled for form after a frustrating second round exit at the French Open, but turned that around in style with a welcome return to the slower stuff. The Korean managed just one game in the fifty-eight minute procession; the exciting young CWLander advancing 6-1 6-0. It gets better for Hancianu after qualifier Samuel Thorpe produced a massive upset against embattled Spaniard Sanchez Emelio. The sixth seed suffered two defeats in Spain's Davis Cup loss to Serbia last week, and was edged out in a tight contest by the world number 143 to further prove the unpredictable nature of clay.
Elsewhere, lucky loser Jarkko Maxum has made a solid start to his campaign after upsetting Slovakian Andrej Konc. The talented youngster has been in poor form on the Challenger circuit over the past month, but returned to ATP level in style with a tight 7-5 6-4 win over the Slovak number one. Maxum now faces a tough second round clash with local Alex Peters who just over a month ago made it to the fourth round of the French Open.
Finally, wildcard Alex de Wet was unable to make it clean sweep for CWLand after he was dumped in straight sets by Russian Gregor Gorshkov. Despite hitting double the winners of his opponent, de Wet's largely indifferent clay form continued as he basically lost the match off his own racquet. Gorshkov played a game of patience as the inconsistent de Wet went for the lines all too often in a game plan riddled with errors; and whilst he tightened up a bit in the second set, he was still unable to make shots when it mattered - Gorshkov advancing 6-3 7-6(3).
In other matches, third seed Illya Altman was one of the only players really troubled as he was taken to three sets by Brazil's Roberto Santos. The world number ten bounced back in style, though, after dropping the second set 5-7 to close out the final set in just half an hour to secure a 6-4 5-7 6-1 win. Top seed Daniel Paez Blanco also made a winning start to his campaign, but was troubled by highly rated Spanish youngster Marc Carretero. The 6-4 6-2 scoreline was overwhelmingly in favour of the world number one, but he did have difficulties in beating the very talented junior who saved four match points in a fifty-four minute second set.
Catella Swedish Open
First Round - Båstad
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Seeds - Draw)
CWLand's only player in the Båstad draw, Jefferson Drake, had received a much-needed bye after landing in the Swedish town just hours before the tournament got underway. The third seed was one of four players to receive a free pass into the second round as his potential second round opponents duked it out on an outside court. It was there that Morocco's Ross Onwye comfortably accounted for Diego Hurtado in straight sets; his 7-6(5) 6-3 win setting up a match with his doubles rival on Wednesday. The only big name to fall was that of French Open semifinalist Oneil Stewart. The athletic Jamaican, in his first match since injury at Wimbledon, failed to dust off the cobwebs as he was stunned by world number 78 Hugh James 7-6(5) 6-3.
V Manta Open - Trofeo Ricardo Delgado Aray
First Round - Manta
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Manta top seed Jojo Mustard was given a scare in his first round match against local qualifier Javier Espinoza, but ultimately prevailed to avoid a massive upset. The French Open quarterfinalist puzzled some critics by his choice to play in a tournament worth just 55 points instead of at Stuttgart or Båstad, and was very nearly made to look silly for his choice as he dropped the second set. But in the first and third he was rarely troubled and he advanced 6-2 4-6 6-2. Mustard will also team up with compatriot Heath Davis in the doubles draw; the pair get their campaign underway tomorrow against South African duo Adam May and Ryan Miller. A possible finals showdown with countryman Rob Bowenburg is still on the cards after the second seed dispatched the Czech Republic's Pavel Polak in straight sets. Bowenburg bagelled the poor Polak in the first set, and although his opponent's form improved in the second set, he was ultimately too good by far as he secured a 6-0 7-5 win. Qualifier Vladimir Stakhanov threw away a one-set to love lead in his first round clash to tumble out to Monaco's Olivier Lucas. After taking the first 6-2, Stakhanov went into his shell and would not look likely from then on as he crashed to a disappointing 2-6 6-4 6-0 defeat. In the other big upset, the frustrating form of big Latvian Ivars Emsis continued as he fell in three to Kazakh Ilja Nesterov.
MercedesCup
First Round - Stuttgart
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Seeds - Draw)
Fifth seed Randy Smeltz has made a confident start to his MercedesCup assault in his place of birth after easing past local qualifier Marcus Heindrich in straight sets. In his first competitive match on clay since claiming the title in Warsaw, the world number 20 dominated the opening set to claim it inside half an hour. But after claiming the first 6-1, Smeltz's aggression lessened as Heindrich did all he could do to stick with the fifth seed in the second set; going break-for-break as both men struggled to wrest authority from the other. But in a lengthy tiebreaker after a taxing hour-long second set, Smeltz managed to just edge out his brave opponent to advance 6-1 7-6(7). The fifth seed now faces Paraguay's Aldo Marín who proved too good in three sets for wildcard Peter Seel.
