2015 Astyrian Series - ATP Tennis - Everything thread

[Costa de Ouro]

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ATP Tour Events

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Tournament	Scheduled Dates	Draw Size	Draw Breakdown	Signups per Nation	Max Ranking Points
Griffencrest Paradise City Open	January 4 - January 11	32 S / 16 D	24 highest qualify from signups, 6 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 24), 2 wild cards	4 singles, 2 doubles	500
Antillia Masters	January 14 - January 23	64 S / 32 D	48 highest qualify from signups, 16 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 64)	8 singles, 4 doubles	1200
Cadenzan Clay Trophy	January 25 - February 1	28 S / 16 D	22 highest qualify from signups, 6 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 24)	4 singles, 2 doubles	500
BCA Open Albergaria	February 4 - February 11	32 S / 16 D	24 qualify from signups, 6 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 24), 2 wild cards	4 singles, 2 doubles	500
Fresko Royal Nikolian Open	February 14 - February 22	48 S / 24 D	32 highest qualify from signups, 16 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 64)	8 singles, 4 doubles	1000
Neu Engollon Open	February 25 - March 4	32 S / 16 D	24 highest qualify from signups, 6 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 24), 2 wild cards	4 singles, 2 doubles	500
Santa Maria Open	March 7 - March 14	32 S / 16 D	24 highest qualify from signups, 6 qualifiers (qualifying draw: 24), 2 wild cards	4 singles, 2 doubles	500

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Scorination Info

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All events will be scored using the tennis module on xkoranate 0.3.3. All singles events will use the 3 set format; doubles at the Antillia Masters and Fresko Royal Nikolian Open will also use the 3 set format; all other doubles events will use the super-tiebreak format. RP bonus for these events will be cumulative throughout the event and will apply to all tournaments going on at the same time. RP bonus will account for 40% of the skill value. RPs will be graded fro 0 to 10 and scaled relatively to the highest cumulative RP bonus. Therefore, RPing will be extremely important during this series. Due to the fact that this is a fairly large undertaking, I may have assistant scorinators; these will be announced in advance of any event that will use them. A host bonus of 0.1 of max will be given only during the Antillia Masters and Fresko Royal Nikolian Open events, and it will only be given to Costeño players, not Cenian players.

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This thread is where RPs, scores, and draws for all Astyrian series events will be posted.

Draws can be found below:

Paradise City - Singles (Qualification)
Paradise City - Doubles (Qualification)
Antillia - Singles (Qualification)
Antillia - Doubles (Qualification)
Cadenza - Singles (Qualification)
Cadenza - Doubles (Qualification)
Albergaria - Singles (Qualification)
Albergaria - Doubles (Qualification)
Carigrad (Royal Nikolian) - Singles (Qualification)
Carigrad (Royal Nikolian) - Doubles (Qualification)
Panoli (Neu Engollon) - Singles (Qualification)
Panoli (Neu Engollon) - Doubles (Qualification)
Santa Maria - Singles (Qualification)
Santa Maria - Doubles (Qualification)

OOC Thread

[Costa de Ouro]

Paradise Open - Singles Qualifying Draw
Winners of Each Group Advance

Group 1
Olivia Greenbridge (BLC)
Dayde Aberton (BRI)
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU)
Paul Quiront (NEG)

Group 2
Emma Rehnquistianson (UKQ)
Paulo Soares (TUP)
Alvon Quiken (BRI)
Greg O'Malley (WMZ)

Group 3
Joan Levitt (ETM)
Kay Jackson (TAI)
Ayu Ratih Kemalasari (PCU)
Thierry Garzala (NEG)

Group 4
Lizbet Rittenhaus (NEG)
Yvonne Bergman (VER)
Marcus Clearglass (BLC)
Ashley Tyler (WMZ)

Group 5
Erin Trent (TAI)
Jason Gordon (BRI)
Fredrik Grahn (VER)
Maria Sophia Lubis (PCU)

Group 6
Kadek Adi Wiranatha (PCU)
Titus Gildedhall (BLC)
Marie Hynmington (UKQ)
Hélder Ventura (TUP)

Group 7
Danjiella Zovic (NEG)
Carmichael Brown (ETM)
Decimus Whitewood (BLC)
Harald Bager (VER)

Group 8
Viktoria Arthursson (VER)
Fred Smithers (WMZ)
Maximiliano Magalhães (TUP)
Gaspar Delgado (TUP)

Paradise Open - Doubles Qualifying Draw
Winners of each group advance

Group 1
Thiago Machado/Timóteo Machado (TUP)
Rob Carlin/Jeff Smith (WMZ)
Ray Thomas/Hayley Van Pelt (TAI)
Lizbet Rittenhaus/Danjiella Zovic (NEG)

Group 2
Abaeté Silva/Gustavo Costa (TUP)
Octavius Miller/Marius Steelhammer (BLC)
Harald Bager/Jörgen Bergfalk (VER)
Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)

Group 3
Glenn Filips/Ralof Tambars (HAL)
Paul Quiront/Thierry Garzala (NEG)
Yvonne Bergman/Otto Blomgren (VER)
Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad (PCU)

[Walamzia]

Zainers Drop Out; Carlin, Smith Replace Them

Rob Carlin and Jeff Smith take the place of Will and Dan Zainer in the Paradise Open due to illness. Carlin and Smith are described as the second-best duo in Walamzian doubles tennis, so this is their opportunity to step up and lead for themselves. Here is an interview with Jake Peters:

JP: Rob, what inspired the two of you to take the Zainers' places in the doubles tournament?
RC: Next man up, Jake, next man up.
JS: We want to show the world what other Walamzian tennis teams can do.
JP: There are some areas of your game that need some improvement. Have you been working on those since the Walamzian Open?
RC: We have. We feel that we are ready for the big time, and the Zainers gave us an opportunity, so we'll take it.

[Walamzia]

O'Malley Recovers from Illness; Will Make International Debut in Paradise Open

Greg O'Malley was due to make his tour debut in the Hamilton Cup, but illness caused him to give up his place to Edgar Waltrip, who was the only Walamzian to go without a win. O'Malley comes to this tournament after winning the Walamzian Amateur Open, which gives the winner a professional contract.

JP: Greg, how are you feeling?
GO'M: Very good. Attended the Quidditch World Cup, and I had a blast.
JP: Did that distract you in any way?
GO'M: I must say that I haven't been too focused on anything other than recovery. After I got better, I decided to indulge instead of train, but hopefully this tournament gives me the opportunity to get back in shape.
JP: Have you played any practice matches?
GO'M: I have, and I got my [butt] beat.... we'll see what happens.

[The Andromeda Islands]

The National Tennis Center
Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy
January 3rd
10:30 am

Two men, who may or may not be Agents of the Blackhelm Confederacy’s Intelligence Service, watch over four women playing what appears to be an impromptu doubles match. Each one of the women appeared to be from a different racial group. The agents are disguised as tennis fans, but they are dressed much more formally than the few others that just happened to check out the impromptu scrimmage. The older agent wears a yellow Hawaiian shirt and khakis. The younger man wears a yellow polo shirt and khaki shorts. The two talk to each other about the women. The older agent, who’s wearing a goatee, leads the conversation.

“What country are these women from?”

“The Andromeda Islands.” The younger Agent is more clean cut and classically handsome.

“And why are we watching them?”

“They didn’t say,” the younger agent says. “But my guess is that it has something that happened last year at this time.”

“Looks like an odd group,” the bald man says. “They look so different from each other.”

“There are big differences.”

“Are any of them pure bred, or are all of them mongrels?”

