Week 6: Joberg [Zhijun]; Santiago [Joaquín] ; Zagreb [Brdar]; Burnie [Natale]

[SirBloody Idiot]

Cool stuff.

My form's not been that bad! Made the Semis in one challenger.

More a reference to the jump from semi finals at Challenger level to quarters (and now semis) at the top level!

Lies, Bowenburg actually pulled out before the 4 were announced.

Only after you were rejected as a hitting partner by all of them...

Sheesh, tough draw. I'll get to the court early, play a warm up set with my coach, get the direness out of my system and then hit Gonza from the off.
Get the serve going and then break him.!

Start now IMO.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Good day for Norwegian sport

Well done Mitchellag too. Earns another point for the East, though.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Fair few up for grabs in the coming days, I expect, though.

 

[Jarquis]

Start now IMO.

Have done. Ready to go.

 

[Matteh]

More a reference to the jump from semi finals at Challenger level to quarters (and now semis) at the top level!

Haha fair, back in the top 200!

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Have done. Ready to go.

Rain delay, chummy. You'll catch a cold practising outside in that downpour. Tsk tsk.

 

[Jarquis]

Yeah, am slightly worried that I peaked 10 hours early.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

SA Tennis Open
Semi Finals - Johannesburg (Republic of South Africa)

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

• After a brave run, Mat Mitchell's tournament in Johannesburg has come to a screaming halt as he was thrashed mercilessly by world No. 37 Zhijun Sun of China. The world No. 202 had picked up some big wins this week - including one against a higher ranked player than Zhijun - but the former world No. 5 showed that his ranking doesn't represent his true ability as he dispatched Mitchell like a top player would 6-1, 6-0. Mitchell's one hold of serve came late in the first set, and he had a chance at an early break in the second until Zhijun shut him out with four straight aces. A dejected East CWLander was left to lick his wounds as Zhijun cantered to victory in straight sets.

• It will be a top seeds showdown in the final after world No. 18 Carlo Amato survived a tense tussle against Haiku Morkel. The veteran Norwegian, in his maiden PTA semi final, ensured the match would go to three sets with some quality serving. But the defending champion showed some real spark in the decider in a great show of returning; winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 despite conceding 17 aces. Amato and Zhijun met in the semi finals of the same tournament last year, with the Italian going on to make the final with a 7-5, 6-4 win.

• Seeded players out: None.

• There was some consolation for Morkel as he and Belarusian partner Denis Isaev made the final of the doubles with a 6-4, 6-2 win over top seeds Ashim & Seby Kumar. They'll face second seeds Manfried Manz & Walter Schiller who breezed past Dusko Milošević & Savo Petkoviä 6-2, 6-1.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Ashim Kumar &
  
  Seby Kumar;
  
  Dusko Milošević &
  
  Savo Petkoviä.

I'm bit behind, so with no CWLanders left I'll try finish these this arvo.
​

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Movistar Open
Semi Finals - Santiago (Chile)

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

• World No. 98 Kasper Buur has continued his tremendous march through to the final of the Movistar Open in Chile with a 6-3, 7-5 upset against third seed Ion Andueza. After an incredible come-from-behind win over top seed Juan Moreno in the semi finals, Buur moved into his first PTA final with a straight sets victory over the World No. 39 and looked good in doing so. The third seed started each set well, but was unable to draw errors from Buur who succeeded in hitting sharp angles and then taking advantage of the open court. Despite a pressure-filled final service game, the Dane was through to the final where he'll meet fourth seed Sergio Joaquín. In an all-Spanish semi, Joaquín survived a three-hour slog against Sanchez Emelio to oust the second seed 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Ion Andueza;
  
  Sanchez Emelio.

• Whilst Andueza and Emelio bombed out in contrasting semi finals, they will be present in tomorrow's doubles final after a 6-2, 7-5 win over fellow Spanish team Marc Carretero & Sergio Joaquín. Meanwhile the other semi final saw the exact same scoreline, but it was Brazil's Felipe Menon & Roberto Santos who took a 6-2, 7-5 win over Spain's Juan Manuel Cortés & Javier Villaneuva.