The draw has opened up for former world number 25 Jamee Hancianu after he slaughtered Queen's Club quarterfinalist Lee Inmin in straight sets. The Costa do Sauipe finalist has struggled for form after a frustrating second round exit at the French Open, but turned that around in style with a welcome return to the slower stuff. The Korean managed just one game in the fifty-eight minute procession; the exciting young CWLander advancing 6-1 6-0. It gets better for Hancianu after qualifier Samuel Thorpe produced a massive upset against embattled Spaniard Sanchez Emelio. The sixth seed suffered two defeats in Spain's Davis Cup loss to Serbia last week, and was edged out in a tight contest by the world number 143 to further prove the unpredictable nature of clay.
Elsewhere, lucky loser Jarkko Maxum has made a solid start to his campaign after upsetting Slovakian Andrej Konc. The talented youngster has been in poor form on the Challenger circuit over the past month, but returned to ATP level in style with a tight 7-5 6-4 win over the Slovak number one. Maxum now faces a tough second round clash with local Alex Peters who just over a month ago made it to the fourth round of the French Open.
Finally, wildcard Alex de Wet was unable to make it clean sweep for CWLand after he was dumped in straight sets by Russian Gregor Gorshkov. Despite hitting double the winners of his opponent, de Wet's largely indifferent clay form continued as he basically lost the match off his own racquet. Gorshkov played a game of patience as the inconsistent de Wet went for the lines all too often in a game plan riddled with errors; and whilst he tightened up a bit in the second set, he was still unable to make shots when it mattered - Gorshkov advancing 6-3 7-6(3).
In other matches, third seed Illya Altman was one of the only players really troubled as he was taken to three sets by Brazil's Roberto Santos. The world number ten bounced back in style, though, after dropping the second set 5-7 to close out the final set in just half an hour to secure a 6-4 5-7 6-1 win. Top seed Daniel Paez Blanco also made a winning start to his campaign, but was troubled by highly rated Spanish youngster Marc Carretero. The 6-4 6-2 scoreline was overwhelmingly in favour of the world number one, but he did have difficulties in beating the very talented junior who saved four match points in a fifty-four minute second set.
- Seeded players out: Sanchez Emelio.
Catella Swedish Open
First Round - Båstad
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Seeds - Draw)
CWLand's only player in the Båstad draw, Jefferson Drake, had received a much-needed bye after landing in the Swedish town just hours before the tournament got underway. The third seed was one of four players to receive a free pass into the second round as his potential second round opponents duked it out on an outside court. It was there that Morocco's Ross Onwye comfortably accounted for Diego Hurtado in straight sets; his 7-6(5) 6-3 win setting up a match with his doubles rival on Wednesday. The only big name to fall was that of French Open semifinalist Oneil Stewart. The athletic Jamaican, in his first match since injury at Wimbledon, failed to dust off the cobwebs as he was stunned by world number 78 Hugh James 7-6(5) 6-3.
- Seeded players out: Oneil Stewart.
V Manta Open - Trofeo Ricardo Delgado Aray
First Round - Manta
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Manta top seed Jojo Mustard was given a scare in his first round match against local qualifier Javier Espinoza, but ultimately prevailed to avoid a massive upset. The French Open quarterfinalist puzzled some critics by his choice to play in a tournament worth just 55 points instead of at Stuttgart or Båstad, and was very nearly made to look silly for his choice as he dropped the second set. But in the first and third he was rarely troubled and he advanced 6-2 4-6 6-2. Mustard will also team up with compatriot Heath Davis in the doubles draw; the pair get their campaign underway tomorrow against South African duo Adam May and Ryan Miller. A possible finals showdown with countryman Rob Bowenburg is still on the cards after the second seed dispatched the Czech Republic's Pavel Polak in straight sets. Bowenburg bagelled the poor Polak in the first set, and although his opponent's form improved in the second set, he was ultimately too good by far as he secured a 6-0 7-5 win. Qualifier Vladimir Stakhanov threw away a one-set to love lead in his first round clash to tumble out to Monaco's Olivier Lucas. After taking the first 6-2, Stakhanov went into his shell and would not look likely from then on as he crashed to a disappointing 2-6 6-4 6-0 defeat. In the other big upset, the frustrating form of big Latvian Ivars Emsis continued as he fell in three to Kazakh Ilja Nesterov.
- Seeded players out: Ivars Emsis; Oliver Thursfield.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Loving the bye. Hitting the town with Korps instead.
It's paying dividends FTR.
It's paying dividends FTR.
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Jeez! Tough match for Mustard that shouldn't have been. Hopefully he can overcome that early scare and rip through the rest of the tournament.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Stuttgart; Båstad; Manta Challenger (2R) - July 13-19 Season I
MercedesCup
Second Round - Stuttgart
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Fifth seed Randy Smeltz has continued his assault on the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, but faces a tough weekend if he is to have any hope of claiming a second career crown. The CWLand number three had little trouble in overcoming Paraguayan Aldo Marin in straight sets as he continues to look impressive on his preferred surface. Smeltz broke the Marin service early in both sets and, whilst being broken back on both occasions, managed to continue to look dangerous on his opponent’s service throughout the match. However it now gets tougher for Smeltz after his 6-3 6-3 win as French Open semifinalist Dwayne Murdoch awaits in the quarterfinals. The American overcame an early scare to defeat Paraguay’s Marcelo Alavos in three sets. Alavos took the first 6-4 and found himself in a good position at 4-4 in the second, before the world number fourteen came home with a wet sail to claim eight of the last nine games to record a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory.