“I think the dark chocolate one, Kay Jackson is pure. And the blonde, Erin Trent, she might pass for an actual pureblood.”

Jackson and Trent are making their international debut in Paradise City.

“The other two are definitely ill-bred.”

“Carmen Doyle is what they call ‘Pure Andromedan,’ which means she isn’t pure anything. Half-black and half-white is my guess.”

“And the little girl? I can’t place what she is.”

“Her name’s Esperanza Cho. She looks like she might be part Chinese.”

The younger agent actually knows that Cho was part Korean. He didn’t let on, but he is a big tennis fan. He had looked up the ladies he and his partner was supposed to watch.

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Meanwhile, the girls stop play once Cho motions them all to the net.

“You see the two guys up there?”

“The father and son,” Jackson asks.

“They were here yesterday. I think they’re watching us.”

“Why wouldn’t they,” Doyle asked, tossing her hair back.

“You think they’re spies or something,” Trent asks.

“Your nerves are getting to you,” Jackson says. “Even if they are, no worries.”

“Maybe,” Cho admits. “But if we see them at lunch, then maybe we’re being stalked.”

“We’ll see,” Jackson says.

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The older agent speaks into his watch.

“Saddleback to Elevation.”

At another court, there are two more “fans” watching the two doubles teams from the Andromeda Islands. These “fans” were a man and a woman. The man wears a red polo shirt while the woman wears a solid lime-green outfit. The man speaks into his watch.

“No ripples in the water, Saddleback.”

“What kind of flowers are in the garden?”

The younger agents all knew that ‘Saddleback’ was incredibly racist.

“It’s the War of the Roses,” Elevation says. “Two red and two white.”

Russ Knox and Lupe Gomez are the two red roses. Gomez is darker than Knox, who is lighter skinned. The other side, Ray Thomas and Hayley Van Pelt, are the white roses. Thomas has more Caucasian features than Van Pelt, so could most easily pass for white. This is also Thomas and Van Pelt’s debut on the international circuit.

“Are you sure? You know, someone can look pure and still be tainted.”

“Do you want me to go down there and ask?”

Thomas turns to the two agents, whose loud talking interrupts their game. The two agents are the only fans watching their scrimmage. Knox yells over to Thomas from across the court.

“Hey, Ray,” Knox says. “Don’t say anything to the Imperial Secret Police. They’ll make you disappear.”

The other three tennis players all laugh. A few actually think that the two people in the stands might be spies.

“Those aren’t any secret police,” Thomas says. “Unless they’re posing as a giant traffic light.”

The players all laugh. The laughter gets louder once the others realize that the man is wearing red and the woman is wearing green.

[United States of Devonta]

Tennis Special

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Tennis is my sport [Chorus]
I dominate on the court
Don't even try to win
Because my skills will make heads spin

What is a great sport [Chorus]
With green shiny courts
The beautiful paint makes me cry
On the tennis court I feel as if I might fly

No remorse for my opponent [Chorus]
Smoothness on court like a poet
Need not watch the next match
For I give no rematch

Tennis is my sport [3x Chorus]

[Tupiaupaba]

The Blackhelm Confederacy's Griffencrest Paradise City Open, the first tournament of the season, is set to start on January 4th, and all of the draws have already been published. As the date draws near, the players give us a summary of what to expect at the tournament.

Paulo Soares, with 21 years, is at the peak of his career. His serve-and-volley style may not fit perfectly the clay courts of Paradise City, but he's willing to win. "There's a lot of pressure on my shoulders for being the country's top player and I'll try my best to justify it". Placed in the Group 2 of the qualifying draw with the Qocaekian Isles's Emma Rehnquistianson, Britonisea's Alvon Quiken and Walamzia's Greg O'Malley, he's confident about his chances: "I know I'm in a tough group, but being pessimistic about it does not help".

Hélder Ventura is gonna pose a threat to the others in his group. The 25-years-old baseline grinder is looking forward the clay season, a surface that always favoured his game. "I've got to take advantage of it. My defensive game and the spin of my shots are more effective on clay". He's placed on Group 6 of the qualifying draw along with Kadek Adi Wiranatha from Pemecutan, Titus Gildedhall from the Blackhelm Confederacy and Marie Hynmington from the Qocaekian Isles, showing confidence: "I know I can go to the main draw if I do my best".

Maximiliano Magalhães, with 32 years, says he's playing like never before. "Yeah, I've been playing for a long time, but I feel more confident as the years go by. My shots need to be tweaked to fit my physical conditions, but I am more wise than when I was younger". Placed on the Group 8 of the qualyfying draw along with Vermark's Viktoria Arthursson, Walamzia's Fred Smithers and fellow countryman Gaspar Delgado, he declares: "The only thing I can do is attack them, go for broke on every opportunity. Anyone who's looking forward my retirement is going to be disappointed".

Gaspar Delgado is the nation's youngest shot at the tournament. With only 17 years, he possesses one of the fastest serves on the tour. "My serve-forehand combo is my main weapon. With it, I can control the match easily. I must assert this advantage". Placed on the Group 8 of the qualyfying draw along with Vermark's Viktoria Arthursson, Walamzia's Fred Smithers and fellow countryman Maximiliano Magalhães, he feels reliant: "I'll affirm my place on the tour. I'll make sure the nation will be proud of me".

[Electrum]

Electrum Lawn Tennis Association - News

Paradise City second-tier event to start

It's not too often that Tier 2 events occur in groups (usually they are staggered throughout the year), but that's what's happening in the Astyrian series, a series of ATP events (a mixture of both Tier 1 and 2) held in Astyria. Electrum has submitted the same four athletes for the Tier 2 competitions, which consist of Malcolm Press, Deanne Smith, Joan Levitt and newbie Carmichael Brown. Sonya Gredello and Rosa Levinsky were invited to play singles in these tournaments, but both have them have declined, citing that given their success in the doubles, they will now exclusively play doubles.

It is indeed a big shock for the Electrumite community when word of that came out, as Sonya Gredello was once the top player for Electrum. Of course, Rosa Levinsky played in a few tournaments in the singles, but she never had a much of an impact on neither the rankings, or the Electrumite tennis scene. She adopted playing solely doubles a long time ago. Sonya is now doing the same, in the hopes of saving more time for doubles training and getting those valuable ATP points and prize money. The 2015 Griffencrest Paradise Event will also see two doubles pairs, one of Joan Levitt and Deanne Smith, and one of the Cassington sisters.

Joan Levitt and Carmichael Brown, due to their relative lack of ATP points have been pushed into a qualifying spot, whereas both Deanne Smith and Malcolm Press are in the main draw for the singles competition. In the doubles side of things, both teams have secured an entry straight into the competition. You may be thinking, why do we need to cover the qualification of an event, let alone a Tier 2 event? Why is this an important thing? There are two reasons why we cover all events, no matter how minor they are: Firstly, they provide an insight to the rising stars of tennis. This is where tennis fame is achieved, and these tournaments serve as a way as getting a foothold on the rankings, and slowly making their way up. Secondly, as these matches are between relatively inexperienced players, we are unlikely to see major whitewashes like we see in the larger competitions. Instead, we are more likely to see more intense and closely fought matches, and matches where the margin for victory is smaller. These nail biters are also why we cover these matches, as it's very rare to see that nowadays in the larger competitions.

