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CricketWeb Tennis - Season I
- Thread starter SirBloody Idiot
- Start date
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
All of them (the International Series level ones, at least. Not sure on the Challengers). So you might want to wait to see where Drake is going first.
David
International 12th Man
Cheers.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Poznan (+); Cordoba (+); Dublin (1R) - June 29- July 5 Season I
Oh, and I understand you weren't having a whinge Clapo. Just that he'd be pretty pissed with his season (always next week, though).
Open Diputacion - Ciudad de Pozoblanco
Round of 16 - Cordoba
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Just one seed remains in the draw in Cordoba after an amazing six fell in a sensational two days of tennis at the Open Diputacion. Top seed Dmitry Orlov was the only man to make it through unscathed after a thumping victory over promising young Slovak Mario Timko. But the day previous, world number 60 Oliver Engel was the biggest name casualty as he was upset in three sets by world number 252 Waylon Jones. Wildcard Bjorn Donaldson will also appear in the semifinals after a victory over Gunther Heug, whilst qualifier Thomas Velten continues to surprise everyone after defeating Uzbekistan's Anvar Juraev in an exceptionally tight affair. The worst performance of the day came from third seed and world number 67 Jean-Christophe Genghini who put up a meek display in his 6-1, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Samoan Murphy S'ua.
Porsche Open
Round of 16 - Poznan
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Second seed Randy Smeltz was expected to take victory from his second round clash against Chile's Renato Varas; and whilst he did win, he was made to work for it in a three set encounter. Smeltz looked the better player right throughout the contest, but the Chilean player managed to steal an unlikely second set from the world number 22. Despite dropping the second, Smeltz played a steady game in his dominant 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 win over Varas; setting up an interesting quarterfinal with Sergio Joaquin.
In the all-CWLand clash, surprise packet Matt Bre started his match with a man ranked many hundred places above him, Jamee Hancianu, in impressive style as he swooped to steal a first set tiebreaker. But after stunning the world number 27 in the first set, the lack of penetration on his shots against one of the world's best hurt him badly as the nineteen year old found his groove. After the first set took 53 minutes to complete, Hancianu rushed through the next two in a combined total of 49 minutes to escape with an expected 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1 win against the impressive Bre. He now faces Rafael Fernando who upset sixth seed José Navarro of Peru.
Dublin Challenger
Round of 16 - Dublin
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
It was a day of mixed results for hot prospect Scotland Rivers in his Dublin Challenger day as he made it through in one draw, whilst dropping out of the other. Starting the day with a singles match with American Justin Williamson, Rivers was caught off-guard early as he dropped the first set to the American after dropping service twice. But the exciting player got his head back in the match, and impressive winners flowed against the American who became increasingly frustrated that his waiting game was not working against the CWLander. The frustration caused him to become impatient and hit a series of poor shots at the worst possible times as the eighth seed repeated his come-from-behind victory in the first round with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win. Rivers will hope he gets an easier quarterfinal, but can not underestimate dogged American Sam Lazzeri who took a victory over local hope Eoin O'Malley in straight sets.
Seeded players out: None.
The doubles draw wasn't so kind for Rivers and partner Randy Banks as the duo were taught a lesson by Nico Hoffman and Benjamin Rabin. Fresh off a Wimbledon appearance, the Luxembourg-Israeli pair started off with a bang against a pair who had never previously played together. Taking the first set 6-0, Rabin and Hoffman shot out to a 3-0 lead in the second and looked like forcing a double bagel. But Banks and Rivers managed to claw their way back to 4-4, before Rivers was broken in a lengthy tenth game to give the Hoffman-Rabin combination a 6-0, 6-4 win.
In the biggest upset of the day, second seeds Viorel Iftime and Marius Micu crashed out in straight sets to unknown Irish pair Darren McInnes and Billy Molloy. Seeded sixteenth at Wimbledon, the Romanians would have expected an easy win but were shocked by the wildcards who advanced to an all-Irish wildcard second round against Lorcan Dunne and Declan O'Keefe, 7-6(2), 6-3.
Oh, and I understand you weren't having a whinge Clapo. Just that he'd be pretty pissed with his season (always next week, though).
Open Diputacion - Ciudad de Pozoblanco
Round of 16 - Cordoba
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Just one seed remains in the draw in Cordoba after an amazing six fell in a sensational two days of tennis at the Open Diputacion. Top seed Dmitry Orlov was the only man to make it through unscathed after a thumping victory over promising young Slovak Mario Timko. But the day previous, world number 60 Oliver Engel was the biggest name casualty as he was upset in three sets by world number 252 Waylon Jones. Wildcard Bjorn Donaldson will also appear in the semifinals after a victory over Gunther Heug, whilst qualifier Thomas Velten continues to surprise everyone after defeating Uzbekistan's Anvar Juraev in an exceptionally tight affair. The worst performance of the day came from third seed and world number 67 Jean-Christophe Genghini who put up a meek display in his 6-1, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Samoan Murphy S'ua.
