Zack White (EST) 3 5
Elia Xal (CEN) 6 7
Zack White fell to Elia Xal in straight sets to lose his first match of the qualifiers. This is a painful defeat for White who had until today ran through the competition with relative ease. The talent level of his opponent was far greater than any of his previous matches, which is one of the reasons why White wasn't able to perform as well as he is used to. Another reason could be his over confidence after winning his opening two matches. It wasn't as though White played badly and made a lot of mistakes. He still performed fairly well in the match, but Xal was just a little bit better, especially when it mattered the most. Whenever White made a great shot, Xal always seemed to find a way to keep it in play. Of course that is what is expected when playing the top seed of the qualifiers. Even with this loss White is in prime position to advance. A win in his final match against Master Larry should, if our math is correct, be enough to push White through to the main draw. Larry is a good player but going by talent alone, White has the edge. It will still be a tough match for him, especially coming off a loss, but as long as he remains focused White should continue to be successful.
John Wilmer (EST) 1 6 9
Piper Antoine (SLL) 6 3 7
John Wilmer shocked Piper Antoine in three sets, including a 16 game final set, to move atop the group standings. Antoine was a heavy favorite to win this group and move on due to her experience level but instead she finds herself at the bottom with no wins and two losses. It has been a tournament to forget for her. Meanwhile Wilmer is having the complete opposite experience. He has exceeded all expectations and finds himself in great position to move forward to the main draw, that is if he can win his final match. The match between the two of them was a very interesting one. Antoine won the first set with ease as most expected. But in the second set Wilmer found a second wave and battled back to force a decisive third set. Both players gave it all they had trying to win the final set but neither gave any leeway. Finally when it was tied 7-7, Wilmer was able to get the break which allowed him to serve for the match. Once he had the lead he closed it out without too much trouble. This surprising win is brining a lot of attention to the young Estopian who is very quiet and not used to a large media presence. With his reputation growing he needs to get used to the spotlight. Going forward Wilmer has a great chance of moving on to the main draw. He is currently positioned in first with only one match to go. A win against James Shanson should be enough to seal his advancement but it is tough to tell for sure. Group 2 is a very competitive group with everyone having at least one loss. This leaves many scenarios where tiebreakers may have to be taken into account to determine who advances.
Taylor Hetner (EST) 6 6
Deanne Smith (ETM) 1 1
Taylor Hetner dominated group leader Deanne Smith to win his second in as many matches. The Electrum star found herself atop the group table after defeated both her first opponents in straight sets. Hetner, who had only played one match previously, was well rested and was riding a huge momentum wave. The match took hardly any time at all as Hetner came out very strong and kept up the high intensity for the length of the match. He is playing with a chip on his shoulder after many at home discounted his chances at making any noise in Ceni. For all the talk about Zack and Sam White and Jack Lewis, Hetner is the last Estopian to remain undefeated. He has taken this tournament by storm so far and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up. He is a very consistent player, and has always been one, but in the past he seemed to lack true competitiveness. Hetner is used to finishing runner up and really has never had much taste for championships except for his amateur title that he won just before the start of the Cenial Masters. That title has really appeared to affect Hetner is a positive way. He play has improved vastly as he appears to be playing with much more passion than he used to. It's as though now that he has tasted victory, he won't be satisfied with anything else.
Jack Lewis (EST) 6 6 4
Malcolm Press (ETM) 3 7 6
Jack Lewis continues his inconsistent play, losing to Malcolm Press in three sets. While loss really wasn't took much of a surprise, after all Press is a seeded player, it is still a disappointment to see Lewis come so close but fall just short. Lewis played really well in the first set and even the second set until the tiebreaker. After losing the second set tiebreaker, Lewis seemed deflated in the third set and wasn't able to play as well as he was earlier. This defeat leaves Lewis on the outside looking in for a chance of moving on. The only way he has a chance is for no one to have more than two wins and even then he would have to get lucky with the tiebreakers. Even though Lewis most likely won't be moving on, he has gained some valuable experience from his first professional tournament. He is still one of Estope's hottest prospects but making it in the pros isn't an easy process. It takes a lot of entries before one can break through. The lessons learned here will benefit Lewis in the next tournament and they will keep building upon one another until he can finally make it. With the talent Lewis has, it really shouldn't take long for him to make the transition and be successful at this level of play.
Ikechukwu Ihejirika (COB) 6 3 2
Louis Hurst (EST) 1 6 6
Louis Hurst battled back after falling flat int eh first set to breeze through the final two sets and defeat Ikechukwu Ihejirika. It really is surprising that Hurst has done so well considering the fact that he barely even qualified to make it here to the qualifiers. Of all the players Estope brought, it is a general consensus that Hurst has the least talent and the least potential. Yet somehow he is atop his group table with only one match to go. And with a win he will be able to advance to the main draw. Despite all of this, Hurst still is not garnering the attention that one would think would go along with this. Instead, Hetner and Wilmer are being billed as unlikely heroes when in fact their performances have not really been all that impressive. Everyone knew that they had talent whereas very few even had heard of Hurst, let alone if he was descent at tennis. The only way for him to make a statement is to win his upcoming match and advance to the main draw. If not then the lack of attention to him would be easily justified.
Sam White (EST) 6 6
Dioro Hansil (CEN) 2 3
Finally Sam White was able to get a win here in the Cenial Masters. This victory, a quick two setter against Dioro Hansil, was a relief for the disheartened Estope star who came into the tournament with high hopes but has nothing to show for it. Today on the court he looked like a completely different player than he did in the first two matches. He appears to have finally settled in and is more comfortable than he was in his previous matches. White didn't try to force shots or do too much with the ball, but instead played a much more controlled game. It was unusual to see such a talented player struggle as White did in the previous matches but it is a little understandable since it was the start of his pro career. With one match to go White is currently in second place but that shouldn't hold up. It would take a miracle for White to advance but that shouldn't stop him from going out on a good not with a win. The experience he gained here will be helpful going forward for the young player.
Aaron Murphy (EST) 0 3
Darcey Baslet (BRI) 6 6
The doubles player Aaron Murphy showed why he doesn't usually play singles in his embarrassing defeat to Darcey Baslet. He played horrible and just wasn't able to cover the whole court and also missed a lot of shots wide. After somehow winning his opening match, reality finally set in for Murphy in this match. He is just not cut out for singles tennis.
