Week 4: Australian Open [Hall]

[NUFAN]

Banks and Kao look like a great doubles partnership in the making. I wouldn't say you choked Kao, Bowenburg's tiger like reflexes was the difference. :P

So good that the Kumar's! won, Maxum and I spent a bit of time with them in Chennai earlier this year. Seby Kumar dead set looks like Mahatma Gandhi, it's uncanny.

EDIT - we still have to win our second round match, so do the Kumar's

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Banks and Kao look like a great doubles partnership in the making. I wouldn't say you choked Kao, Bowenburg's tiger like reflexes was the difference. :P

The fact that the home fans boo'ed Bowenburg throughout the match helped the inexperienced pairing. You've really made yourself popular with these Melburnians.

 

[ripper868]

Unconvincing win at best, but a win nonetheless.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

When will that be?

Hopefully today some time.

 

[Johnners]

Doing two days worth today? Nice

 

[NUFAN]

The fact that the home fans boo'ed Bowenburg throughout the match helped the inexperienced pairing. You've really made yourself popular with these Melburnians.

Nah Maxum helped me throughout the match by yelling out Wenburg repeatedly straight after the crowd said Boo.

Boo-Wenburg! Boo-Wenburg!

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
2nd Round (Thursday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)

• Jefferson Drake (1-1R) could now feasibly be known as an iron man after he was taken to five sets for the seventh time in just five Grand Slams; outlasting world No. 41 Wayne Boyd (1-2R) to advance to the third round. On Tuesday Drake was taken to five by China's Li Wang, and there were bad signs for the DR CWLander early as Boyd claimed the first set 6-4. What Boyd lacked in power against Drake, he made up for in placement of shots as he continued to look solid on service whilst returning adequately against the explosive eleventh seed. That did not help him in the tiebreaker, though, as Drake threatened to blow the match apart by blitzing it 7-1. He was reigned in by Boyd, however, who managed an early break of service; and although he gave it up soon after, he managed to make sure Drake would have to take it to five after sealing the third in a tiebreaker. It looked set to go to fourth straight breaker, but an obviously tiring Boyd was broken with some lazy serving in the eleventh game of the fourth set to allow Drake to seal it with an unreturnable service at set point. On Tuesday Drake needed just half an hour to finish off Li 6-0 in the fifth, and he dropped just one game today against Boyd to secure a 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-1 and a 6-1 record in five-set matches. In a rematch of their Brisbane quarter final, 20th seed Oneil Stewart (1-2R) started strongly and then overcame a spirited display from the slow-starting Rod Bosnar to take a revenge win 6-0, 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3. Stewart's athleticism will provide a massive test to Drake who now has to balance a doubles campaign and a singles draw that has so far gone the distance twice in as money matches.

• Fifth seed Sven Oxenstierna (1-4R) has continued to the third round of the Australian Open for the second time in as many years following a win over Thomas Cartwright (1-1R), but it was not quite as convincing as it might have been. The world No. 5 came in as raging favourite, and barely had to get out of first gear in the first two sets as he took advantage of some below par serving from the Australian qualifier to move to a 6-4, 6-2 lead. But in a shock, Cartwright began to throw everything at the Oxenstierna service and it came off twice as he earned a double break to lead 5-1. Oxenstierna managed to hold for a second time in the set, but could not secure a break of service as Cartwright snatched the set 6-2. He continued in his gung ho approach, but began to be wore down by Oxenstierna who began to draw unforced arrors with a series of slices to the back corners of the court. It was a tactic that worked as Oxenstierna slipped through with two breaks back-to-back to earn a 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Oxenstierna continues in the third round by facing world No. 96 Fok Zhenyu (1-1R) who took five sets to beat Murphy S'ua (1-2R) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6.

• It was a big occasion for world No. 68 Scotland Rivers as he was drawn on Centre Court against world No. 2 Daniel Páez Blanco (1-4R), but despite a spirited display he could not avoid a four-set loss to the Spaniard. In an intruiging encounter to end the night session on Day 4, Rivers was seen as a real threat to Blanco following a semi final appearance in Chennai and a demolition job of Lee Inmin in the first round. He started nervously, though, as he played right into Blanco's hands with some unusually defensive tennis from the back of the court. His style gave Blanco the early break, and Rivers quickly realised he needed to play his natural game to have any chance of beating the best grafter in world tennis. Despite bringing up three break points at various times during the set, Blanco staved off the world No. 68 to secure the first 6-4. But the chances Rivers made for himself in the first set were again there in the second as the second seed looked tense on service. Broken twice, Blanco could only managed the one break point throughout the set as Rivers took the match by the scruff of its neck. Blanco continued to scrap as he does so well, and his persistence paid off as he survived a nine minute game on service to hold, and then earned a decisive third set break with a roaring forehand that sailed past Rivers at the net. The fourth was similarly tense, but Blanco had just too much for the very impressive Rivers who, despite losing 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, can be very happy with his performance.