- Seeded players out: Ivan Cesljar; Oliver Engel; Jean-Christophe Genghini; Gunther Heug; Lee Inmin; Oleg Puder.
Porsche Open
Round of 16 - Poznan
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Second seed Randy Smeltz was expected to take victory from his second round clash against Chile's Renato Varas; and whilst he did win, he was made to work for it in a three set encounter. Smeltz looked the better player right throughout the contest, but the Chilean player managed to steal an unlikely second set from the world number 22. Despite dropping the second, Smeltz played a steady game in his dominant 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 win over Varas; setting up an interesting quarterfinal with Sergio Joaquin.
In the all-CWLand clash, surprise packet Matt Bre started his match with a man ranked many hundred places above him, Jamee Hancianu, in impressive style as he swooped to steal a first set tiebreaker. But after stunning the world number 27 in the first set, the lack of penetration on his shots against one of the world's best hurt him badly as the nineteen year old found his groove. After the first set took 53 minutes to complete, Hancianu rushed through the next two in a combined total of 49 minutes to escape with an expected 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1 win against the impressive Bre. He now faces Rafael Fernando who upset sixth seed José Navarro of Peru.
- Seeded players out: José Navarro.
Dublin Challenger
Round of 16 - Dublin
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
It was a day of mixed results for hot prospect Scotland Rivers in his Dublin Challenger day as he made it through in one draw, whilst dropping out of the other. Starting the day with a singles match with American Justin Williamson, Rivers was caught off-guard early as he dropped the first set to the American after dropping service twice. But the exciting player got his head back in the match, and impressive winners flowed against the American who became increasingly frustrated that his waiting game was not working against the CWLander. The frustration caused him to become impatient and hit a series of poor shots at the worst possible times as the eighth seed repeated his come-from-behind victory in the first round with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win. Rivers will hope he gets an easier quarterfinal, but can not underestimate dogged American Sam Lazzeri who took a victory over local hope Eoin O'Malley in straight sets.
Seeded players out: None.
The doubles draw wasn't so kind for Rivers and partner Randy Banks as the duo were taught a lesson by Nico Hoffman and Benjamin Rabin. Fresh off a Wimbledon appearance, the Luxembourg-Israeli pair started off with a bang against a pair who had never previously played together. Taking the first set 6-0, Rabin and Hoffman shot out to a 3-0 lead in the second and looked like forcing a double bagel. But Banks and Rivers managed to claw their way back to 4-4, before Rivers was broken in a lengthy tenth game to give the Hoffman-Rabin combination a 6-0, 6-4 win.
In the biggest upset of the day, second seeds Viorel Iftime and Marius Micu crashed out in straight sets to unknown Irish pair Darren McInnes and Billy Molloy. Seeded sixteenth at Wimbledon, the Romanians would have expected an easy win but were shocked by the wildcards who advanced to an all-Irish wildcard second round against Lorcan Dunne and Declan O'Keefe, 7-6(2), 6-3.
- Seeded teams out: Viorel Iftime / Marius Micu.
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
Absolutely chuffed to string a few wins together. More excited than Bill Lawry narrating a Melbourne tourism montage.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Wimbledon - June 22- July 5 Season I
The Championships
Day Ten - Quarterfinals- Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)
Jason Hall's fiftieth career victory has moved him within one win of claiming back the world's number one position after he breezed through his quarterfinal clash with world number eight József Boros in straight sets. Boros had been in barnstorming form after his first round scare, and looked in confident form early as he easily held his first two service games. But things went awry in the sixth game of the set as, after three deuces, the second seed got the first break of service and went on to a 4-2 lead.
Whilst Boros comfortably held on his next service attempt, he was unable to do any damage to the American who quickly brought up a one set lead. The second set played out in similar fashion, although this time Boros managed to capitalise on one of his three break points to level the score at 3-3. But the eighth seed could not stick with the American for long as the world number two enjoyed all the luck with a backhand clipping the net and dropping out of reach of the Hungarian. Attempting to do the impossible, Boros played his best tennis of the match as he broke free of his shackles with some exciting play. But the world number two matched him all the way, and after some stunning rallies got the all important break of service to seal a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win.