In the same half, teenager Jarkko Maxum advanced to his first ever ATP level quarterfinal with a massive victory over local hope Alex Peters. Peters made the fourth round of the French Open in a sensational run, and came into this match as hot favourite in front of a home crowd. But Maxum, who at times finds himself overpowered by stronger opponents, managed to chip away at the always solid Peters serve to snatch much-needed breaks of service. The German had little trouble of staging a remarkable comeback as he fell 4-6 0-3 down early in the second; Maxum charging on to secure a 6-4 6-3 upset. It does, however, step up a few notches now for the lucky loser as world number one Daniel Paez Blanco awaits in the quarters. The top seed, who is undefeated on clay, took a tight opening set against Czech big man Vaclav Zeman before crushing him in the second set with some awesome returning. Zeman’s service was all that kept him in the first set as he fired down nine aces, before watching on haplessly as the top seed cruised to an expected victory.
Jamee Hancianu made it three CWLanders from three in the quarters as he edged a hard-fought contest against qualifier Samuel Thorpe. Thorpe, who stunned Sanchez Emelio in the first round, put up another good fight against the highly rated CWLand youngster, but lost games at the most crucial of stages. Neither man looked confident on service as they racked up thirteen break points between them, but it was Hancianu who made the most of these opportunities as he went on to secure a 7-5 7-6(4) win. Much like Maxum, it steps up in intensity for the world number 30 in the quarterfinals as world number ten and clay court specialist Illya Altman awaits. Altman had little trouble in dispatching Casablanca finalist Ion Andueza 6-1 7-5. In the final quarterfinal, Argentine second seed and French Open semifinalist Juan Moreno faces off against Gregor Gorshkov who stunned local seventh seed Becker Haas in a come-from-behind win 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4.
The doubles draw got underway with a smack of surprises, but makeshift duo Gunther Heug and Randy Smeltz were unable to pull off such an upset in a tight loss to second seeds Ion Andueza and Sanchez Emelio. The wildcards combined well in one of their rare occasions of teaming, and managed to go up a break in the opening set. But it was the Spaniards’ experience which managed to tip the balance in their favour as they went on to take the first set in a tiebreaker. In another tight set, the second seeds secured a late break of service against the Smeltz serve to produce the goods 7-6(5) 7-5.
It wasn’t such a good day for top seeds Andrej Konc and Evgeniy Maximov as they were spanked in straight sets by unseeded Brazilian pair Denis Rodrigues and Roberto Santos. The Newport semifinalists backed up their great performance of last week with a clinical display against the experienced pair as they smashed the Slovak-Belarusian duo 6-2 6-1. They weren’t the only seeds to fall as Russian pair Sergiy Malachenko and Alexey Yarkin gave up a one-set lead against local team Manfried Manz and Walter Schiller to fall to a surprise 4-6 6-2 (10-6) loss.
Catella Swedish Open
Second Round - Båstad
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Newport champion Jefferson Drake has started off his week in Båstad positively after producing the goods in a second round win against Morocco’s Ross Onwye. In his first match on clay since the semifinals of the men’s doubles at the French Open, Drake looked in impressive touch as he dispatched the world number 43 in one hour and twenty minutes. Drake has had his battles on clay in the past, and started shakily as he dropped service in the first game to the determined Onwye. But following that little hiccup, he rarely looked troubled from then on as he rallied to take the first set 6-2. Onwye was left having to scrap to stay in the contest and struggled as Drake controlled the rallies; the world number thirteen sounding out a warning to the top ten with a commanding 6-2 6-4 win. He now faces fellow Belarusian Denis Isaev in the quarterfinals after he came from a set down to surprise Italian Antonio Bachunelli. The seventh seed looked good money to take the match after claiming the first set 6-2, but struggled to maintain the pressure and ultimately collapsed to a 2-6 6-3 6-3 defeat against the world number 95.
In another upset, fifth seed Tiago Matias was beaten convincingly by Argentina’s Paolo Mandonna. The world number eighteen was odds on favourite to take the match, but fell victim to the tall Argentine who managed to cut down on the unforced errors. That coupled with his patience made Mandonna a tough prospect for Matias; the world number 54 continuing his tendency to beat highly rated opponents with a 7-5 6-1 win.
All the seeded doubles players made winning starts to their campaigns at the Catella Swedish Open; but some had it tougher than others in an interesting couple of days. Third seeds Jefferson Drake and Martti Korpinen looked to capitalise on their Newport title last week, but found themselves involved in a tough scrap against Antonio Bachunelli and Ramat Hasharon doubles champion Massimo Prodi. In a lengthy affair, Drake and Korpinen just had too much class about them late in the match tiebreaker to secure a 7-6(6) 3-6 (11-9) win. They now play Spanish hot shots Juan Manuel Cortes and Javier Villaneuva in the quarterfinals after they proved too good for Romanians Viorel Iftime and Marius Micu.
