NSTT - Hamilton International IV

[Ferret Civilization]

Sports for Ferrets were always so unpredictable, winning and losing seemingly on luck alone. It was rather amusing to try and think about, some of them managed to start of with a lot of luck and get far, others sometimes got paired up against way better players and there was no doubt that any amount of luck would overcome the shear power of skill. Though one has the ability to learn from what other people know, especially those from all sorts of different and exotic places, and in addition they got to be in exotic places too. This time however it was not so much of a sight seeing thing, exotic places are not always friendly when it comes to everything, and for this place, it was the weather. Fur, clothing, a lot of exercise, with hot weather did not mix well. And it ended up showing, getting away in the beginning able to make it by, not so much with this part of the event even with the times being pushed to try and help with that problem.

Hermanni and Säde ended up losing fairly quickly in the heat, Birger and Ceallachán ended up losing too after longer matches. Ástríður and Alwyn on the other paw were able to win fairly quick matches. Which was a rather proud moment for Alwyn since with all the disadvantages he was able to beat the twelfth best player in this event. Dagmar had a troubling start but was able to pull through with a win. Leaving just three of the eight Singles players in the event. Then with Dagmar going up against Ástríður, it meant that one of them would make it even further for sure, but another one of them would also be out for sure. Though that match would be nice and slow, given all the excitement from these games.

On the Doubles side things could not start out any odder, Mark / Pryce were out after an especially long and grueling game. Dagmar / Ástríður, even after dealing with the Singles side of the event, were also able to pull out with another win here. They were becoming quiet the pair together, and they hoped they could make that work on the court too, but of course, relying on luck was a strong factor too. Alwyn / Ceallachán also came out with a win, not as bright as the previously mentioned duo, but after all the work put into this part of the event, it was still a great small victory. Ainsley / Flannán were able to win too, making it one of the most success the Ferret tennis team had starting out, could change, always could and probably would, but for now it just made the victory they got better.

The next part of the event would most likely be the hardest for them, since everyone now that they would be going up against was the best of the best and had the ranks to show it. All they had was the thought that at least one of them would make it just one step further, best thing they could do now was relax, weather made it harder to be out and about since clothes were more of a requirement with others.

[Ethane]

Explosive News: Sports
Hamilton International IV

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Singles Struggle

Half of the remaining Ethanian singles players fell against superior opponents as three of four doubles pairs succeeded in a day which saw the extreme heat policy come into play.

On a hot day in Hamilton, which saw the extreme heat policy come into play because of a high pressure system that came off the desert region on the outskirts of Hamilton, and temperatures rising above 35^oC, the Ethanian singles players seemed to struggle.

Coming off the back of a 2 set win against Toan Wu Nguyen, Thomas Hutchon was hopeful for what he could achieve on the next day of the tournament, even though he had been drawn against Marisa Maradona, who is the 7th ranked player in the multiverse. However, struggling in the heat of the day, Hutchon was unable to pull off the performance he needed against Marisa Maradona of Ceni, losing out over an extremely tiring 3 set game, falling 6 to 4, 3 to 6, 6 to 3. Unable to adapt so well to the extreme heat of Hamilton as he had done so before, but not in so bad heat, Hutchon was unable to really gain any traction in terms of games in the first set, Maradona breaking many of his faltering serves to pull a victory. However, capitalising on the worn out Maradona, Hutchon was able to force Maradona into mistakes, allowing him to claim victory in the second set, leaving the game down to the final set. However, Hutchon was unable to push for the victory quite like he had before, unable to move as fast as earlier, losing the set, and walking off in shame, while caked in sweat from the extreme conditions they had been playing in.

Adam Samson, after winning his game last round in 2 sets, both 6 games to the United Vietussian player's 4, he was also in a position to hope for something better than he got. Drawn with the 4th ranked Lonus Varalin from Ceni, he was hoping to win, but knew that it would be a tough game, doubled by the extreme heat from the high pressure system. Falling bad in the first set, losing 6 games to 2 against Lonus Varalin, he had only 1 set to redeem himself to try to pull it back for the victory. However, struggling with the weather, and a general lack of energy, possibly also due to the heat of the game, he went on to lose the second set, putting up much more of a fight on the second set though, only losing 7 games to 5 against Varalin, who was seemingly able to cope with the extreme weather much better.

However, while it may seem all doom and gloom for the top two tennis players in the national Ethanian rankings, Ethanian players did have some successes when it came to singles.

Hollie Gratton managed to pull off a strong trouncing against Mia Cassington of Electrum, beating her in two straight sets. Facing the same problems with the heat as everyone else, she did start sluggish off the start, but was able to recover in the first set against a weak Cassington, who was making mistakes left right and centre. Wrapping up the first set 6 games to 2, Gratton looked to the second set to try to seal the victory against a flailing Cassington. Mia Cassington, who was unable to really get into the game at any point throughout the match, got outplayed by Gratton at every turn, inevitably losing the set to give Gratton the match with 2, 6 games to 2 sets in the bank.