The final will be an all-American affair as nineteen year old starlet Darcy Cowan proved too good for Norway's Kim Vollan. Charging to his second Grand Slam semifinal, Cowan was made to work for his victory by the big unit who looked inspired after his win over Sven Oxenstierna in the fourth round. The two up-and-coming powerhouses exchanged sets in some attacking play to start with, but soon the Norwegian found himself well on the back foot as the sixth seed took complete control of the clash. After the first two sets took more than an hour and a half to complete, the next two were completed within an hour as Cowan terrorised Vollan who served his worst sets this tournament. With first serve percentage tumbling below fifty, Vollan was left helpless against the confident Cowan who charged to a showdown with his countryman 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The Championships
Day Ten - Quarterfinals - Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)
CWLand's Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard have continued their sensational run to the semifinals of the gentlemen's doubles draw; proving that whilst the singles quarterfinals have been fizzers, the doubles have all the action following a five-set epic against Wayne Boyd and Morgan Carter. The match looked like it would disappoint as Davis and Mustard tore through their opposition in the first set in a dominant display; Davis firing down six aces in a confident display on service as Mustard prowled the net aggressively against a bewildered American duo. But after dropping the first 1-6, the unseeded pair re-emerged more determined and snatched an unlikely break of the Mustard service in the third game. With Carter doing the bulk of the work at the baseline, the less fancied duo did enough to consolodate on their break of service and level the match at a set each.
It was here that the match began to really hot up, with the ninth seeds caught on the back foot by the confident Americans. In a long third set, Boyd and Carter got the jump on the fancied duo early in the tiebreaker as Davis faltered on service for one of the first times of the match. But the CWLanders weren't done there, and after levelling the match in another tight fourth set looked like cruising to the final at 4-0 in the fifth. But the Americans hit back to give the CWLanders a real scare; claiming four games on the trot to completely reverse the momentum. But as we've come to expect in a tumultuous doubles draw, there was another twist in the tale as Davis and Mustard regained their focus and shattered confidence to steal a 6-1, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 victory from the jaws of defeat.
They face their biggest test yet in the semis after fifth seeds Sandro Bachunelli and Hicham Hadir ended the brave run of Bulgarian duo Ivan Genov and Yordan Zakov. Unable to repeat the heroics of their second round clash, Genov and Zakov were no match for the experienced Italian-Moroccan partnership who combined brilliantly to smash the Bulgarians in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
The Championships
Day Ten - Quarterfinals- Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)
Jason Hall's fiftieth career victory has moved him within one win of claiming back the world's number one position after he breezed through his quarterfinal clash with world number eight József Boros in straight sets. Boros had been in barnstorming form after his first round scare, and looked in confident form early as he easily held his first two service games. But things went awry in the sixth game of the set as, after three deuces, the second seed got the first break of service and went on to a 4-2 lead.
Whilst Boros comfortably held on his next service attempt, he was unable to do any damage to the American who quickly brought up a one set lead. The second set played out in similar fashion, although this time Boros managed to capitalise on one of his three break points to level the score at 3-3. But the eighth seed could not stick with the American for long as the world number two enjoyed all the luck with a backhand clipping the net and dropping out of reach of the Hungarian. Attempting to do the impossible, Boros played his best tennis of the match as he broke free of his shackles with some exciting play. But the world number two matched him all the way, and after some stunning rallies got the all important break of service to seal a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win.
The final will be an all-American affair as nineteen year old starlet Darcy Cowan proved too good for Norway's Kim Vollan. Charging to his second Grand Slam semifinal, Cowan was made to work for his victory by the big unit who looked inspired after his win over Sven Oxenstierna in the fourth round. The two up-and-coming powerhouses exchanged sets in some attacking play to start with, but soon the Norwegian found himself well on the back foot as the sixth seed took complete control of the clash. After the first two sets took more than an hour and a half to complete, the next two were completed within an hour as Cowan terrorised Vollan who served his worst sets this tournament. With first serve percentage tumbling below fifty, Vollan was left helpless against the confident Cowan who charged to a showdown with his countryman 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
- Seeded players out: József Boros.
The Championships
Day Ten - Quarterfinals - Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)
CWLand's Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard have continued their sensational run to the semifinals of the gentlemen's doubles draw; proving that whilst the singles quarterfinals have been fizzers, the doubles have all the action following a five-set epic against Wayne Boyd and Morgan Carter. The match looked like it would disappoint as Davis and Mustard tore through their opposition in the first set in a dominant display; Davis firing down six aces in a confident display on service as Mustard prowled the net aggressively against a bewildered American duo. But after dropping the first 1-6, the unseeded pair re-emerged more determined and snatched an unlikely break of the Mustard service in the third game. With Carter doing the bulk of the work at the baseline, the less fancied duo did enough to consolodate on their break of service and level the match at a set each.
It was here that the match began to really hot up, with the ninth seeds caught on the back foot by the confident Americans. In a long third set, Boyd and Carter got the jump on the fancied duo early in the tiebreaker as Davis faltered on service for one of the first times of the match. But the CWLanders weren't done there, and after levelling the match in another tight fourth set looked like cruising to the final at 4-0 in the fifth. But the Americans hit back to give the CWLanders a real scare; claiming four games on the trot to completely reverse the momentum. But as we've come to expect in a tumultuous doubles draw, there was another twist in the tale as Davis and Mustard regained their focus and shattered confidence to steal a 6-1, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 victory from the jaws of defeat.