That being said, this is an excellent chance for these players to play on an unfamiliar surface - clay. Too often they come from nations that only have hard or grass courts, and none of the mysterious third kind, clay. Clay is one of the slowest surfaces that can be played on, consequently, the points are longer and the balls are higher. As a result, more balls will be in, and less winners will occur. This type of court really showcases a battle of the wits, will players make costly mistakes such as unforced errors? These courts are also slippery and slidey, regarding excellent flexibility in reaching for the ball, instead of pure speed and strength in getting to the ball in the first place. It's going to be an interesting few days, and something to look out for.

[Costa de Ouro]

Here is your first cutoff. Results will be edited in shortly.

Singles
Best of 3 sets

Group 1
Olivia Greenbridge (BLC)         6   2   4
Paul Quiront (NEG)               4   6   6

Dayde Aberton (BRI)              6   6
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU)     1   1


  Group 1                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Dayde Aberton                  1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Paul Quiront                   1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Olivia Greenbridge             1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Dewa Putu Adrian Putra         1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group 2
Emma Rehnquistianson (UKQ)       7   6
Greg O'Malley (WMZ)              6   0

Paulo Soares (TUP)               7   2   6
Alvon Quiken (BRI)               5   6   3


  Group 2                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Emma Rehnquistianson           1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Paulo Soares                   1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Alvon Quiken                   1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Greg O'Malley                  1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group 3
Joan Levitt (ETM)                4   6   8
Thierry Garzala (NEG)            6   3   6

Kay Jackson (TAI)                6   6   8
Ayu Ratih Kemalasari (PCU)       7   3  10


  Group 3                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ayu Ratih Kemalasari           1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
  Joan Levitt                    1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Kay Jackson                    1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
  Thierry Garzala                1   0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group 4
Lizbet Rittenhaus (NEG)          2   0
Ashley Tyler (WMZ)               6   6

Yvonne Bergman (VER)             6   1   6
Marcus Clearglass (BLC)          3   6   2


  Group 4                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ashley Tyler                   1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Yvonne Bergman                 1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Marcus Clearglass              1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Lizbet Rittenhaus              1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group 5
Erin Trent (TAI)                 3   7   6
Maria Sophia Lubis (PCU)         6   5   4

Jason Gordon (BRI)               7   6   6
Fredrik Grahn (VER)              6   7   2


  Group 5                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Erin Trent                     1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
  Jason Gordon                   1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Fredrik Grahn                  1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
  Maria Sophia Lubis             1   0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group 6
Kadek Adi Wiranatha (PCU)        1   6
Hélder Ventura (TUP)             6   7

Titus Gildedhall (BLC)           7   6
Marie Hynmington (UKQ)           5   3


  Group 6                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hélder Ventura                 1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
  Titus Gildedhall               1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Kadek Adi Wiranatha            1   0  1    0   2  −2    0
  Marie Hynmington               1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group 7
Danjiella Zovic (NEG)            6   6
Harald Bager (VER)               3   1

Carmichael Brown (ETM)           5   6   6
Decimus Whitewood (BLC)          7   3   3


  Group 7                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Danjiella Zovic                1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Carmichael Brown               1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Decimus Whitewood              1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Harald Bager                   1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group 8
Viktoria Arthursson (VER)        3   2
Gaspar Delgado (TUP)             6   6

Fred Smithers (WMZ)              6   6
Maximiliano Magalhães (TUP)      3   0


  Group 8                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Fred Smithers                  1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
  Gaspar Delgado                 1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Maximiliano Magalhães          1   0  1    0   2  −2    0
  Viktoria Arthursson            1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Doubles
Best of 3 sets; super-tiebreak to 10 points deciding set

Group 1
Thiago Machado/Timóteo Machado (TUP)         6   6
Lizbet Rittenhaus/Danjiella Zovic (NEG)      4   4

Rob Carlin/Jeff Smith (WMZ)                  4   6
Ray Thomas/Hayley Van Pelt (TAI)             6   7


  Group 1                                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ray Thomas/Hayley Van Pelt                 1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
  Thiago Machado/Timóteo Machado             1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Lizbet Rittenhaus/Danjiella Zovic          1   0  1    0   2  −2    0
  Rob Carlin/Jeff Smith                      1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group 2
Abaeté Silva/Gustavo Costa (TUP)             6   4   8
Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)         4   6  10

Octavius Miller/Marius Steelhammer (BLC)     6   3   9
Harald Bager/Jörgen Bergfalk (VER)           4   6  11


  Group 2                                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Harald Bager/Jörgen Bergfalk               1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
  Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati             1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Abaeté Silva/Gustavo Costa                 1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
  Octavius Miller/Marius Steelhammer         1   0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group 3
Glenn Filips/Ralof Tambars (HAL)             2   6  14
Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad (PCU)             6   4  12

Paul Quiront/Thierry Garzala (NEG)           6   6
Yvonne Bergman/Otto Blomgren (VER)           4   1


  Group 3                                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Paul Quiront/Thierry Garzala               1   1  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Glenn Filips/Ralof Tambars                 1   1  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad                 1   0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Yvonne Bergman/Otto Blomgren               1   0  1    0   2  −2    0

[Walamzia]

Walamzia Shows Weak Start to Paradise Open

Walamzians went 2-2 in their matches on the first day of the Paradise Open. Greg O'Malley, who is coming off a severe illness, fought valiantly in the first set to take it to a tiebreaker, but could not keep fighting in the second set, losing 7-6, 6-0 to Emma Rehnquistianson. The two returning players from the Hamilton Cup, Ashley Tyler and Fred Smithers, both won against their opponents Lizbet Rittenhaus and Maximiliano Magalhães. The doubles pairing of Rob Carlin and Jeff Smith lost to Ray Thomas and Hayley Van Pelt. Our insider Jake Peters sat down with Ashley Tyler for an interview after the match.

JP: Ashley, how are you feeling after the recent rumors surrounding Nate Tomlinson's unusual absence from this tournament?
AT: He's very busy, and he had a busy Christmas period at the Quidditch World Cup, so I don't blame him for taking a few tournaments off.
JP: No, that wasn't my question. I was asking how you felt about not having him here to watch you blank Rittenhaus.
AT: It's a little concerning, but, again, he's very busy, and I need to experience a tournament by myself once in a while.
JP: How do you feel about that match?
AT: Best of my career would be an understatement.
JP: One last thing and I'll let you go: Is there any romantic feelings between you and Nate? I know you saw the picture that got social media spinning over the weekend.
AT: That was entirely coincidental and not romantic at all. Nate and I have a very special bond, but let me make this clear: we're both two straight guys who happen to have shared a lot of intense moments together.
JP: Go celebrate the win, and thanks for your time.

Peters also interviewed Greg O'Malley post-match.

JP: Tough one, Greg.
GOM: Absolutely. I can tell that I'm not fit just yet, but it's a process and it'll take some time.
JP: Why put yourself through this?
GOM: I missed the Hamilton Cup due to this thing, I'm not missing 2 in a row.
JP: When will you know if you need to withdraw?
GOM: Honestly, I'm not even thinking about it right now. However, if I behave tomorrow like I behaved today, I'll certainly think about it.

[Electrum]

Electrum Lawn Tennis Association - News

Brown and Levitt win their respective matches

We interviewed newbies Carmichael Brown and Joan Levitt on their matches today, as they win against their respective opponents in Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy. It's been a departure for the usual in the ATP, as now tournaments are held all around the multiverse (this particular series being featured in Astyria), not just in nations which have a clear and well-respected ATP presence. In any case, let's get on to their interviews:

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Joan Levitt

ELTA: You have been described by many as a journeywoman, is that a fair representation of how you play tennis?