V Manta Open - Trofeo Ricardo Delgado Aray
Second Round - Manta
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Jojo Mustard’s week in Manta has not been as easy as he’d like, but he still had enough about him to advance to the semifinals against Sam Lazzeri. Mustard started brightly against Icelander Gunnar Valsson to take the first set to love inside thirty minutes, but dropped the intensity and was made to pay for it. Valsson stormed back into the match to take the second set and go up a break in the third, before a worried Mustard managed to claw his way back to level footing. In the end, Mustard’s composure helped him secure a 6-0 4-6 7-5 escape, but he’ll need to lift against emerging American Sam Lazzeri on Friday. Elsewhere, second seed Rob Bowenburg had no such worries as he smashed Argentine wildcard Xavier Suarez in straight sets. Bowenburg has looked easily the better of the two CWLand seeds, and proved he is rested and refreshed after a three week break in his 6-4 6-1 mauling of the wildcard.
Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard had no such difficulties in the doubles competition as they got underway with a 6-1 6-2 win over Adam May and Ryan Miller. The South Africans looked uncomfortable together against the well-oiled machine that was the CWLand outfit, and never looked like taking more than one or two games a set. Davis in particular looked good in his first match since the semifinal defeat in Wimbledon; firing down eleven aces to help the top seeds into a second round clash with local wildcards. Another CWLand duo also had success in their opening clash; Rob Bowenburg and Randy Banks prevailing against local team Ricardo Andrade and Miguel Molina. In a tight contest lasting over two hours, the visitors produced the goods as they chased down a 1-4 deficit in the match tiebreaker to secure a 7-5 4-6 (10-7) win. They now face third seeds Jerzy Kosecki and Roel Hervelle in the second round.
Elsewhere, second seeds Lars Baier and Gunnar Valsson crashed out in straight sets to Canadians Tino Boytchuk and Rory Cross.
MercedesCup
Second Round - Stuttgart
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Fifth seed Randy Smeltz has continued his assault on the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, but faces a tough weekend if he is to have any hope of claiming a second career crown. The CWLand number three had little trouble in overcoming Paraguayan Aldo Marin in straight sets as he continues to look impressive on his preferred surface. Smeltz broke the Marin service early in both sets and, whilst being broken back on both occasions, managed to continue to look dangerous on his opponent’s service throughout the match. However it now gets tougher for Smeltz after his 6-3 6-3 win as French Open semifinalist Dwayne Murdoch awaits in the quarterfinals. The American overcame an early scare to defeat Paraguay’s Marcelo Alavos in three sets. Alavos took the first 6-4 and found himself in a good position at 4-4 in the second, before the world number fourteen came home with a wet sail to claim eight of the last nine games to record a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory.
In the same half, teenager Jarkko Maxum advanced to his first ever ATP level quarterfinal with a massive victory over local hope Alex Peters. Peters made the fourth round of the French Open in a sensational run, and came into this match as hot favourite in front of a home crowd. But Maxum, who at times finds himself overpowered by stronger opponents, managed to chip away at the always solid Peters serve to snatch much-needed breaks of service. The German had little trouble of staging a remarkable comeback as he fell 4-6 0-3 down early in the second; Maxum charging on to secure a 6-4 6-3 upset. It does, however, step up a few notches now for the lucky loser as world number one Daniel Paez Blanco awaits in the quarters. The top seed, who is undefeated on clay, took a tight opening set against Czech big man Vaclav Zeman before crushing him in the second set with some awesome returning. Zeman’s service was all that kept him in the first set as he fired down nine aces, before watching on haplessly as the top seed cruised to an expected victory.
Jamee Hancianu made it three CWLanders from three in the quarters as he edged a hard-fought contest against qualifier Samuel Thorpe. Thorpe, who stunned Sanchez Emelio in the first round, put up another good fight against the highly rated CWLand youngster, but lost games at the most crucial of stages. Neither man looked confident on service as they racked up thirteen break points between them, but it was Hancianu who made the most of these opportunities as he went on to secure a 7-5 7-6(4) win. Much like Maxum, it steps up in intensity for the world number 30 in the quarterfinals as world number ten and clay court specialist Illya Altman awaits. Altman had little trouble in dispatching Casablanca finalist Ion Andueza 6-1 7-5. In the final quarterfinal, Argentine second seed and French Open semifinalist Juan Moreno faces off against Gregor Gorshkov who stunned local seventh seed Becker Haas in a come-from-behind win 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4.
- Seeded players out: Becker Haas.
The doubles draw got underway with a smack of surprises, but makeshift duo Gunther Heug and Randy Smeltz were unable to pull off such an upset in a tight loss to second seeds Ion Andueza and Sanchez Emelio. The wildcards combined well in one of their rare occasions of teaming, and managed to go up a break in the opening set. But it was the Spaniards’ experience which managed to tip the balance in their favour as they went on to take the first set in a tiebreaker. In another tight set, the second seeds secured a late break of service against the Smeltz serve to produce the goods 7-6(5) 7-5.