• Seeded players out: None.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

PBZ Zagreb Indoors
Semi Finals - Zagreb (Croatia)

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

• Second seed David Champion has failed to capitalise on his good form in Zagreb as he gave up a one-set lead to fall in the semis to sixth seed Tom Vollan. The Australian had dropped just ten games in his three games leading up to the match, and looked on course for a finals appearance as he claimed the first 6-2. But Vollan stormed back into the match with a fine second set tiebreaker as he came from 2-4 down to win five points in a row to send the match to a decider. There he ran all over Champion to move to his second PTA final 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 and will hope to replicate his effort in Moscow where he beat Gregor Gorshkov 7-5, 6-3. Meanwhile, Miroslav Brdar extended his record inside Croatia to 15-1 including Davis Cup fixtures as he ousted Aksu Emrem 6-3, 7-6(6). Brdar won tournaments last year in Zagreb and Umag, and will hope to defend his Zagreb crown against the Norwegian.

• Seeded players out:
  
  David Champion.

• In the doubles final, top seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov will look for a title win when they face Gocha Berianidze & Lari Färkkilä. The Belarusian-Slovak pair were too much for Becker Haas & Gunther Heug, whilst Berianidze and Färkkilä beat David Kestenholz & Daniel Zwygart 6-1, 6-1. Berianidze is unranked in doubles play, but that will obviously change on Monday for the Georgian.

• Seeded players out: None.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Burnie Challenger I
Third Round - Burnie, Australia
Singles

Following significant rain delays (which may or may not have been caused by a severe outbreak of DIY), the Burnie tournament resumed:

• Marcuss Deane was defeated in 3 sets, despite hours of practice during the rain breaks, against a joyous Carlos Gonza. The first set was a cagey affair which Gonza ran away with in a tie breaker. Deane broke free from a hitherto defensive mindset in the 2nd set, breaking Gonza twice with an excellent display of controlled aggression. Gonza hadn't done much wrong to find himself 2 breaks down. Deane took an early break in the 3rd, and it looked as if he would sweep to victory. Suddenly, nerves took hold, and from 4 - 3 up, he lost his serve thanks to two unforced errors and some particularly weak 2nd serves. Gonza held with ease, and then Deane collapsed in a heap with a pair of double faults at deuce giving Gonza the match, in an overwhelming anti-climax.
• Randy Banks is still in the draw after an exhausting win over 13th seed Scott Whitehouse. Both of the first two sets looked to be heading to deciding tie breaks, before breaks very late in the piece. Banks winning the first set courtesy of some extravagent play from the base-line. Whitehouse took the 2nd set following a long rally at Advantage on the Banks serve. Banks slipped following a solid, but unspectacular cross-court shot from the Brit, and that was the 2nd set gone. Banks was visibly aggrieved and threw his racquet down in disgust at himself. This spurred him on for the decider; a break in the sixth game proving enough to take out the match and earn a quarter final against 4th seeded American Waylon Jones.

• Seeded players out: Takis Georgilas (6, CYP), Marcuss Deane (12, FRC), Scott Whitehouse (13, GBR), Kim Roger Olsen (16, NOR)

(1)Pat Hewitt (AUS) 	def. (16)Kim Roger Olsen (NOR) 7-5 6-7(5) 6-4
(5)Harry Thompson (AUS) def. Davis Allani (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-2
(3)Jeremy Natale (AUS) 	def. Henri Ducard (FRA) 6-0 6-7(7) 7-6(8)
(7)Carlos Gonza (COL) 	def. (12)Marcuss Deane (FRC) 7-6(1) 2-6 6-4
(8)Randy Banks (FRC) 	def. (13)Scott Whitehouse (GBR) 7-5 5-7 6-4
(4)Waylon Jones (USA) 	def. Sam Cunningham (NZL) 6-4 6-3
(11)Rod Bosnar (AUS) 	def. (6)Takis Georgilas (CYP) 7-5 6-3
(2)David Jones (AUS) 	def. Steve Cole (AUS) 6-1 6-2