Nico Angelo also had a great day as well in the heat. Getting off to a much stronger start than his fellow competitor in Hermanni Conall of Ferret Civilisation, Angelo stormed through the set in the high temperatures, burning a path straight to victory with 6 games to 2 victory over Conall in the first set. With Conall looking to redeem herself in the second set, there was a lot more infighting between the 2 competitors, but Conall's mistakes were costly for her, committing a double fault and having her serve broke, which gifted Angelo the victory 6 games to 4 to take the match in the second set.

Both the two remaining Ethanian athletes will battle against each other in the battle for the best Ethanian, and both will be looking for a win to boost their overall ranking. It will be a tough, testing game for both of them, especially considering the weather outlook for the day, but Nico is sure that he can pull off the win. ''I just have this feeling that I can do it. I have never really got this far before, and I just want more, I just want to go further.'' However, based off the form in this tournament so far, it does appear that Hollie Gratton is in a better place to take the victory, having knocked the number one ranked player out the tournament, and having a much easier ride to qualification than Nico Angelo, who struggled to secure his position in the main draw. Whoever wins though, one thing is guaranteed, and that is that there will definitely be an Ethanian singles player in the round after this one in this tournament.

Meanwhile on the doubles side, Ethanian pairs have been raking in the wins, with only 1 pair being knocked out the tournament so far for Ethane.

Oscar Bowermars and Julie Syncole had a rough ride in their game, pulling the match to the end of the final set, where they just pulled off a win against Mark Aðalsteinn and Pryce Cormac of Ferret Civilisation. Securing the first set easily against the seemingly weaker Ferrets, Bowermars and Syncole throttled through, obliterating any opposition to win the first set 6 games to 2. However, Aðalsteinnand Cormac rallied in the second set, managing to just claw back a win in the second set to stay in contention for the match. Going into the final set all guns blazing, Bowermars and Syncole were surprised by the quality of play that the Ferrets were playing, a completely different mindset from the one they had at the start of this game. However, just clinging onto the lead, with both pairs exhausted, Bowermars and Syncole managed to bring it home in the 18th game of the 3rd set, to win the set 10 games to 8.

Ethan Manners and Susan Ingram also had a marvellous day, trouncing their opposition in Alma Semmes and Danjiella Zovic of Neu Engollon. Going all guns blazing into the first set, they did meet some resistance, but all resistance was futile as they pummelled their opposition to pull out a 2 game lead and win the first set 6 games to 4. Going into the second set with the mindset to win, they accelerated at a faster rate than they did in the first set, with the opposition seeming to struggle more under the heat, gaining a comfortable lead in games total in the second set to cruise to the match win with a win in the second set of 6 games to 2.

Jake Cartson and Steven King also had a strong game, winning the match by a comfortable margin against a struggling Giorgio Irani and Clementina Travers of Eastfield Lodge. Going into the first set, Cartson and King were under pressure to replicate the acts of those who had followed them earlier in the day. Pressing hard in the first set, but still struggling under the heat, the games seemed to go back and forth and back and forth between Ethane and Eastfield Lodge. After a string of mistakes which broke their serve though, Irani and Travers lost their confidence, losing a string of games to give the first set to the Ethanians 6 games to 3. Under more pressure in the second set, exhausted from the tiring play in the hot weather, the Ethanians were unable to break away quite like they did in the first set. Breaking one of the games from Eastfield Lodge, they were propelled towards a win. Almost losing the broken serve by nearly having their serve broken, they recovered from the scare, and managed to pull off a 6 games to 4 win to take the match.

However, the news was not quite so good for the fourth Ethanian pair today, as Jordan Bennet and Lucy Hockers crashed out against a dominant Alma Semmes and Danjiella Zovic of Neu Engollon. Struggling significantly because of the weather, Bennet and Hockers were out of their element, unable to make any good moves to take points off their opponents. Losing the first set 6 games to 2, Bennet and Hockers lost confidence in their ability again, and, along with the exhaustion from the heat, were unable to really make any dents or try to pull back the set in the second, losing the set 6 games to 2, as in the first set.

While the doubles pairs have had a good day or two, it remains to be seen whether this form can be kept up when who they are playing next comes into consideration. While in the singles tournament, Ethane is guaranteed a player in the next round because of the double match up between two Ethanians, in the doubles tournament, there is no guarantee, and all these players are going to have to fight through to really have any chances at being in the next round. With Oscar Bowermars and Julie Syncole facing the number one pair from Ceni, it remains unlikely that they will progress. However, based on the nation's recent form in beating number 1 players, it remains to be seen what they can do. Ethan Manners and Susan Ingram also have a tough match, playing the number one seed from Pemecutan. Eka Putrawan and Dwi Ratmadi are the players that are destoyed.

[Pemecutan]

Second Round Shock Therapy
Hamilton, Electrum

As the heat sway away on Hamilton, the same heat also happen on the court of Hamilton International. On the second match day, Pemecutanian have to say goodbye to more players then before as 4 players (2 singles and 2 double teams) were lost their match. It is also marked the second upset for Dewa Putu Adrian Putra after an early exit in Astyrian Slam.