It wasn’t such a good day for top seeds Andrej Konc and Evgeniy Maximov as they were spanked in straight sets by unseeded Brazilian pair Denis Rodrigues and Roberto Santos. The Newport semifinalists backed up their great performance of last week with a clinical display against the experienced pair as they smashed the Slovak-Belarusian duo 6-2 6-1. They weren’t the only seeds to fall as Russian pair Sergiy Malachenko and Alexey Yarkin gave up a one-set lead against local team Manfried Manz and Walter Schiller to fall to a surprise 4-6 6-2 (10-6) loss.
- Seeded teams out: Andrej Konc / Evgeniy Maximov; Sergiy Malachenko / Alexey Yarkin.
Catella Swedish Open
Second Round - Båstad
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Newport champion Jefferson Drake has started off his week in Båstad positively after producing the goods in a second round win against Morocco’s Ross Onwye. In his first match on clay since the semifinals of the men’s doubles at the French Open, Drake looked in impressive touch as he dispatched the world number 43 in one hour and twenty minutes. Drake has had his battles on clay in the past, and started shakily as he dropped service in the first game to the determined Onwye. But following that little hiccup, he rarely looked troubled from then on as he rallied to take the first set 6-2. Onwye was left having to scrap to stay in the contest and struggled as Drake controlled the rallies; the world number thirteen sounding out a warning to the top ten with a commanding 6-2 6-4 win. He now faces fellow Belarusian Denis Isaev in the quarterfinals after he came from a set down to surprise Italian Antonio Bachunelli. The seventh seed looked good money to take the match after claiming the first set 6-2, but struggled to maintain the pressure and ultimately collapsed to a 2-6 6-3 6-3 defeat against the world number 95.
In another upset, fifth seed Tiago Matias was beaten convincingly by Argentina’s Paolo Mandonna. The world number eighteen was odds on favourite to take the match, but fell victim to the tall Argentine who managed to cut down on the unforced errors. That coupled with his patience made Mandonna a tough prospect for Matias; the world number 54 continuing his tendency to beat highly rated opponents with a 7-5 6-1 win.
- Seeded players out: Antonio Bachunelli; Tiago Matias.
All the seeded doubles players made winning starts to their campaigns at the Catella Swedish Open; but some had it tougher than others in an interesting couple of days. Third seeds Jefferson Drake and Martti Korpinen looked to capitalise on their Newport title last week, but found themselves involved in a tough scrap against Antonio Bachunelli and Ramat Hasharon doubles champion Massimo Prodi. In a lengthy affair, Drake and Korpinen just had too much class about them late in the match tiebreaker to secure a 7-6(6) 3-6 (11-9) win. They now play Spanish hot shots Juan Manuel Cortes and Javier Villaneuva in the quarterfinals after they proved too good for Romanians Viorel Iftime and Marius Micu.
- Seeded teams out: None.
V Manta Open - Trofeo Ricardo Delgado Aray
Second Round - Manta
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Jojo Mustard’s week in Manta has not been as easy as he’d like, but he still had enough about him to advance to the semifinals against Sam Lazzeri. Mustard started brightly against Icelander Gunnar Valsson to take the first set to love inside thirty minutes, but dropped the intensity and was made to pay for it. Valsson stormed back into the match to take the second set and go up a break in the third, before a worried Mustard managed to claw his way back to level footing. In the end, Mustard’s composure helped him secure a 6-0 4-6 7-5 escape, but he’ll need to lift against emerging American Sam Lazzeri on Friday. Elsewhere, second seed Rob Bowenburg had no such worries as he smashed Argentine wildcard Xavier Suarez in straight sets. Bowenburg has looked easily the better of the two CWLand seeds, and proved he is rested and refreshed after a three week break in his 6-4 6-1 mauling of the wildcard.
- Seeded players out: None.
Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard had no such difficulties in the doubles competition as they got underway with a 6-1 6-2 win over Adam May and Ryan Miller. The South Africans looked uncomfortable together against the well-oiled machine that was the CWLand outfit, and never looked like taking more than one or two games a set. Davis in particular looked good in his first match since the semifinal defeat in Wimbledon; firing down eleven aces to help the top seeds into a second round clash with local wildcards. Another CWLand duo also had success in their opening clash; Rob Bowenburg and Randy Banks prevailing against local team Ricardo Andrade and Miguel Molina. In a tight contest lasting over two hours, the visitors produced the goods as they chased down a 1-4 deficit in the match tiebreaker to secure a 7-5 4-6 (10-7) win. They now face third seeds Jerzy Kosecki and Roel Hervelle in the second round.
Elsewhere, second seeds Lars Baier and Gunnar Valsson crashed out in straight sets to Canadians Tino Boytchuk and Rory Cross.
- Seeded teams out: Lars Baier / Gunnar Valsson.
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Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Another tough round for Mustard, he really needs to pick up his act, wouldn't be surprised if he went out in the 3rd. He really should be smashing his opponents, but has probably suffered from the weight of expectation.
P.S.The doubles draw for Manta is the singles top half draw.
P.S.The doubles draw for Manta is the singles top half draw.
Magrat Garlick
Global Moderator
Haha Maxum. Finally reaches a quarter-final - "ok, let's give him the unbeatable machine."