JL: To some extent, I agree with that. I haven't really reached as high up in the rankings as my other teammates, and it's getting harder and harder to do well. Getting higher in the rankings allows to be drawn into more tournaments, which gives more points, and therefore a higher ranking. In that way, I think it is fair to call me a journeywoman, but I still haven't developed to my full potential yet. I've only played in Electrumite tournaments so far (not in the ATP), and have only played doubles in the ATP. So playing singles is going to be fascinating.

ELTA: What are your goals for the new year?

JL: To hopefully break into the top 100 ATP players. It's a worthwhile goal, and this is just one step in my journey to putting points into the ledger, so to speak.

ELTA: Why have you changed from a purely doubles player and diversifying out to singles?

JL: Well, the way I see it, the only way to improve your tennis is to play more of it. So why not try out the singles as well? Granted, it's a lot more work for me, as I have to cover a lot more ground by myself, but it serves as an outlet for me to improve my skills, and that's what really matters.

ELTA: Tell us about your match against Neu Engollon's Thierry Garzala, and how you were feeling towards the end of the first set, where you pretty much gave the set away.

JL: Okay. So that was my first ATP singles victory ever. I'm so proud of myself for getting this far. Anyways, it was a really close first set, where I lost 6-4. I think it was the final game, where I was trying to serve it for 5-5, but the nerves really got to me. All of a sudden, I foot faulted, and then my ball went into the net, and so many other things so I already conceded two points on two double faults. It was then easy for Thierry to just capitalise that and turn it into 6-4. It was bad luck, but I knew I needed to get it out of my head for the next set. My double's partner, Deanne Smith, gave me some advice before hand about losing a set, and I still remember what it is: "Clear your mind, you can still get ahead. What's done in the first set can be erased in the second." And that's what I did.

ELTA: What about that thriller of a last set, what was going through your mind?

JL: Okay, so after I regained that second set, this was the decider. And boy did it drag on. I think we traded breaks in our very first two games, I think it was nerves as well. Two debutantes in their first ever ATP singles match, and riding on the line is qualification into the main draw. So, that was interesting. Then we were on serve for pretty much throughout the thing. When we reached 6-all when Garzala won the game to tie things up, I was getting ready for a tiebreak. That's when the umpire said to me... it's two game advantage. Fail! I was really shocked, but I knew it would be better. Tie breaks are too pressuring for me, and you can't make that many mistakes. Anyways, so I won the next game to make it 7-6, pretty easy, held Thierry to love. Then, Thierry just, um, faltered. He just struggled to reach my balls for some reason, even though this is a slow court. So I was surprised. I just stick to the baseline and try and grind him down, as the usual strategy dictates on clay courts. I made my way up to 40-15, lost the first match point, but won it with a spectacular forehand down the line I learnt from my doubles partner.

ELTA: That's all the time we have for today, thanks for talking to us.

JL: No worries.

---

Carmichael Brown

ELTA: We're sitting here now with Carmichael Brown in his first ever ATP match ever. And he's started with a victory!

CB: Yes, it's a good omen, isn't it? I mean, people usually lose their first time, and then they look at me with a 100% victory rate!

ELTA: Haha. Just outline the process in which you managed to nab an entry into all of these tournaments in one go?

CB: So basically, the Electrum Lawn Tennis Association, that's you guys, held some tryouts in Centralis, where the Electrum Slam is held to select 4 spots. Of course, we all thought it was going to be Sonya, Rosa, Deanne and Malcolm, but now that Sonya and Rosa quit the singles to solely focus on doubles, two spots were wide open. We had a single-elim tournament and basically me and Joan were the survivors of the amateurs.

ELTA: What made you want to try out for the competition in the first place?

CB: Prize money! Haha, there's some sweet money to be had in these competitions. I'm thinking of cruising around in Astyria for a little while, using my prize money to sustain myself. Of course, I will have to do well myself to do that. I don't have a coach, so costs are down, and accommodation and food is free. So, I think it's a pretty good life I'm living so far.

ELTA: Tell us about your match Decimus Whitewood.

CB: Hmm, it's always tough to go against a home favourite isn't it? Whitewood had a lot of support in the stands, definitely, but I stuck to my guns. He just had this extremely lucky break in the first set 5-7, after I squandered a 40-0 lead in that last game. Don't you hate it when birds fly over the court, and you hit them, not once, but several times? So unlucky. But then I won the next two sets 6-3 and 6-3. It was relatively easy as I had some training with Joan Levitt. We're thinking of being hitting partners since we're participating in the next... what three tournaments or so? Anyways, it's time for me to go to practise for my next match. See ya.

ELTA: Good luck with the rest of the tournament.

[The Andromeda Islands]

The National Tennis Center
Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy
Qualification Week – Day 1
Sunday
5:00 pm

Carmen Doyle and Esperanza Cho already qualified for the main singles draw, which will begin play next Saturday. Russ Knox and Lupe Gomez will begin play a week from today, when the Doubles Draw starts. Knox, Gomez and Cho sit and watch the match between Erin Trent and Maria Sophia Lubis of Pemecutan. Knox talks with Gomez and Cho.

“So, how was Mass?”

“It was Mass,” Gomez says. “Nowhere near as exciting as one of those Baptist services.”

“How long was it?”

“About an hour. You know who I saw there?”

Cho smiles. She had attended Mass at the local church, but hadn’t expected to see Lupe there.

“Miss Cho is a sister in Christ.”

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Knox admits. “She’s well grounded for someone her age. Her cousin, Maggie could take lessons.”

“You should come to Mass,” Cho says. “We’d love to see you there, Brother Knox.”

“I don’t fool around with Popery,” Knox said in jest.

“You don’t fool around with Church at all.”

“Why are you being a hater, Lupe? Someone had to cheer Kay on this morning.”

Kay Jackson lost her match earlier today against Ayu Ratih Kemalasari, also from Pemecutan, in a three-hour marathon match. Although she was bit upset by her loss, Jackson went to cheer on Ray Thomas’ and Hayley Van Pelt. Their match started earlier this afternoon.

No sooner had Knox mentioned Jackson’s name than Jackson appears in the stands with Ray Thomas and Hayley Van Pelt. They all look happy.

“Looks like they won the tie-break,” Cho says.

With the arrival of Jackson, Thomas and Van Pelt, all of the Andromedans were at the court, except for Carmen Doyle.

“Anyone seen Carmen,” Knox asked.

“She was leaving to go shopping after I got back this morning,” Cho says. “I haven’t seen her since.”

“So, what’s the verdict,” Gomez asks Van Pelt.

“10-8 in the tie-break,” Van Pelt says. “One step closer.”

“Your match went three sets?”

“Second set,” Thomas says. “How’s Erin doing?”

“It’s a tough match,” Cho says “But Erin’s holding her own.”

“It’s not Trent that I’m worried about,” Knox says.

The match is knotted up at one set apiece. Trent and Kemalasari have held serve in the third. Kemalasari just won a game, tying the third set at 4 games apiece. Trent and her opponent Kemalasari both took a bathroom break after the eighth game. Trent came out much earlier than Kemalasari. She’s sitting down at her bench, checking her iPhone.

“I think Carmen’s taking things too lightly,” Knox says. “It takes a few days of practice to even start getting used to this clay surface.

“It’s just one day,” Gomez says. “She’s getting the shopping out of her system. She said she’d meet us at that one place we saw,” Gomez says.

“That hole-in-the-wall we saw yesterday?”

“That POPULAR hole-in-the-wall. It’s places like that that serve the real honest-to-goodness exponential food.”

“You know what? You’re right. You all up for some confederate fare?”