They face their biggest test yet in the semis after fifth seeds Sandro Bachunelli and Hicham Hadir ended the brave run of Bulgarian duo Ivan Genov and Yordan Zakov. Unable to repeat the heroics of their second round clash, Genov and Zakov were no match for the experienced Italian-Moroccan partnership who combined brilliantly to smash the Bulgarians in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
- Seeded teams out: None.
Last edited:
Magrat Garlick
Rather Mad Witch
mustard 
Shame about Vollan though.
Shame about Vollan though.
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Absolutely stoked to make the Wimbledon Semi Finals. A great achievement for Heath and myself. Hopefully it isn't as close in the next game. However, it is good to see us get through a tight one, we've lost the close ones all too easily in the past.
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
WIMBLEDON - GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES SEMIFINALS PREVIEW
(5) Radek Špidla CZE vs.(7) Juan Moreno ARG (29) Zoltán Varga HUN. Radek Špidla was labelled an overachiever after he surprised everyone by making the Australian Open final back in February. But since then, the Czech monster has proved he deserves to be ranked so highly after a surprise third round appearance at Roland Garros, and then a maiden career title at Queen's. The two last met in the third round of Miami, and Špidla proved too good for an in-form Varga; taking it in three. He's going to have to stop him again whilst in rampaging form; the 29th seed has already shocked the likes of Radivoj Daneu and Juan Moreno in convincing style. That being said, Špidla himself is in some awesome form and will be yet another mountain for the highly rated Varga to climb. Whilst not playing doubles with his injured brother has been a load off his back, Varga has still had a much tougher draw and Špidla is probably the biggest task of the lot. If it goes to five, Varga could have too much gas in the tank. It won't go that far, however, because Špidla is too good. PREDICTION: Špidla in 3 sets.
(6) Darcy Cowan USA vs. (2) Jason Hall USA. After about a month at number two, Hall has a chance to go back to the top of the world rankings against teenager Cowan who has also been pretty impressive this fortnight. Cowan has a losing record against Hall at 0-2; but in both occasions he's taken him to three sets after claiming the first. That suggests to me that Cowan's best chance is to take Hall early, otherwise he'll toil in a long match. Cowan had a tricky little section to negotiate, but was somewhat lucky to avoid Henson who, I think, would have accounted for Illya Altman in the third round. That being said, whilst we were robbed of a Hall-Henson semifinal, Cowan is an exciting opponent and always provides entertainment. Whilst Cowan went so close to elimination against Danijel Micic (he came back from two sets down against "Crazy Dan"), Hall has been relatively untroubled; dropping just one set (surprise, surprise, the first against Carlo Amato) and has been on court some six hours less which no doubt gives him the advantage. Unfortunately for Darcy, I think he's heading out in the semis of a Grand Slam and we'll be given the Australian Open rematch everyone has really been waiting for. PREDICTION: Hall in 4 sets.
(5) Radek Špidla CZE vs.
(6) Darcy Cowan USA vs. (2) Jason Hall USA. After about a month at number two, Hall has a chance to go back to the top of the world rankings against teenager Cowan who has also been pretty impressive this fortnight. Cowan has a losing record against Hall at 0-2; but in both occasions he's taken him to three sets after claiming the first. That suggests to me that Cowan's best chance is to take Hall early, otherwise he'll toil in a long match. Cowan had a tricky little section to negotiate, but was somewhat lucky to avoid Henson who, I think, would have accounted for Illya Altman in the third round. That being said, whilst we were robbed of a Hall-Henson semifinal, Cowan is an exciting opponent and always provides entertainment. Whilst Cowan went so close to elimination against Danijel Micic (he came back from two sets down against "Crazy Dan"), Hall has been relatively untroubled; dropping just one set (surprise, surprise, the first against Carlo Amato) and has been on court some six hours less which no doubt gives him the advantage. Unfortunately for Darcy, I think he's heading out in the semis of a Grand Slam and we'll be given the Australian Open rematch everyone has really been waiting for. PREDICTION: Hall in 4 sets.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Poznan (+); Cordoba (+); Dublin (QF) - June 29- July 5 Season I
Still waiting on tournament preferences from Davis, Drake, Read, Spleen (not sure if these two are still interested) and Trumper-Smith.