• Blanco's opponent will not be 27th seed and world No. 33 Morgan Carter (1-3R) as expected after the American was stunned in an awful display against Russian 18-year old Boris Denisov (1-1R). The youngster came in following a good win over Heinz Hainisch in the first round, but could not have expected handing the Chennai champion a 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 thrashing. Carter called the trainer on court in the third to check out a lower back problem, but played the match out and was done inside two hours.
• The other seed to fall in second round action was Chinese teen Zhijun Sun (1-4R) whose failure to defend fourth round points will see him drop out of the top five. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the former World No. 5 who was beaten convincingly by 19-year old Marc Carretero of Spain who continues to show why he is a player Spanish tennis fans believes can take the torch from Blanco. He came from a set down to secure a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 win.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Morgan Carter;
  
  Zhijun Sun.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Been working out with cricket pro Liam Camps during the offseason, my abs are now chiselled like stone.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
1st Round (Thursday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)

• There was no upset on an outer court for wildcards Rick Langley & Pierre Rose as they were beaten in straight sets by seventh seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov. The FR CWLanders were handed a rough draw against the three-time Masters Series finalists, but still managed to put up a fight against the Belarusian-Slovak pairing. Their inexperience, however, cost them as they failed to even make it to deuce on the Maximov service; the big Belarusian firing down nine aces and serving at a dangerous 78 per cent for the first serve. There were some moments of excitement for the young pair; Rose nailing an overhead smash to the back corner to put them a break ahead at 3-2 in the second, but it was the seventh seeds who came home with a wet sail with four games on the trot to win 6-3, 6-3. The top section is a stacked draw, and it gets hard right from the get-go for Konc and Maximov who now face Eric & Rick Henson. Also alive are Gai Kai & Lu Xun, top seeds Hugh James & Ralph Robinson and Hungarian brothers János & Zoltán Varga. It might have been worse had dark horses Jason Bradley & Roberto Santos not been ousted by Germans Matthias Müller & Tim Zander 7-5, 7-5 in a dramatic reversal of form.

• Spas Delev and partner Bogdan Maurer have produced a big upset in the first round of the doubles draw as they earned a place in the second round following a three-set win over twelfth seeds Lee Inmin & Qingdong Tsai. The Bulgarian-born Delev and his Romanian partner were dynamite early as they combined brilliantly at the baseline and net to break twice to secure the first set 6-3. But after being stunned in the first set, the twelfth seeds regained their composure and it looked like business as usual as they thrashed the unseeded pair in the second 6-1 to head into the deciding set with all the momentum. The Asian duo had break points early in the third set, but it took some desperate work from Maurer at the net to save them before Delev sweetly struck two serves wide to allow the underdogs to hold. That narrow escape filled the Bulgarian-Romanian pair with some real confidence as they charged on through the decider to send Lee and Qingdong packing 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

• In their first tournament together, Sven Oxenstierna & Jamee Hancianu were distinctly unimpressive in one of the day's first matches. With Oxenstierna set for a singles match later that evening, he and Hancianu managed just one game in the first set against thirteenth seeds Artem Krohmal & Merab Shvelidze. As a team that will only really team in big tournaments, the Trans-CWLand pairing needed a better second set. They got it, but were broken late by the consistent Georgian-Ukrainian team who advanced 6-1, 7-5.
• Third seeds Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard were in trouble early against Gregor Gorshkov & Gunther Heug, but managed to come from a set down to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Gorshkov teamed with Illya Altman to make the final in Auckland last week, and with Germany's No. 3 singles player got off to a great start with some powerful hitting. Keen to atone for his awful performance in the first round of the singles draw, the inconsistent Gorshkov dominated proceedings with his awesome forehand; the third seeds shell-shocked by an early double break as they kept on playing to the German-Russian advantages. Heug looked steady at the net, but was tested more often in the second overhead and at the back of the court by the third seeds who started to work their way back into the match. They broke twice in the second to take it 6-3, and then started their charge in the third to have three break points on Heug's service. To be fair to the German, he served well to somehow hold serve, but it was only a matter of time that the FR CWLanders managed to secure a big break of service to advance in three. They now face Benjamin Hartmann & Mischa Pasveer who yesterday came from a set down to be Pat Hewitt & Matthew Tobin 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(6).

• It was a bad day for early season champions as Auckland champions Ion Andueza & Sanchez Emelio followed Chennai champs Hayden & Ross Onwye out of the draw. After the Moroccans lost in a stunning upset yesterday, Andueza and Emelio were in real trouble early against Oliver Engel & Jochen Sas. The Belgian-Luxembourg duo teamed for the first time here after Sas' split from Alex Karlen, and were too good for the Spanish pair who suffered another Grand Slam failure 6-3, 7-6(6).
• Wildcards Rod Bosnar & Steve Cole also had fifteenth seeds Morton Blundell & Wayne Boyd in trouble, but they blew two match points and eventually fell to the new pairing 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Ion Andueza &
  
  Sanchez Emelio;
  
  Lee Inmin &
  
  Qingdong Tsai.