Doubles

• It will be an Australian pair to lift the Burnie doubles trophy as the only remaining non-Aussies in the draw, First seeds Doug Plunkett and Anthony Weatherby were left to rue missed opportunities as they were ousted in a nailbiter against Rod Bosnar & Steve Cole. At 10 -7 in the match tie-breaker, the British pairing had match points a-plenty, but blew them all in a distinct bout of nerves. Losing 6 - 2, 4 - 6, [13 - 11]

• Seeded players out: Doug Plunkett/Anthony Weatherby (1, GBR)

(4)Rod Bosnar/Steve Cole (AUS) 		def. (1)Doug Plunkett/Anthony Weatherby (GBR) 6-2 4-6 (13-11)
Thomas Cartwright/David Jones (AUS) 	def. (WC)Patrick McCorkindale/Craig Jurkovic (AUS) 6-0 4-6 (10-2)

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

SA Tennis Open
Finals - Johannesburg (Republic of South Africa)

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

• China's Zhijun Sun has gone some way to arresting his recent fall down the world rankings as he came from a set down to beat defending champion Carlo Amato in the final of the SA Tennis Open. Getting revenge for his semi final loss to the Italian last year, Zhijun bounced back from dropping the first set 3-6 to take the next two to secure a big title win. In a third set tiebreaker, Zhijun leapt ahead of his opponent and never looked back as he earned the title 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2).

• Seeded players out:
  
  Carlo Amato.

• In the doubles final, Haiku Morkel & Denis Isaev eased to a massive victory for their first title together as they smashed an injury-affected German duo 6-1, 6-0. Early in the match it was obvious that Manfried Manz was struggling with some sort of leg injury, but he bravely fought it out as he and partner Walter Schiller capitulated inside an hour.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Manfried Manz &
  
  Walter Schiller.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Movistar Open
Finals - Santiago (Chile)

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

• Despite a strong start, World No. 98 Kasper Buur has been unable to pull off a stunning tournament win as he fell in straight sets to fourth seed Sergio Joaquín. The Spaniard fell down a break of service early to trail 4-2, but lifted a gear as he controlled proceedings with positive tennis to take four games in a row. Buur lacked the penetration and energy of his other matches, and clearly suffered because of it as Joaquín secured the title 6-4, 6-2.

• Seeded players out: None.

• After falling in their respective singles semi finals, top seeds Ion Andueza & Sergio Joaquin were unable to take the doubles title as they were beaten by Brazil's Felipe Menon & Roberto Santos. After being bounced out of the Australian Open in the first round, they were unable to hit back in perfect style as they fell in an uninspiring super tiebreaker 6-4, 5-7, (10-5).

• Seeded players out:
  
  Ion Andueza &
  
  Sanchez Emelio.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

PBZ Zagreb Indoors
Finals - Zagreb (Croatia)

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

• World No. 11 Miroslav Brdar has successfully gone back-to-back in Zagreb with a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over Norway's Tom Vollan. In his second PTA final, Vollan was not able to overcome the home town hero who has never been beaten in tournament tennis in Croatia; pulling out points on the Vollan serve at the most crucial times of the match.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Tom Vollan.

• In the doubles final, top seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov came from a set down to take the title with a 4-6, 6-0, (10-5) win over Gocha Berianidze & Lari Färkkilä.

• Seeded players out: None.

 

[Jarquis]

Uhh, Cough. Splutter. Cough. Cough. Splutter.

 

[Matteh]

Haha jeeeeeeez

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Burnie Challenger I
Quarters & Semi - Burnie, Australia
Singles

A tight turnaround was forced on competitors today at Burnie due to the extensive rain delays suffered in the week. The Quarters got underway early, and it was hoped that the Semis could be completed; using the lights on Centre Court if necessary.