July 3
Open Diputacion - Ciudad de Pozoblanco
Quarterfinals - Cordoba
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Wildcard Bjorn Donaldson will face off with Waylon Jones in an intriguing semifinal of the Open Diputacion after both men pulled off surprising wins in their quarterfinal clashes. The Swede Donaldson fell down a set to Estonia's Taavi Aleksejev, before firing back with late breaks to secure an upset win. But it was Jones who came in as the less fancied player; qualifier Thomas Velten had already produced momentous wins against Alex Peters and Anvar Juraev. But Jones proved too good for the qualifier to secure a straight sets win. The last remaining seed, Dmitry Orlov, still looks odds on favourite to win the tournament. He easily accounted for Kim Roger Olsen in straight sets, but faces a stiffer task in the form of Zhenyu Fok. The Russian will hope for a victory ahead of next week's Davis Cup quarterfinal against Sweden.
Porsche Open
Quarterfinals - Poznan
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
World number 22 Randy Smeltz will face off against Diego Hurtado in a semifinal fitting of an International Series tournament after both men produced solid quarterfinal displays. Second seed Smeltz came into his match with Sergio Joaquin expecting victory, and that's what he got as he took a straight sets victory. Joaquin struggled in the first set, but matched it with Smeltz in a lengthy second set as both waited for the other to make a mistake. With no breaks of service, the set went to a tiebreaker where Smeltz raced to a 5-1 lead. Joaquin staged a brief fightback, was ultimately bundled out 6-3, 7-6(4).
Meanwhile, the top half saw two massive boilovers as top seed Tiago Matias and third seed Jamee Hancianu fell in upset losses. Matias put up a solid showing against Turkish seventh seed Aksu Emrem, but was edged out in a third set tiebreaker by the determined world number ninety. Hancianu, however, was meek in defeat as he was smashed in straight sets by world number 182 Rafael Fernando. Expecting a simple win, Hancianu was disappointing on the Polish clay as Fernando stunned him 6-4, 6-3.
Dublin Challenger
Quarterfinals - Dublin
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
The shoe was on the other foot for Scotland Rivers in the quarterfinals of the Dublin Challenger as he gave up a one set lead in a disappointing defeat. Having staged comebacks in the first two rounds, the exciting Rivers looked to have started much more confidently as he cruised through the opening set 6-2. But American opponent Sam Lazzeri staged an impressive comeback in the second to level the match at a set each. Ahead 2-0 in the third, Rivers looked to have got back on track before dropping serve midway through the set to give Lazzeri an opening. The American obliged and prevailled in a tiebreaker 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). He faces Jimmy Holland in the second most exciting all-American semifinal to occur this weekend.
After squaring off in a singles quarterfinal, partners Paolo Mandonna and Dênis Rodrigues were forced to come from a set down to defeat Nico Hoffman and Benjamin Rabin. The makeshift pairing played poorly in the first set, before getting their act together in a dominant second set. Level at 3-3 in the match tiebreaker, a double fault from Rabin gave them the opening they needed to advance to the semifinals against top seeds Tal Cohen and Raz Teper, 3-6, 6-1, [10-4].
Still waiting on tournament preferences from Davis, Drake, Read, Spleen (not sure if these two are still interested) and Trumper-Smith.
July 3
Open Diputacion - Ciudad de Pozoblanco
Quarterfinals - Cordoba
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Wildcard Bjorn Donaldson will face off with Waylon Jones in an intriguing semifinal of the Open Diputacion after both men pulled off surprising wins in their quarterfinal clashes. The Swede Donaldson fell down a set to Estonia's Taavi Aleksejev, before firing back with late breaks to secure an upset win. But it was Jones who came in as the less fancied player; qualifier Thomas Velten had already produced momentous wins against Alex Peters and Anvar Juraev. But Jones proved too good for the qualifier to secure a straight sets win. The last remaining seed, Dmitry Orlov, still looks odds on favourite to win the tournament. He easily accounted for Kim Roger Olsen in straight sets, but faces a stiffer task in the form of Zhenyu Fok. The Russian will hope for a victory ahead of next week's Davis Cup quarterfinal against Sweden.
- Seeded players out: None.
Porsche Open
Quarterfinals - Poznan
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
World number 22 Randy Smeltz will face off against Diego Hurtado in a semifinal fitting of an International Series tournament after both men produced solid quarterfinal displays. Second seed Smeltz came into his match with Sergio Joaquin expecting victory, and that's what he got as he took a straight sets victory. Joaquin struggled in the first set, but matched it with Smeltz in a lengthy second set as both waited for the other to make a mistake. With no breaks of service, the set went to a tiebreaker where Smeltz raced to a 5-1 lead. Joaquin staged a brief fightback, was ultimately bundled out 6-3, 7-6(4).
Meanwhile, the top half saw two massive boilovers as top seed Tiago Matias and third seed Jamee Hancianu fell in upset losses. Matias put up a solid showing against Turkish seventh seed Aksu Emrem, but was edged out in a third set tiebreaker by the determined world number ninety. Hancianu, however, was meek in defeat as he was smashed in straight sets by world number 182 Rafael Fernando. Expecting a simple win, Hancianu was disappointing on the Polish clay as Fernando stunned him 6-4, 6-3.