​

 

[Johnners]

On fire!

 

[Paid The Umpire]

Unlucky start to my Grand Slam campaigns... out 6-3 6-3. Good to see many CW-ians still in it.

 

[Simon]

Ox should stick to singles.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Pretty meh day. Think it was good to get a hit-about in the morning, avoided the usual first-set collapse.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
3rd Round (Friday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)

• Seventeenth seed Randy Smeltz is out of the Australian Open after a dismal display on the Multi-Purpose Venue against fifteenth seed Henry Charles. Smeltz came into the match feeling confident about his chances against the Sydney semi finalist, but was up against it early as Charles snatched an early break. The Brit, who has been lamented for his ability to drop matches he shouldn't, seems to play well against top opposition, and Smeltz found it difficult to make any headway on a serve that, whilst only steady in pace, was precise right throughout the match. After taking the first set 6-2, Charles continued to control proceedings and it became apparent that Smeltz needed to change things up. The baseline play was not working for the seventeenth seed, and Charles was moving as well as he has in his short career on the ATP circuit and quickly took a two sets to love lead. He hadn't dropped a set this week, and it stayed that way as he shot ahead with a double break; sealing the match with a quality bit of serve and volley to advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the fourth time in five outings. The 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win means Charles now has a huge clash with seventh seed József Boros who continues to bounce back from his first round exit last year with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over David Jones.

• For Mustard vs. Delev, see here.

• Italy's Antonio Bachunelli may be ranked inside the world's top 30, but did not get there in time to earn a seeding for the Open. In the form he was in, it made him a formidible opponent as he took a second straight win over seeded opposition. 22nd seed Almen Benaglio hadn't dropped a set this week, but he also hadn't played any top 100 opponents. Benaglio jumped out of the gates, and set up a big 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(5) win in a match closer than the scoreline suggests. Bachunelli now faces his biggest test against top seed Jason Hall. Hall had stuttered through his first two matches, but was irresistable against Julian Day as he cruised past him 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Day relied on controlling the rallies against Heath Davis in the round of 32 and waiting for the errors; those tactics were punished by the best in the world.
• In a re-match of their third round clash last year, Wimbledon champion Darcy Cowan has belted Australia's last hope David Champion in straight sets. Cowan replicated his victory from last year's tournament in a more convincing fashion as the 28th seed became the last Australian in the draw to fall out before making it to the second week. Awaiting Cowan is fourteenth seeded Croat Miroslav Brdar who survived a hot encounter with Pierre L'Estrange to advance 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4). The Brdar-Cowan clash pits two of the youngest and most powerful players inside the top 30, and is set to be a cracked.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Almen Benaglio;
  
  David Champion;
  
  Jojo Mustard;
  
  Randy Smeltz;
  
  Zoltán Varga.

Pretty dull day of action, really.
​

 

[Johnners]

East CW Land Represent!

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
2nd Round (Friday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)

• Fourth seeds Jefferson Drake & Martti Korpinen have continued their impressive start as they view for a maiden doubles crown following another straight sets mauling of decent opposition. Romanian pair Viorel Iftime & Marius Micu came into the fixture off a tight first round win over Jean-Alain Depuis & Björn Donaldson, but were unable to trouble the irresistable East CWLanders who look in really good shape to take advantage of a quality draw. They'll likely face their first real test in the next round against Morton Blundell & Wayne Boyd, but their 6-3, 6-1 win is a warning to the rest of the draw.

• Also present in the round of 16 are sixteenth seeds Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum who narrowly came away with a straight sets win over Denis Isaev & Viktor Vuriak. The Belarusian-Ukrainian pair combined well in a rare appearance together, but failed to play their best tennis when they needed to as the emerging Trans-CWLand pair squeeked out a 7-5, 7-6(3) win. Also winning in two tight sets were their third round opponents Ashim & Seby Kumar; 7-6(1), 7-6(3) victors over Mario Acosta & Gonzalo Castro.

• The seeds continue to fall in Melbourne Park as French Open finalists Tal Cohen & Raz Teper were handed a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Jean-Christophe Genghini & Pierre L'Estrange. L'Estrange was burdened with the early doubles match and late singles, and was understandably aggrieved at organisers.
• In the match of the day, Eric & Rick Henson outlasted and outplayed seventh seeds Andrej Konc & Evgeniy Maximov to win 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Tal Cohen &
  
  Raz Teper;
  
  Andrej Konc &
  
  Evgeniy Maximov.

​

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Boys' singles entry list

There's a few things I want to try out this Open, and this is one of them. Just a test here using our only Juniors, and if it works OK I might let some other ones come in if people want to sign up a youngster for other Slams. We'll see how it goes.
​

 

[Simon]

Hugely disappointing display there. Will hurt my march towards a top 10 ranking pre French Open.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Juniors draw

 

[Mister Wright]

Devastated! Mustard's big chance of going deep in a Slam. Really can't find any consistency in the singles, and it's hurting his ranking.