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Great way to start for me in the singles, hoping I can go the whole way twice in a row.
We need to lift in the doubles if we want to play Davis Cup though.
We need to lift in the doubles if we want to play Davis Cup though.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Disagree. We play Germany on clay. One would think Oxenstierna is a dead certainty to play singles (assuming he's fit), so that really leaves it down to you and Drake.
Drake's also in contention for the doubles, and I doubt he'll be playing three rubbers.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
On clay I'd rather play doubles, it'd be much better for the team as a whole.
HeathDavisSpeed
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
A good, facile win for the Mustard/Davis combo. To be brutally honest, our doubles game stands out head and shoulders above the rest of the draw. We will need to avoid complacency; that's a big risk here.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Yes you are right, it is an indoor court. In any event a lot can happen in a month, so we'll see.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Stuttgart; Båstad; Manta Challenger (QF) - July 13-19 Season I
MercedesCup
Quarterfinals - Stuttgart
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
A superb performance from CWLand fifth seed Randy Smeltz has propelled him to a third career semifinal after edging out a three-set slog against French Open semifinalist Dwayne Murdoch. Murdoch has become somewhat of a Grand Slam specialist where he has reached two quarterfinals and one semifinal this season; an amazing feat in comparison to his best finish elsewhere being a quarterfinal in San Jose. His poor form in the smaller tournaments looked like continuing as the in-form Smeltz wrapped up the first set in thirty-five minutes to take a commanding lead. But Murdoch wasn't playing that badly, and managed to power his way back into the contest with a much more convincing second set as Smeltz found himself pushed further and further behind the baseline as the American grew in confidence. With his first set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, Murdoch did the job with an authoratative backhand volley to head into the decider full of confidence. But Smeltz was equal to the task and, despite being on the back foot for the most part, played his part to perfection to snaffle a break of service in the eleventh game of the third set. That was enough for the CWLander to surge to the semis as he served out a 6-1 6-7(5) 7-5 upset.
But the task gets immeasurably harder as he now faces world number one Daniel Paez Blanco. Blanco proved too good for CWLand lucky loser Jarkko Maxum in his quarterfinal; easing to a 6-4 6-2 win. Maxum, in his maiden quarterfinal at ATP level, surprised the top seed immediately by breaking service to hold a 2-0 lead. But that did not last as the Blanco machine roared into action and dominated from there on; converting four of eleven break points to secure passage into another semifinal and in striking distance of an eighth career championship.
Also to fall was CWLand's Jamee Hancianu who gave up a one-set lead against Ukraine's Illya Altman. Some of have called Altman the only man capable of beating Blanco on clay (he holds a 0-2 record against him), but he showed none of that promise as he was beaten down in the first set by the red-hot CWLander. But the world number ten quickly shrugged off the 2-6 deficit to produce a like result in the second as his attractive style helped him earn two breaks from as many opportunities. Hancianu managed to stick level in the third at 2-2, but was quickly overcome by the experienced Ukrainian who looked to consolodate his spot in the world's top ten with an impressive 2-6 6-2 6-2 win.
His opponent will not be second seed Juan Moreno after the Argentine inexplicably gave up one-set lead against Russian basher Gregor Gorshkov. The French Open semifinalist cruised to take the first set 6-1, but was left stunned by the aggressive Russian who left absolutely nothing in his bag in an all-or-nothing display. Following on from his come from behind victory against Becker Haas in the round before, Gorshkov stunned the crowd by earning a spot in his first career semifinal with an ultra-impressive 1-6 7-5 6-2 win.
In the highlight of the doubles semifinals, second seeds Ion Andueza and Sanchez Emelio will look to arrest their recent form by advancing to their first career final against third seeds Artem Krohmal and Merab Shvelidze. Whilst the Ukrainian-Georgian duo smashed Lee Inmin and Tsai Qingdong, the Spaniards had it tougher in the first set against Valery Belousov and Mykhaylo Martynenko. Eventually, though, they took the first and then cruised to an easy 7-5 6-0 win as they look to break their title drought. In the other semifinal, locals Manfried Manz and Walter Schiller will look to upstage Denis Rodrigues and Roberto Santos who have already defeat the top seeds.
Catella Swedish Open
Quarterfinals - Båstad
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
It has been a rollicking fortnight for Jefferson Drake, and it got better as the world number thirteen continued his advance to the world's top ten with a comprehensive victory over Belarusian Denis Isaev. His former countryman seemed to have used up all his weapons in the second round against Antonio Bachunelli as he came out looking toothless and unimpressive against the raging Drake. The third seed showed no signs of fatigue as he scythed through both sets to secure a 6-4 6-2 win. He now faces his toughest test yet as Serbian top seed Radivoj Daneu awaits in the semifinals. Daneu continued his imperious form with a straight sets win over Ivan Genov and will head into the semis as favourite in spite of Drake's impressive run.
It was great news all round for tournament organisers as the top four seeds all made it through to the final four. But it was very nearly not to be as both Carlo Amato and József Boros were taken to three sets. Second seed Boros dropped the first against Jean-Christophe Genghini before coming back with gusto to secure a 3-6 6-4 6-0 win. Meanwhile, Amato was forced to come back from 3-5 down in the decider against Paolo Mandonna to secure a hard-fought 7-5 2-6 7-5 win.