- Seeded players out: Jamee Hancianu; Sergio Joaquin; Tiago Matias.
Dublin Challenger
Quarterfinals - Dublin
Men's Singles (Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
The shoe was on the other foot for Scotland Rivers in the quarterfinals of the Dublin Challenger as he gave up a one set lead in a disappointing defeat. Having staged comebacks in the first two rounds, the exciting Rivers looked to have started much more confidently as he cruised through the opening set 6-2. But American opponent Sam Lazzeri staged an impressive comeback in the second to level the match at a set each. Ahead 2-0 in the third, Rivers looked to have got back on track before dropping serve midway through the set to give Lazzeri an opening. The American obliged and prevailled in a tiebreaker 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). He faces Jimmy Holland in the second most exciting all-American semifinal to occur this weekend.
- Seeded players out: Scotland Rivers; Dênis Rodrigues.
After squaring off in a singles quarterfinal, partners Paolo Mandonna and Dênis Rodrigues were forced to come from a set down to defeat Nico Hoffman and Benjamin Rabin. The makeshift pairing played poorly in the first set, before getting their act together in a dominant second set. Level at 3-3 in the match tiebreaker, a double fault from Rabin gave them the opening they needed to advance to the semifinals against top seeds Tal Cohen and Raz Teper, 3-6, 6-1, [10-4].
- Seeded teams out: None.
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
Argh, bugger.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Wimbledon - June 22- July 5 Season I
The Championships
Day Eleven - Semifinals- Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)
World number two Jason Hall has fallen perillously close from reclaiming his number one spot as he fell in a massive boilover to 19-year old sensation Darcy Cowan in the second semifinal of The Championships. Hall came in as an unbackable favourite following his roaring form throughout the preliminary rounds, but found himself in real trouble early as Cowan surged to a 5-1 lead. But the early shock wore off as Hall fought back well to take a double break of the Cowan service to be level at five all and well within range of stealing the first set. But the sixth seed, who has never beaten Hall in two previous attempts, ensured he would, for the third time, claim the first set as he played some inspired tennis to earn a break of the Hall service. The second set went in a similar fashion, but at 5-3 Cowan did not blow his chances as he confidently served out the set to move to, what some would call, and unassailable two set lead. But the world number two came back with all guns blazing in the third set; avoiding a straight sets exit with some ominous tennis to leave the 19-year old with some doubts. But they were soon squashed as Cowan endeavoured to avoid the same fate that Danijel Micic had against him in the third round; the sixth seed dominating the fourth set to seal a momentous 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory and a spot inside the world's top five.
But standing between him and history is Czech fifth seed Radek Špidla who managed to prevail in a heated five-set epic with 29th seed Zoltan Varga. In a match fitting of a Wimbledon final, the pair engaged in a four hour slog which had centre court enthralled right from the start. Needing a strong start, the energetic Hungarian left nothing in the bag as an aggressive display gave him three chances at a break of service in the first set. Whilst Špidla had three of his own, it was Varga who made it count by converting the third to edge ahead 6-5. In a promising start for the Hungarian number two, he served out the first set confidently, before quickly finding himself behind early in the second set as so many have in the past against the Czech giant. But, unlike the others, Varga managed to reel the fifth seed back in and take the set to a tiebreaker; the free points on Špidla's service the only difference between the pair as he authoratatively levelled the match at a set each. It looked academic for the favourite as he converted two break points to claim four games on the trot in a sensational display in the third set, but found himself caught off guard early in the fourth as Varga again tore up the court with some baseline theatrics. But the fifth set was not a fitting end for the match as Varga this time failed to come back from a 0-3 deficit; Špidla advancing to his second Grand Slam final (the first man to do so) and claiming outright third on the world rankings 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
The Championships
Day Eleven - Semifinals - Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)
The doubles dream is over for ninth seeds Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard as they suffered a four-set loss to fifth seeds Sandro Bachunelli and Hicham Hadir. In an odd scheduling bungle which saw both teams play two matches in as many days, the CWLanders showed no signs of being drained after their brutal quarterfinal against Wayne Boyd and Morgan Carter as they quickly raced to a 4-1 lead against the Italian-Moroccan connection. But things turned sour from there as a mix-up between the two saw them blow an overhead smash and hand the fifth seeds a much needed break back; Davis then faltering in his team's next service game as he served up two straight double faults to see the scores level at 4-4. Taking six of the last seven games, the favourites consolodated the first set with a confident second set as the CWLanders struggled to get the better of their fresher opponents. Whilst Davis and Mustard showed brief signs of a fightback in a solid third set, it was the fifth seeds who advanced to a maiden career final with some good communication and less error-ridden game 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
At least one Moroccan will be a Grand Slam champion as brothers Hayden and Ross Onwye advanced to a second career final with a three-set win against Morton Blundell and Carlos Machado. Machado and Blundell have surprised all - not least the top seeds - with their run thus far, and started brightly by breaking the Machado service in the third game of the set. But there was some sting in the Bahamian-Brazilian tail as they hit back hard in the second set to put a dent in the title aspirations of the Onwye Brothers and to level the match. But in a tight couple of sets, there was nothing to stop the brothers' dream as they surged to a maiden Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 win.