Meanwhile, Trent is waiting for her opponent to finish the bathroom break. She gets a message on her iPhone. It’s from Kay. She reads some brief words of encouragement, which help Trent catch a well-needed second wind.

----------

Trent is up 40-30. Her opponent is about to serve, down match point. The serve is in. Trent smashes a return that paints the side line.

“Game, Set and Match. Trent.”

As Trent’s compatriots and the others in the stands cheer, Cho turns to Jackson.

“What did you write in that message?”

Jackson shows Cho the message on her iPhone.

EATS AT 7! U WIN, WE PAY. U LOSE, U PAY.”

“That’ll do it!”

[Pemecutan]

Mid-Start for Pemecutan Players
Paradise CIty, Cadenza

Starting their international debut in Griffencrest Paradise City Open of Cadenza, no high expectation was given to the players.
"We know that we are new in international event. We might achieve some or lose some. But we all here for more and more experience and might be a good start for the rest of the year," said Adrian Putra, Pemecutanian player. All of the players have to go through the qualification event because of their new listing in ATP.

Sending 4 singles and 2 doubles to the event, some of the players get a nice success in their first match yesterday. On Single Competition, Ayu Ratih Kemalasari won her first match against Kay Jackson of The Andromeda Island. It was a tough and tight match with 3 sets and a long tie break in the last set although she eventually win it. While her other 3 friends were all lost their first match. Dewa Putu Adrian Putra lost easily from Britonisea player, Dayde Aberton (1-6, 1-6). Maria Sopia Lubis also lost from Erin Trent of The Andromeda Island in 3 sets match (6-3, 5-7, 4-6). And lastly, Kadek Adi Wiranatha lost in 2 sets from Helder Ventura.

On Double Competition, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati win their first match after defeated Abaete Silva/Gustavo Costa. They have to go through a super tie-break before they could ensure their winning. On the other hand, double Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad have to admit Glenn Filips/Ralof Tambars superiority. Although they playing hard in the super tie-break but they eventually lost.

[Neu Engollon]

"Good Evening, Neu Engollon. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Dom Toglani, and you're watching the NETV Sports 19 Update. Tonight we go to the first in a series of Tier Two events happening around Astyria for the ATP Tennis cycle. This is a first for the region. While Astyria has been host to some odd sporting events here and there, with some regional nations like Neu Engollon hosting everything from rugby to dwile flonking, it has never been host to such a concerted series of tournaments that will help to decide the reigning champions of tennis. Several Astyrian nations have entered players and teams, most notably our Confederacy, Blackhelm Confederacy and Costa De Ouro, a nation that embodies tennis well out of proportion to it's actual minuscule land mass.

Let's take a look at the Confederacy team, shall we? Good news is that some players are still holding up very well. Paul Quiront, as controversial as he has been and as many folks that he has agitated, both within and outside our borders, has always best represented the nation on the court. So far, Quiront has not had any calls made by the umpires on his behavior, and we can only cross our fingers and hope he keeps his cool. That he went up against a female player in his first round didn't seem to phase Paul that much or hold him back from attempting several slams, some successfully. That it happened to be a player from the Blackhelm Confederacy, a nation that we have had some East-West tensions with, also didn't seem to stop Paul from going for it, although he did suffer in his first set with Olivia Greenbridge, but was able to recover in the second and final sets, to take the match. Paul sits second in Group One right now.

Over in Group 3, it was a different story for Thierry Garzala, more of a hometown favorite with a more amicable attitude, despite a record that isn't as polished as Quiront's. Garzala started off with a bang, but folded to Electrum's Joan Levitt ultimately as she outserved him and cut short several volleys with deft corner shots. Not a good start for Thierry.

Lizbet Rittenhaus, another home favorite, was completely shut out and unable to make it to a third set with Ashley Tyler from Walamzia. A disappointing turn of events for someone who was billed as one of the most promising female players of 2014, and all around female athletes in the Confederacy. Lizbet would not give interviews, instead focusing on her doubles matches for later that day with teammate Zovic.

In Group 7, up and comer Danjiella Zovic from the KERZ region of Neu Engollon/Nikolia really showed her stuff against her opponent, Harald Bager of Vermark. As bad as poor Rittenhaus tanked, Zovic made up for it with her domination. A shut out in favor of a Neu Engollian this time. Some classic aces for the highlights reels and posters. Zovic, at 1.87 meters is quite tall compared to the average woman. She apparently has no qualms about using that height advantage to close in on the net and intimidate, as we saw today.
When teamed up with veteran Lizbet Rittenhaus for the doubles matches, she was unable to bring the duo to power over the Tupiaupaban team, however. They put up a good fight, but were unable to drag it out to a third set.

Again, those results were counterbalanced by the other duo of Quiront and Garzala, who were able to take care of the Vermark squad without serious issues. I would say 'without breaking a sweat', but considering the intense tropical heat of Paradise City in the Blackhelm Confederacy, that is always a factor for all competitors there, even the native born Confederates.

So, all in all, a decent showing for the Neu Engollian team, but we have some strides to go to make up for a very rocky introduction to the ATP. Keep tuned in for more coverage of the ATP Astyrian Series. We have the exclusive right here on NETV Sports 19. Next up, highlights of a possible World Cup of Hockey re-entry by the Ibex. Stay tuned..."

[Blackhelm Confederacy]

Claudius Griffincrest National Arena
Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy
Qualification Week

Newspapers across the country were slamming down on the poor performance of the Confederate team, with one of the nation's doubles teams, the all-female duo of Lucretia Talltree and Maria Redstone being scratched and all but Titus Gildedhall falling in the qualifying round. For now, sports fans across the nation had their eyes set on young Titus to bring victory to the Blackhelm Confederacy and to keep the host country in the running.

Each day the stadium was filled with cheering fans, and plenty of police were on hand to make sure that any attempts at hooliganism were quickly shut down. Much to their surprise, however, the crowds remained civilized and no trouble was to be seen. The usual cheers and jeers were of course present, and at times, especially when playing against the Confederate players, those in the stands got a bit more rowdy than might be expected for a tennis tournament, but on the whole the crowds maintained a very good composure and did the image of the nation a great service, hopefully elevating it in the eyes of the world and attracting even more tourist dollars in the future.

Meanwhile, Titus was for the day a mini media darling. Papers from across the country were out there trying to interview him, and at his press conference reporters crammed the hall to hear what he had to say. Should he advance even further, he would no doubt be greatly rewarded, and on the off chance he somehow managed to do the impossible and win the whole tournament, he would surely be named a Hero of the Confederacy by the Senate. Titus had the entire nation riding on his shoulders, and he was not about to let his homeland down any time soon.

Reporters peppered the young man with questions, and as this was his first international tournament, he often needed to deal with papers from outside the Confederacy, something he was unaccustomed to.

"Mr. Gildedhall!" one reporter shouted out. "Have you ever played anyone as good as your opponent in the qualifying match?"

"I don't know" the athlete responded. "He played well. It's hard to judge, there are alot of other good players, much better than myself, here in the Confederacy"

"What did your coach say to you after you won, the only Confederate to do so?" another called out.

Titus couldnt help but laugh at that. "He gave me a cervisi..a beer."

"How far do you think you will go in this tournament" the next reporter threw out as soon as he finished talking

"Well, if I said I didnt plan to make it to the end I'd be lying, wouldn't I?"

"And how do you feel about being the sole Confederate player to advance?"

"Well.. I do my best not to get discouraged. I'm not gunna lie, some of us caught an absolute beating tonight. There's no doubt about it. But we played with heart, and that's really the best I can ask for from my countrymen."