Arguably the three most impressive teams in the world are still in the running for the Catella Swedish Open doubles crown, but Denis Inomov and Rustam Toshpulatov could not join the party after four quarterfinals decided in straight sets. Jefferson Drake and Martti Korpinen advanced to their fourth career semifinal with a 6-3 6-3 win over Spain's Javier Villaneuva and Juan Manuel Cortes; but face a third career showdown with Hugh James and Ralph Robinson. Whilst the French Open champions (who accounted for local pair Moberg and Petrus) took the first encounter, Drake and Korpinen took the last after mowing them down at Queen's Club.
In the other semifinal, top seeds Hayden Onwye and Ross Onwye are still in search of their first title after they eased past French pair Denis Prevost and Jean Tiquet in straight sets. They face makeshift duo Denis Isaev and Boris Denisov tomorrow after they upset the Uzbek fourth seeds 6-2 6-4. Isaev and the 17-year old Denisov have yet to drop a set this week and will hope to continue that good form into the semis.
V Manta Open - Trofeo Ricardo Delgado Aray
Quarterfinals - Manta
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Contrary to what recent form would suggest, the only CWLander through to the semifinals in Manta is the comparatively out-of-touch Jojo Mustard after Rob Bowenburg was disappointingly beaten by fifth seed Randy Bruce. Mustard again had a tough time of it, but wasn't taken to three sets by Sam Lazzeri as he had enough about him to scrape a 7-5 7-5 win. Meanwhile, Bowenburg had raced through his opening matches and looked odds on favourite for a finals berth. Any hopes of that were erased by Bruce who broke service early and often to secure a 6-3 6-4 win. Mustard now faces Czech eighth seed Jiří Gross tomorrow, and Bruce faces unseeded Kazakh Ilja Nesterov.
Top seeds Jojo Mustard and Heath Davis survived an early scare against local wildcards Alex Hurtado and Wilson Silva to keep Mustard's hopes of the singles-doubles double alive in the pick of the quarterfinal action. The favourites sensationally dropped the first set in a tiebreaker, before getting the better of the Ecuador duo in the second set. But in a frustratingly tight match tiebreaker, it took one moment of brilliance from Mustard at the net to complete hat trick of points and a 6-7(6) 6-2 (10-7) win. They now face stiffer opposition in the semifinals in the form of Roel Hervelle and Jerzy Kosecki. The third seeds compounded a bad Friday for Bowenburg by defeating the CWLander and Randy Banks 6-3 7-6(0).
MercedesCup
Quarterfinals - Stuttgart
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
A superb performance from CWLand fifth seed Randy Smeltz has propelled him to a third career semifinal after edging out a three-set slog against French Open semifinalist Dwayne Murdoch. Murdoch has become somewhat of a Grand Slam specialist where he has reached two quarterfinals and one semifinal this season; an amazing feat in comparison to his best finish elsewhere being a quarterfinal in San Jose. His poor form in the smaller tournaments looked like continuing as the in-form Smeltz wrapped up the first set in thirty-five minutes to take a commanding lead. But Murdoch wasn't playing that badly, and managed to power his way back into the contest with a much more convincing second set as Smeltz found himself pushed further and further behind the baseline as the American grew in confidence. With his first set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, Murdoch did the job with an authoratative backhand volley to head into the decider full of confidence. But Smeltz was equal to the task and, despite being on the back foot for the most part, played his part to perfection to snaffle a break of service in the eleventh game of the third set. That was enough for the CWLander to surge to the semis as he served out a 6-1 6-7(5) 7-5 upset.
But the task gets immeasurably harder as he now faces world number one Daniel Paez Blanco. Blanco proved too good for CWLand lucky loser Jarkko Maxum in his quarterfinal; easing to a 6-4 6-2 win. Maxum, in his maiden quarterfinal at ATP level, surprised the top seed immediately by breaking service to hold a 2-0 lead. But that did not last as the Blanco machine roared into action and dominated from there on; converting four of eleven break points to secure passage into another semifinal and in striking distance of an eighth career championship.
Also to fall was CWLand's Jamee Hancianu who gave up a one-set lead against Ukraine's Illya Altman. Some of have called Altman the only man capable of beating Blanco on clay (he holds a 0-2 record against him), but he showed none of that promise as he was beaten down in the first set by the red-hot CWLander. But the world number ten quickly shrugged off the 2-6 deficit to produce a like result in the second as his attractive style helped him earn two breaks from as many opportunities. Hancianu managed to stick level in the third at 2-2, but was quickly overcome by the experienced Ukrainian who looked to consolodate his spot in the world's top ten with an impressive 2-6 6-2 6-2 win.
His opponent will not be second seed Juan Moreno after the Argentine inexplicably gave up one-set lead against Russian basher Gregor Gorshkov. The French Open semifinalist cruised to take the first set 6-1, but was left stunned by the aggressive Russian who left absolutely nothing in his bag in an all-or-nothing display. Following on from his come from behind victory against Becker Haas in the round before, Gorshkov stunned the crowd by earning a spot in his first career semifinal with an ultra-impressive 1-6 7-5 6-2 win.