QUARTERS

• Randy Banks dominated 4th seed Waylon Jones in an incredible display at Burnie. With the local fans supporting the young CWLander (those Aussies can never resist a Randy), Banks took a tight first set thanks to some great attacking tennis with the Jones serve at 15 - 30. A couple of risky shots came off and he stole the break. The second set was all Banks as he read Jones' game like a cheap Mills & Boon; pre-empting a number of Jones' shots. Banks advancing 6 - 4, 6 - 0.

• Seeded players out: David Jones (2, AUS), Waylon Jones (4, USA), Harry Thompson (5, AUS), Carlos Gonza (7, COL)

(1)Pat Hewitt (AUS) 	def. (5)Harry Thompson (AUS) 7-6(5) 6-2
(3)Jeremy Natale (AUS) 	def. (7)Carlos Gonza (COL) 7-6(2) 4-6 6-2
(8)Randy Banks (FRC) 	def. (4)Waylon Jones (USA) 6-4 6-0
(11)Rod Bosnar (AUS) 	def. (2)David Jones (AUS) 5-7 7-6(1) 6-3

SEMIS

• In the All Aussie semi-final, 3rd seed Jeremy Natale ousted Pat Hewitt, the #1 seed in a brutal 3 setter. With each set going nearly the full distance, the match broke the 3 hour barrier and the Burnie lights came into play. Natale prevailed as a tiring Hewitt netted an easy forehand with Natale on 2 match points. Natale will face...
• ...8th seed Randy Banks who had a surprisingly easy win against Rod Bosnar. Although Banks only took a single break in each set to win through, he dominated the local hope Bosnar. Banks was never troubled on his serve, being taken to deuce only twice and never having to save a break point. It could be fair to say that Banks' easy win earlier on in the day against Waylon Jones may have helped him.

• Seeded players out: Pat Hewitt (1, AUS), Rod Bosnar (11, AUS)

(3)Jeremy Natale (AUS) 	def. (1)Pat Hewitt (AUS) 7-6(3) 5-7 7-5
(8)Randy Banks (FRC) 	def. (11)Rod Bosnar (AUS) 6-4 6-3

 

[Blewy]

WOW my first ever final... Massive match although it will be tough up against the #3 seed as well as a noisy home crowd...

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Burnie Challenger I
Final - Burnie, Australia
Singles

• Randy Banks' first finals appearance was a disaster as he was humbled in straight sets by a rampant Jeremy Natale. Although Banks was the outsider, he would have hoped to put in a solid performance in line with his wins against Waylon Jones and Rod Bosnar. However, Banks did not look comfortable with a raucous, partizan crowd cheering for Natale and made a host of unforced errors at inopportune moments. The only positive that the young West CWLander can take is that he'll be better prepared for any other finals opportunities that come his way as he capitulated 6 - 1, 6 - 1.

• Seeded players out: Randy Banks (8, FRC)

(3)Jeremy Natale (AUS) def. (8)Randy Banks (FRC) 6-1 6-1

Doubles

• Rod Bosnar and Steve Cole earned a dominant victory over the surprise packets of Thomas Cartwright and David Jones in the doubles final. Cartwright and Jones had been taken to the match breaker in each of their previous outings, and were overwhelmed by the impressive Bosnar and Cole in the first set. Cartwright in particular appeared overawed by the intense crowd as he struggled to land his serve. Cartwright earning only a single point on his serve in a poor first set. Bosnar and Cole took it 6 - 0. The less experienced pairing fought back in the 2nd, stealing a Cole service game thanks to some cunning play at the net from Jones. However, being a break down spurred Bosnar and Cole on to greater heights, and it was no surprise when they broke back shortly after. Another break for the 4th seeds at 5 - 5 was the one they needed; storming home 6 - 0, 7 - 5.

• Seeded players out: None

(4)Rod Bosnar/Steve Cole (AUS) def. Thomas Cartwright/David Jones (AUS) 6-0 7-5

 

[Blewy]

Ah crap that was a St George dragons style choke.... Straight Sets...