The questions continued to pour in, and Titus spent the next 45 minutes answering questions along those lines. He was in for it, that much was for sure, but all of his training wasn't for nothing, and he was now more determined than ever to win this thing.

[Tupiaupaba]

The first round of the Griffencrest Paradise City Open's qualifying was pleasurable for Tupiaupaba, as three singles players and one doubles pairing from the country won their matches.

Paulo Soares defeated Britonish player Alvon Quiken by 7/5 2/6 6/3. After struggling to break his opponent's serve on the first set, he flinched in the second, conceding two breaks, but recovered on the third to win the match. After the match, he said: "I am happy to have won the match and I look forward to the next one".

Hélder Ventura's match was a turmoil. After a lopsided first set, which he won by 6/1, he struggled with his opponent's newfound confidence and could only win the second set on the tiebreak, saving a set point to defeat Pemecutanian player Kadek Adi Wiranatha. He later stated: "I had luck in winning in the second set".

Gaspar Delgado had no trouble defeating Vare player Viktoria Arthursson by 6/3 6/2. In both sets, he shot a lot of aces and managed to take control of the match, putting a lot of pressure on his opponent to eventually break serve. Afterwards, he said: "I must build momentum for the matches to come. I'll give the best of myself to qualify for the main draw."

The brothers Thiago Machado and Timóteo Machado also had a good opening match. They defeated the Neu Engollian pairing Lizbet Rittenhaus and Danjiella Zovic by 6/4 6/4. Thiago reported: "It was good to build our confidence. Defeating such a strong team in straight sets was not expected. They put up a good fight, that's for sure. My shirt is all wet, as you can see".

Some players, however, were defeated on the first round and are in trouble in their groups.

Veteran Maximiliano Magalhães was defeated by Walamzian player Fred Smithers in straight sets, 6/3 6/0. Max, as he's affectively called within his peers on the tour, stated: "I just could not put up a good fight. He neutralised my game, that's it. I feel bad for losing, but this is just one of these days".

Abaeté Silva and Gustavo Costa were close to win the match, but lost in the match tiebreak to the Pemecutanian pair Komang Antari and Kadek Andreawati. The final score was 4/6 6/4 [10/8]. After the match, Abaeté said: "We gave the best of ourselves on this match, but we couldn't close it on the second set and we had bad luck in the match tiebreak. It's a pity. Nevertheless, they played well and they deserved the victory".

[Walamzia]

BREAKING: O'Malley Withdraws

Greg O'Malley has submitted his withdrawal papers to the Paradise Open organizing committee after reportedly puking last night every half hour. One of the other Walamzian tennis players reported to us anonymously that O'Malley was so determined to participate in this tournament that he didn't care about his condition, that he felt he needed to participate in this tournament as a means of getting back into shape. He will be playing in Walamzian professional tennis tournaments after he heals from his condition until he's fit enough to come back to international play. He is now being transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Walamzia, where we will have continuing updates on his condition.

[Costa de Ouro]

Here is today's cutoff. Results will be posted shortly.

Group 1
Paul Quiront (NEG)               6   7
Dewa Putu Adrian Putra (PCU)     4   6

Olivia Greenbridge (BLC)         7   6
Dayde Aberton (BRI)              5   1


  Group 1                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Paul Quiront                   2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Olivia Greenbridge             2   1  1    3   2  +1    3
3 Dayde Aberton                  2   1  1    2   2   0    3
4 Dewa Putu Adrian Putra         2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group 2
Greg O'Malley (WMZ)              4   6   4
Alvon Quiken (BRI)               6   2   6

Emma Rehnquistianson (UKQ)       6   2   0
Paulo Soares (TUP)               4   6   6


  Group 2                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Paulo Soares                   2   2  0    4   2  +2    6
2 Emma Rehnquistianson           2   1  1    3   2  +1    3
3 Alvon Quiken                   2   1  1    3   3   0    3
4 Greg O'Malley                  2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group 3
Thierry Garzala (NEG)            2   6   6
Ayu Ratih Kemalasari (PCU)       6   3   0

Joan Levitt (ETM)                1   1
Kay Jackson (TAI)                6   6


  Group 3                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Kay Jackson                    2   1  1    3   2  +1    3
2 Thierry Garzala                2   1  1    3   3   0    3
3 Ayu Ratih Kemalasari           2   1  1    3   3   0    3
4 Joan Levitt                    2   1  1    2   3  −1    3

Group 4
Ashley Tyler (WMZ)               4   3
Marcus Clearglass (BLC)          6   6

Lizbet Rittenhaus (NEG)          6   7
Yvonne Bergman (VER)             2   6


  Group 4                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Marcus Clearglass              2   1  1    3   2  +1    3
2 Ashley Tyler                   2   1  1    2   2   0    3
3 Lizbet Rittenhaus              2   1  1    2   2   0    3
4 Yvonne Bergman                 2   1  1    2   3  −1    3

Group 5
Maria Sophia Lubis (PCU)         6   0   6
Fredrik Grahn (VER)              3   6   4

Erin Trent (TAI)                 6   6
Jason Gordon (BRI)               0   2


  Group 5                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Erin Trent                     2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Maria Sophia Lubis             2   1  1    3   3   0    3
3 Jason Gordon                   2   1  1    2   3  −1    3
4 Fredrik Grahn                  2   0  2    2   4  −2    0

Group 6
Hélder Ventura (TUP)             7   3   6
Marie Hynmington (UKQ)           5   6   2

Kadek Adi Wiranatha (PCU)        4   6   7
Titus Gildedhall (BLC)           6   4   9


  Group 6                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hélder Ventura                 2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
  Titus Gildedhall               2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
3 Kadek Adi Wiranatha            2   0  2    1   4  −3    0
  Marie Hynmington               2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group 7
Harald Bager (VER)               1   6
Decimus Whitewood (BLC)          6   7

Danjiella Zovic (NEG)            6   5
Carmichael Brown (ETM)           7   7


  Group 7                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Carmichael Brown               2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Decimus Whitewood              2   1  1    3   2  +1    3
3 Danjiella Zovic                2   1  1    2   2   0    3
4 Harald Bager                   2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group 8
Gaspar Delgado (TUP)             6   6
Maximiliano Magalhães (TUP)      1   3

Viktoria Arthursson (VER)        6   2   4
Fred Smithers (WMZ)              1   6   6


  Group 8                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Gaspar Delgado                 2   2  0    4   0  +4    6
2 Fred Smithers                  2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
3 Viktoria Arthursson            2   0  2    1   4  −3    0
4 Maximiliano Magalhães          2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group 1
Lizbet Rittenhaus/Danjiella Zovic (NEG)      2   4
Ray Thomas/Hayley Van Pelt (TAI)             6   6

Thiago Machado/Timóteo Machado (TUP)         5   5
Rob Carlin/Jeff Smith (WMZ)                  7   7


  Group 1                                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ray Thomas/Hayley Van Pelt                 2   2  0    4   0  +4    6
2 Rob Carlin/Jeff Smith                      2   1  1    2   2   0    3
3 Thiago Machado/Timóteo Machado             2   1  1    2   2   0    3
4 Lizbet Rittenhaus/Danjiella Zovic          2   0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group 2
Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)         6   7
Harald Bager/Jörgen Bergfalk (VER)           3   5

Abaeté Silva/Gustavo Costa (TUP)             6   7
Octavius Miller/Marius Steelhammer (BLC)     2   6