- Seeded players out: Juan Moreno; Dwayne Murdoch.
In the highlight of the doubles semifinals, second seeds Ion Andueza and Sanchez Emelio will look to arrest their recent form by advancing to their first career final against third seeds Artem Krohmal and Merab Shvelidze. Whilst the Ukrainian-Georgian duo smashed Lee Inmin and Tsai Qingdong, the Spaniards had it tougher in the first set against Valery Belousov and Mykhaylo Martynenko. Eventually, though, they took the first and then cruised to an easy 7-5 6-0 win as they look to break their title drought. In the other semifinal, locals Manfried Manz and Walter Schiller will look to upstage Denis Rodrigues and Roberto Santos who have already defeat the top seeds.
- Seeded teams out: None.
Catella Swedish Open
Quarterfinals - Båstad
Men's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
It has been a rollicking fortnight for Jefferson Drake, and it got better as the world number thirteen continued his advance to the world's top ten with a comprehensive victory over Belarusian Denis Isaev. His former countryman seemed to have used up all his weapons in the second round against Antonio Bachunelli as he came out looking toothless and unimpressive against the raging Drake. The third seed showed no signs of fatigue as he scythed through both sets to secure a 6-4 6-2 win. He now faces his toughest test yet as Serbian top seed Radivoj Daneu awaits in the semifinals. Daneu continued his imperious form with a straight sets win over Ivan Genov and will head into the semis as favourite in spite of Drake's impressive run.
It was great news all round for tournament organisers as the top four seeds all made it through to the final four. But it was very nearly not to be as both Carlo Amato and József Boros were taken to three sets. Second seed Boros dropped the first against Jean-Christophe Genghini before coming back with gusto to secure a 3-6 6-4 6-0 win. Meanwhile, Amato was forced to come back from 3-5 down in the decider against Paolo Mandonna to secure a hard-fought 7-5 2-6 7-5 win.
- Seeded players out: Ivan Genov.
Arguably the three most impressive teams in the world are still in the running for the Catella Swedish Open doubles crown, but Denis Inomov and Rustam Toshpulatov could not join the party after four quarterfinals decided in straight sets. Jefferson Drake and Martti Korpinen advanced to their fourth career semifinal with a 6-3 6-3 win over Spain's Javier Villaneuva and Juan Manuel Cortes; but face a third career showdown with Hugh James and Ralph Robinson. Whilst the French Open champions (who accounted for local pair Moberg and Petrus) took the first encounter, Drake and Korpinen took the last after mowing them down at Queen's Club.
In the other semifinal, top seeds Hayden Onwye and Ross Onwye are still in search of their first title after they eased past French pair Denis Prevost and Jean Tiquet in straight sets. They face makeshift duo Denis Isaev and Boris Denisov tomorrow after they upset the Uzbek fourth seeds 6-2 6-4. Isaev and the 17-year old Denisov have yet to drop a set this week and will hope to continue that good form into the semis.
- Seeded teams out: Denis Inomov / Rustam Toshpulatov.
V Manta Open - Trofeo Ricardo Delgado Aray
Quarterfinals - Manta
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Contrary to what recent form would suggest, the only CWLander through to the semifinals in Manta is the comparatively out-of-touch Jojo Mustard after Rob Bowenburg was disappointingly beaten by fifth seed Randy Bruce. Mustard again had a tough time of it, but wasn't taken to three sets by Sam Lazzeri as he had enough about him to scrape a 7-5 7-5 win. Meanwhile, Bowenburg had raced through his opening matches and looked odds on favourite for a finals berth. Any hopes of that were erased by Bruce who broke service early and often to secure a 6-3 6-4 win. Mustard now faces Czech eighth seed Jiří Gross tomorrow, and Bruce faces unseeded Kazakh Ilja Nesterov.
- Seeded players out: Rob Bowenburg; Sam Lazzeri; Akihiko Veno.
Top seeds Jojo Mustard and Heath Davis survived an early scare against local wildcards Alex Hurtado and Wilson Silva to keep Mustard's hopes of the singles-doubles double alive in the pick of the quarterfinal action. The favourites sensationally dropped the first set in a tiebreaker, before getting the better of the Ecuador duo in the second set. But in a frustratingly tight match tiebreaker, it took one moment of brilliance from Mustard at the net to complete hat trick of points and a 6-7(6) 6-2 (10-7) win. They now face stiffer opposition in the semifinals in the form of Roel Hervelle and Jerzy Kosecki. The third seeds compounded a bad Friday for Bowenburg by defeating the CWLander and Randy Banks 6-3 7-6(0).
- Seeded teams out: Ivars Emsis / Juris Tarasovs.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Beautfiul recovery from a poor first showing in the doubles, let's do it Korps!
Good stuff in the singles as well, it'll be a tough match against Daneu, hopefully I can bring my A game.
Good stuff in the singles as well, it'll be a tough match against Daneu, hopefully I can bring my A game.