The Championships
Day Eleven - Semifinals- Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)
World number two Jason Hall has fallen perillously close from reclaiming his number one spot as he fell in a massive boilover to 19-year old sensation Darcy Cowan in the second semifinal of The Championships. Hall came in as an unbackable favourite following his roaring form throughout the preliminary rounds, but found himself in real trouble early as Cowan surged to a 5-1 lead. But the early shock wore off as Hall fought back well to take a double break of the Cowan service to be level at five all and well within range of stealing the first set. But the sixth seed, who has never beaten Hall in two previous attempts, ensured he would, for the third time, claim the first set as he played some inspired tennis to earn a break of the Hall service. The second set went in a similar fashion, but at 5-3 Cowan did not blow his chances as he confidently served out the set to move to, what some would call, and unassailable two set lead. But the world number two came back with all guns blazing in the third set; avoiding a straight sets exit with some ominous tennis to leave the 19-year old with some doubts. But they were soon squashed as Cowan endeavoured to avoid the same fate that Danijel Micic had against him in the third round; the sixth seed dominating the fourth set to seal a momentous 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory and a spot inside the world's top five.
But standing between him and history is Czech fifth seed Radek Špidla who managed to prevail in a heated five-set epic with 29th seed Zoltan Varga. In a match fitting of a Wimbledon final, the pair engaged in a four hour slog which had centre court enthralled right from the start. Needing a strong start, the energetic Hungarian left nothing in the bag as an aggressive display gave him three chances at a break of service in the first set. Whilst Špidla had three of his own, it was Varga who made it count by converting the third to edge ahead 6-5. In a promising start for the Hungarian number two, he served out the first set confidently, before quickly finding himself behind early in the second set as so many have in the past against the Czech giant. But, unlike the others, Varga managed to reel the fifth seed back in and take the set to a tiebreaker; the free points on Špidla's service the only difference between the pair as he authoratatively levelled the match at a set each. It looked academic for the favourite as he converted two break points to claim four games on the trot in a sensational display in the third set, but found himself caught off guard early in the fourth as Varga again tore up the court with some baseline theatrics. But the fifth set was not a fitting end for the match as Varga this time failed to come back from a 0-3 deficit; Špidla advancing to his second Grand Slam final (the first man to do so) and claiming outright third on the world rankings 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
- Seeded players out: Jason Hall; Zoltan Varga.
The Championships
Day Eleven - Semifinals - Wimbledon
Gentlemen's Doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)
The doubles dream is over for ninth seeds Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard as they suffered a four-set loss to fifth seeds Sandro Bachunelli and Hicham Hadir. In an odd scheduling bungle which saw both teams play two matches in as many days, the CWLanders showed no signs of being drained after their brutal quarterfinal against Wayne Boyd and Morgan Carter as they quickly raced to a 4-1 lead against the Italian-Moroccan connection. But things turned sour from there as a mix-up between the two saw them blow an overhead smash and hand the fifth seeds a much needed break back; Davis then faltering in his team's next service game as he served up two straight double faults to see the scores level at 4-4. Taking six of the last seven games, the favourites consolodated the first set with a confident second set as the CWLanders struggled to get the better of their fresher opponents. Whilst Davis and Mustard showed brief signs of a fightback in a solid third set, it was the fifth seeds who advanced to a maiden career final with some good communication and less error-ridden game 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
At least one Moroccan will be a Grand Slam champion as brothers Hayden and Ross Onwye advanced to a second career final with a three-set win against Morton Blundell and Carlos Machado. Machado and Blundell have surprised all - not least the top seeds - with their run thus far, and started brightly by breaking the Machado service in the third game of the set. But there was some sting in the Bahamian-Brazilian tail as they hit back hard in the second set to put a dent in the title aspirations of the Onwye Brothers and to level the match. But in a tight couple of sets, there was nothing to stop the brothers' dream as they surged to a maiden Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 win.