  Group 2                                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati             2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Abaeté Silva/Gustavo Costa                 2   1  1    3   2  +1    3
3 Harald Bager/Jörgen Bergfalk               2   1  1    2   3  −1    3
4 Octavius Miller/Marius Steelhammer         2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group 3
Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad (PCU)             6   6  10
Yvonne Bergman/Otto Blomgren (VER)           1   7   7

Glenn Filips/Ralof Tambars (HAL)             6   7
Paul Quiront/Thierry Garzala (NEG)           4   5


  Group 3                                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Glenn Filips/Ralof Tambars                 2   2  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad                 2   1  1    3   3   0    3
3 Paul Quiront/Thierry Garzala               2   1  1    2   2   0    3
4 Yvonne Bergman/Otto Blomgren               2   0  2    1   4  −3    0

[Blackhelm Confederacy]

Claudius Griffincrest National Arena
Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy
Qualification Week

The massive, ultra modern stadium sat in the heart of downtown, surrounded by massive glass skyscrapers with the beautiful azure blue Gulf of Neptune just beyond them in the harbor. The lush jungles that surrounded the city gave an even more unique feeling to the city for those that flew in to Paradise City International, but for now most of what the people felt was the humidity. Jungle heat and humidity was certainly going to play a factor in the performance of the players, and was something that many Confederate sports analysts had suspected would give the homegrown players an edge in the competition.

And it was entirely possible that those analysts had been right, because despite the lackluster performance of the Confederates in the first round, with every singles player scoring a win in their group, and while the doubles team did not do so well, they were overlooked as the swelling of patriotic pride resounded through the stadium after each victory of the day. Women and children were seen with red dragons, the symbols of the nation, painted on their cheeks and groups all around the stadium waved the Confederate flag triumphantly as spontaneous burst of the national anthem broke out over and over.

The mood around the stadium had gone from a relatively somber one yesterday to one of celebration. Crowds packed the many bars not just around the stadium, but all around the city to cheer on their countrymen. The fan favorite was without a doubt Miss Greenbridge, but Gildedhall, with his two wins, was rapidly rising in his popularity. Press conferences were held with each player, and all talked about how they hoped, and were fairly confident, that they would be able to advance solidly and make their way into the next level. Of course, it was rather unlikely for all to advance, but that wouldn't stop the players from saying it.

[Walamzia]

Tyler Faces Must-Win Group Stage Game Tomorrow

Ashley Tyler faces a must-win group stage match tomorrow as all 4 participants in his group are 1-1. Fred Smithers was the only Walamzian to win today. When asked about how he felt about his victory, all he could say was a direct message to our tennis star Nate Tomlinson: "Why you mad, bro? I carried this nation on my back today, where were you, coward?" Tomlinson did not register for this tournament due to personal reasons. In doubles competition, Rob Carlin and Jeff Smith lost.

In other news, the always-controversial Edgar Waltrip joined WalSport's commentary of the Paradise Open, calling the match featuring Ashley Tyler, in which he called him "a lying prick who didn't give the people the whole story" about the most recent news regarding Tyler and Tomlinson. WalSport fined Waltrip $5,000 for offensive language. Waltrip responded to the fining by exposing some more graphic details of what transpired between the two and why Nate invited Ashley to stay in his room after he was eliminated from the Hamilton Cup. Even more outrage was shown by the Walamzian LGBT community at Waltrip, but for a rather unconventional reason: "We know that neither Nate nor Ashley are homosexual, and both have come out in support of traditional marriage. Therefore, we denounce Mr. Waltrip's offensive falsehood about the Walamzian LGBT community, and we push for WalSport to take him off the air for good."

In reply to Waltrip's expose, Nate Tomlinson got on the WalTV evening news to make a statement. The statement reads:

"I can assure you and the Walamzian people that any picture and any spoken word shown by Mr. Waltrip is false or exaggerated. If you knew the room assignments for our hotel in Electrum, there were 2 to a room during the group stage, and when Will and Dan (Zainer) qualified with me to the knockout stage, all 3 of us had to share one room. I felt bad for Ash that he got eliminated in the group stage, and invited him to stay in the room in order to stay in Electrum to catch the rest of the tournament to help him see what a professional event in tennis is all about. Obviously, I'm asking all of you media types to back off of Ash until the tournament is over unless you keep the line of questioning to tennis and his performance in this tournament. He is 16 years old, and while I'm not even 5 years older, I've been a pro for a couple years, so I can handle a little media pressure. He is too inexperienced as a tennis player to have to answer to all of these false allegations. If you have any questions that happened in Hamilton or about last weekend, you ask me, and leave Ash to his tennis. Obviously, you people made him lose today over the constant questioning at breakfast, so much so that he called me 15 minutes before his match just to cry. That is extremely off-putting to someone who has known him practically since he was born, and I know that he never acts this nervous unless something is really bothering him. So, please la off him unless you're talking about the match, or I will personally go to the Open and clean house. Thank you, and I hope I never have to do this again."

Waltrip was unavailable for comment after the evening news.

(OOC: If you've read my RPs, you know that nothing sinister actually happened, but that Edgar hates the guts out of Nate (and Ashley to a lesser extent).)

[Tupiaupaba]

As the tournament proceeds, several Tupi players have been performing well and a bunch of them are likely to qualify for the main draw.

In Group 2, Paulo Soares attained another triumph, fighting hard to turn the match around and defeating Qocaequian player Emma Rehnquistianson by 4/6 6/2 6/0. After breaking Paulo's serve on the first set, Emma struggled and conceded two breaks in the second before losing the third by a bagel. Paulo now leads the Group 2 with two victories and needs a single victory against Walamzian Greg O'Malley, who props up the group, to reach the main draw. He later stated: "I am indescribably happy to have won this match and I expect to go further in the tournament".

In Group 6, Hélder Ventura won against Qocaequian player Marie Hynmington by the score of 7/5 3/6 6/2. Hélder performed well in the first set, waiting patiently until his opponent conceded a break point. An early break, however, costed him the second set. On the third, as a seasoned dirtballer, his physique favoured him and he outlasted his opponent's stamina. The last match, against the Confederate Titus Gildedhall, will define who will go to the main draw, as only one will qualify and both are tied with two victories. Hélder, in the interview after the match, stated: "I will fight until the bitter end to reach the main draw and I will not accept failure of my part".

In Group 8, Gaspar Delgado defeated fellow countryman Maximiliano Magalhães in straight sets, putting the last nail in the coffin of his chances to qualify to the main draw. Gaspar served all his way to victory, serving 19 aces and eventually winning by 6/1 6/3. Maximiliano is now out of the tournament and will contest his last match against Viktoria Arthursson, who's also out. Gaspar will now face Fred Smithers and, as both of them have two victories, the winner of the confront will define the last qualifier to go to the main draw. Gaspar said to the cameras: "I'm just giving the best of myself". Maximiliano refused to talk to the cameras and dismissed any rumours about his retirement.

In doubles, things are not going so well. In Group 1, Thiago Machado and Timóteo Machado lost against the Walamzian pairing Rob Carlin and Jeff Smith by 7/5 7/5. Both teams did their best in order to win, but in the end the other team's superior technique prevailed. "We did what we could", said Thiago, "but they simply outsmarted us", said Timóteo. The team is not out of the tournament, but it needs a bizarre combination of results to qualify to the main draw. They need to defeat the group's leaders and cheer for the prop up team to win against the team who just won the Tupi team today.