- Seeded teams out: Morton Blundell / Carlos Machado; Heath Davis / Jojo Mustard.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Poznan (+); Cordoba (+); Dublin (SF) - June 29- July 5 Season I
Open Diputacion - Ciudad de Pozoblanco
Semifinals - Cordoba
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Top seed Dmitry Orlov has suffered a blow to his Davis Cup campaign next weekend as he fell in straight sets in the shock of the semifinals in Cordoba. The world number 38 came into the match on the back of some brilliant form, but found himself underdone against the lanky Fok Zhenyu of China. Fok's 7-5, 6-4 win sets up an interesting final with wildcard Bjorn Donaldson who proved too good for Waylon Jones in a straight sets win.
Porsche Open
Semifinals - Poznan
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Randy Smeltz will head into the Poznan final as overwhelming favourite of taking victory as he produced a dominant victory against fourth seed Diego Hurtado. The world number 22 was shaken early by the Colombian number one, but managed to pull back from a break down to take the first set 7-5. The blow shattered the confidence of the dogged world number 41 who managed just one game in a short second set; Smeltz advancing to his first Challenger final 7-5, 6-1. He will face Rafael Fernando - not seventh seed Aksu Emrem - after the Spaniard continued his run of upsets by knocking over a third seeded player. He will look to make it four in a row against Smeltz and the world number 182 will head into the match full of confidence after his upset 6-3, 6-2 win.
Dublin Challenger
Semifinals - Dublin
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Third seed Tal Cohen will face off against unseeded American Sam Lazzeri in tomorrow's final of the Dublin Challenger. The Israeli managed to get revenge on top seed Paolo Mandonna for his doubles exit earlier in the day with a fine come-from-behind victory; defeating the Argentine world number 57, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Lazzeri pulled off another upset in a low key second semifinal; proving too good for fellow American and seventh seed Jimmy Holland in straight sets.
As mentioned earlier, top seeds Tal Cohen and Raz Teper bowed out in three sets to third seeds Paolo Mandonna and Dênis Rodrigues. In an exact opposite of the singles semifinal later in the day, the favourites took the first set before being blindsided by the makeshift pair in the second set. Up 4-1 in the match tiebreaker, the top seeds looked like making a safe run into the final before Mandonna and Rodrigues took an unprecedented nine points in a row to seal a 4-6, 6-3, [10-4]. They will face Serbian duo Savo Petkoviä and Dusko Milosevic in the final after the fourth seeds proved far too classy for local wildcards Darren McInnes and Billy Molloy.
Open Diputacion - Ciudad de Pozoblanco
Semifinals - Cordoba
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Top seed Dmitry Orlov has suffered a blow to his Davis Cup campaign next weekend as he fell in straight sets in the shock of the semifinals in Cordoba. The world number 38 came into the match on the back of some brilliant form, but found himself underdone against the lanky Fok Zhenyu of China. Fok's 7-5, 6-4 win sets up an interesting final with wildcard Bjorn Donaldson who proved too good for Waylon Jones in a straight sets win.
- Seeded players out: Dmitry Orlov.
Porsche Open
Semifinals - Poznan
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Randy Smeltz will head into the Poznan final as overwhelming favourite of taking victory as he produced a dominant victory against fourth seed Diego Hurtado. The world number 22 was shaken early by the Colombian number one, but managed to pull back from a break down to take the first set 7-5. The blow shattered the confidence of the dogged world number 41 who managed just one game in a short second set; Smeltz advancing to his first Challenger final 7-5, 6-1. He will face Rafael Fernando - not seventh seed Aksu Emrem - after the Spaniard continued his run of upsets by knocking over a third seeded player. He will look to make it four in a row against Smeltz and the world number 182 will head into the match full of confidence after his upset 6-3, 6-2 win.
- Seeded players out: Aksu Emrem; Diego Hurtado.
Dublin Challenger
Semifinals - Dublin
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Third seed Tal Cohen will face off against unseeded American Sam Lazzeri in tomorrow's final of the Dublin Challenger. The Israeli managed to get revenge on top seed Paolo Mandonna for his doubles exit earlier in the day with a fine come-from-behind victory; defeating the Argentine world number 57, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Lazzeri pulled off another upset in a low key second semifinal; proving too good for fellow American and seventh seed Jimmy Holland in straight sets.
- Seeded players out: Jimmy Holland; Paolo Mandonna.
As mentioned earlier, top seeds Tal Cohen and Raz Teper bowed out in three sets to third seeds Paolo Mandonna and Dênis Rodrigues. In an exact opposite of the singles semifinal later in the day, the favourites took the first set before being blindsided by the makeshift pair in the second set. Up 4-1 in the match tiebreaker, the top seeds looked like making a safe run into the final before Mandonna and Rodrigues took an unprecedented nine points in a row to seal a 4-6, 6-3, [10-4]. They will face Serbian duo Savo Petkoviä and Dusko Milosevic in the final after the fourth seeds proved far too classy for local wildcards Darren McInnes and Billy Molloy.
- Seeded teams out: Tal Cohen / Raz Teper.