In Group 2, Abaeté Silva and Gustavo Costa defeated the Confederate pairing Octavius Miller and Marius Steelhammer by 6/2 7/6. The match was pretty one-sided on the first set, but the Confederate team did their best on the second, eventually succumbing in the tiebreak after leading it by 5-2. "Well, yeah, it was an important victory, but we need to get lucky in order to go to the main draw", said Abaeté. Gustavo also said: "It's a delicate situation, so all we can do is to hope for the best". The team still stands a chance: if the prop up pair upsets the group leaders and if the Tupi team wins their next match in straight sets, Abaeté and Gustavo are sure to qualify for the next round.

Edit: at the time of the publication, the author was unaware of the use of H2H results as primary criteria, instead of set difference. Therefore, while Paulo Soares was already qualified, none of the doubles teams stood a chance.

[The Andromeda Islands]

Claudius Griffencrest National Tennis Center
Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy
Qualification Week – Day 2
Tuesday
4:00 pm

Esperanza Cho, Russ Knox and Lupe Gomez are watching Ray Thomas and Hayley Van Pelt play Lizbet Rittenhaus and Danjiella Zovic. Esperanza Cho notices a familiar face behind them in the crowd. She whispers to Knox and Gomez.

“You see the fat guy in the loud shirt?”

“The one with the goat tee,” Gomez asks.

“Yeah! He’s been watching me and the other girls since we got here last week.”

Knox has heard about these spies and agents since he got here.

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“Maybe,” Cho says. “But he could be some kind of creep.”

“I’ll solve this,” Knox says. He gets up and walks back to the fat guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

“Sir, my friends and I want you to solve a wager for us,” Knox says to the man. “The little girl says you’re a stalker. My girlfriend thinks you’re a Confederate Agent. I say you’re just a tennis fan. Which is it?”

The man pulls out an ID card. “World Assembly Security. We’re here to make sure the Paradise City Open is safe.”

Knox is shocked that the man was so candid. He recognizes the ID card. This man is with the Red Guard, the World Assembly’s elite security force.

“Safe from what?”

“You tell me,” the man says.

“Why should I tell you anything, Mr…”

“Call me Rick,” the man says. “And you’re Chad Russell Knox. My crew was brought here under specific orders from one of the big wigs in the World Assembly. Guess which one?”

“Don’t have a clue.”

“Let’s have a little talk.”

Over the course of the next few minutes, Rick tells Knox that his father, Mike Knox, is now a big deal in the World Assembly Hierarchy. His official title includes the words “Assistant Secretary-General.”

“So, you see, we can’t let you and yours go unguarded.”

----------

Meanwhile, Kay Jackson and Erin Trent show up. They sit next to Lupe and Esperanza.

“Is Knox talking to the doughnut man,” Trent asks.

“For the last few minutes,” Lupe says. “Anyway, how’d you two do this morning?”

“6-0, 6-2. Two down. One to go,” Trent says, smiling.

How ‘bout you Kay?

“Bounced back nicely. 6-1, 6-1. If I win in straight sets, I’m definitely in.”

Knox comes down. His face appears much paler than it was when he went up.

“So, what’s that all about?”

“You remember last January? The shootings in Koni?”

“He’s an Agent?”

Knox is silent for a moment. “Red Guard.”

It seems as if everyone at courtside became quieter after Knox spoke.

“They don’t want anything like that happening here, so they got people watching over us Andromedans.”

“They think we’re terrorists,” Cho asks.

“They’re taking an abundance of caution. ‘Rick’ and his merry men are under orders from Upstairs. So, we’ll see a lot of his people for the next week or so. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Gomez knows what’s going on. Whenever Russ Knox refers to Upstairs in mixed company, he’s referring to his father, former Andromedan President Chad Michael Knox.

----------

Meanwhile, both sides held serve in the second set until the ninth game. Thomas and Van Pelt are up 5-4. Thomas is about to serve for the match. They just gained an advantage after their third deuce. Van Pelt stares at Rittenhaus and bounces up and down on the balls of her feet.

Thomas serves. Van Pelt moves back. Rittenhaus returns a drop shot. Van Pelt lunges and hits a lob over Danjiella Zovic. Zovic runs back and hits the ball down the side line. Thomas nearly makes the play, but instead he watches as the ball bounces just out of bounds.

Game. Set. Match. Thomas. VanPelt.

The two young Andromedans run up and shake hands with Rittenhouse and Zovic. The sparse crowd cheers as Thomas and Van Pelt run into the locker room.

“Two down,” Thomas says.

“One to go,” Van Pelt says.

[Pemecutan]

Single Still Struggling While Double Show Promise
Paradise City, Blackhelm Confederacy

During the second match day of Paradise City Open Qualification Round, Pemecutanians single players still struggling to compete with other players. After only Ayu Ratih Kemalasari won in the first day match, it was Maria Sophia Lubis who become the sole winner from Pemecutan side.

Dewa Putu Adrian Putra begins the second match in a high confidence. He manage to give some difficulties to Paul Quiront. But Quiront still much better and Adrian Putra failing to give his best finished. He eventually lost 4-6 and 6-7. After a good start, Ayu Ratih Kemalasari failed to maintain her performance. She lost in a long 3 sets match against Thierry Garzala. Although she manag to take the first set, she lost the second. And her performance declined rapidly in the third and final set that gives Garzala opportunity to push down her performance. On the other hand, Maria Sophia Lubis made a great comeback after being crushed in the second set by her contender, Fredrik Grahn. She manage to pull through and maintain her performance to secure the thirs set and win the match. While Kadek Adi Wiranatha was struggling in the third set after made a great performance in the second set that ties Titus Gildehall. Kadek Adi eventually lost in a long battle of tie break.

The double players made a better result with both teams win their match. Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati shockingly defeated Harald Bager/Jorgen Bergfalk easily in the first set. Bager/Bergfalk made a great comeback in the second set and difficulted the Pemecutanian double team. But Antari/Andreawati manage to turn down Bager/Bergfalk performance after a nice tie-break.

On the other hand, Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad made a great comeback after their lost in the first match. Nugraha/Ahmad win easily in the first set by only give Yvonne Bergman/Otto Blomgren only 1 winning game. Bergman/Blomgren arise in the second set and push a tie break which eventually won by them. This result makes them have to go through a super tie-break. Nugraha/Ahmad plays smoothly and able to control the match. Although Bergman/Blomgren could gives resistance but the Pemecutanian team eventually win it.

With this result, Pemecutanian Tennis Team on Paradise City Open will only be depended on their double team, with Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati possibility to advance to the main round. While in single, eventhough Maria Sophia Lubis currently seating in the second place on her Group but it will be very hard for her to advance. She has to win her last match to secure her position.

[Walamzia]

Tyler Unconfident About Next Match

It seems that all of the media attention has gripped Ashley Tyler by surprise, and he seems to be unfocused on the task at hand today. While speaking to reporters, Tyler stressed the need for him to "focus on my tennis" and a yearning to prove to everyone that he can overcome this media pressure. We have to feel bad for him, but our laws do not prohibit picture-taking inside another's own home if the actions are not explicit. This seems to help Tyler get over the media pressure. He has trained harder than ever before for his opponent, but will overtraining overcome him today? We shall see.

Meanwhile, our other tennis players are preparing for the final group match, with most of them having a large chance at qualification to the knockout stage.

[Costa de Ouro]

From the Depths of Time
What can be found in the depths of time -
what that can be lost
can be found later?
Things buried in layers
of sand and dust
built in immobile stone and brick?
Or will things made on
flimsy paper and cloth
leave markers for civilizations
and peoples to come?
Or is it the most humble of
all artifacts left behind -
can trash, at first stinky
and smelly be found
more often than other things?

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This is your cutoff for today. Results will be posted in a new reply.

Cutoff for tomorrow will probably be at around 7:00 PM US Central Time.