In Single Competition, qualifier Indah Susanti showed a great game as she faced Birger Gwil of Ferret Civilization. Although she lost the first set by 6-3, Susanti made a great comeback in the second set and successfully defeated Gwil also with 6-3. The third set went rather tight as both players wants to advance to the next round. But Susanti nice netting put her on the lead in 9th game. She eventually grab the 10th game after a false shot by Gwil which give advantage to Susanti.

On the other hand, Ngurah Putra Muliawan met host player Hunter Roberts in the second round. The first set went rather smooth for Muliawan as he dictate the match right from the start. Although Roberts able to steal 3 games from Muliawan but he eventually take the first set. The second set went very tight as Roberts showed a great performance and able to difficult Muliawan. But he able to balance his performance with Roberts. The match went through a 5-5 deuce in 10th game. Muliawan give a nice backhand in the 11th game to take the lead by 6-5. The 12th game went on 40-40 deuce and a series of advantage for both players which eventually goes for Muliawan victory.

Although facing a top rank player, Oka Sulastra give a great performance and able to difficult Ardil Navsal of Ceni. Sulastra lost the first set by 4-6 before he could rise up and give a great performance to take the second set. But Navsal able to control the third set which he coudl win by 6-3. While it is a second bad luck for Dewa Putu Adrian Putra. After an early exit in Astyrian Slam, Putra have to struggle in the second round of Hamilton International against Ástríður Eydís of Ferret Civilization. And with the combination of the temperature in Hamilton, Putra give away his position to Eydís after a tight 2 sets match.

In Double Competition, Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati win easily from Jordan Bennet/Lucky Hockers of Ethane with 6-2 and 6-2. The success unfortunately not followed by Ilham Nugraha/Jayadi Ahmad who lost from Leanne Stewart/Anthony Kawasaki from Electrum. Nugraha/Ahmad already give their best performance during the match but Stewart/Kawasaki play more nicely.

Oka Sulastra/Luh Putu Yundari also have to go home early after a bad result in the first round. Facing (2) Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levinsky, Sulastra/Yundari unable to keep up their performance and make a tremendous unforced errors. They eventually lost 0-6 and 1-6 from the Electrumite double. While a shocking result coming from Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi. Meeting (4) Perger Rianor/Ricpeer Rianor of Ceni, Putrawan/Ratmadi play calmly as they didn't expected to go through. But their calm performance fruited in a very nice result. The Rianor lost easily in the first set by 2-6. This result increase the confidence of Putrawan/Ratmadi which makes them play more nicely in the second set. Although Perger/Ricpeer try to rise up in the second set but they failed to get back to their prime performance. They lost 4-6 and give the second round spot to Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi.

On the third match day, Indah Susanti faced an ultimate contender as she will meet (3) Johmer Vales of Ceni. While (11) Ngurah Putra Muliawan will be playing against (5) Marla Gerard of Neu Engollon. For the Second Round of Double Competition, (5) Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati will meet Ethane qualifier, Ethan Manners/Susan Ingram. And Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi will be facing another Ethane qualifier, Jake Cartson/Steven King.

[Electrum]

Chop!

Singles Competition

Section 1
Hollie Graton (ETN)             1   6   5
Nico Angelo (ETN)               6   0   7

Bradley Tang (UNV)              7   2   7
Kika Dovan (CEN)                5   6   5


Section 2
Johmer Vales (CEN)              6   3   7
Indah Susanti (PCU)             4   6   5

Samuel Gates (ETM)              2   6   2
Marisa Maradona (CEN)           6   3   6


Section 3
Lonus Varalin (CEN)             4   6   6
Alwyn Pedr (FCF)                6   2   4

Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU)     6   6   6
Marla Gerard (NEG)              7   2   3


Section 4
Ardil Navsal (CEN)              4   6   6
Albert Yong (UNV)               6   3   2

Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)           3   6   6
Ástríður Eydís (FCF)            6   2   1

Doubles Competition

Top Half
Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN)                     3   6  10
Oscar Bowermars/Julie Syncole (ETN)        6   2   4

Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)       6   4  10
Ethan Manners/Susan Ingram (ETN)           3   6   7

Freepan Jer/Jordan Higgins (UNV)           3   5
Leanne Stewart/Anthony Kawasaki (ETM)      6   7

Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)             6   6
Jake Cartson/Steven King (ETN)             4   2


Bottom Half
Sonya Gredello/Rosa Levsinky (ETM)         3   6   9
Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF)       6   3  11

Paul Quiront/Thierry Garzala (NEG)         0   6
Alwyn Pedr/Ceallachán Amhlaoibh (FCF)      6   7

Coosal Darlcheri/Gyrachor Rentos (CEN)     7   6   5
Ainsley Eurig/Flannán Dorit (FCF)          5   7  10

Ellela Thotan/Ciache Nagya (CEN)           2   7   8
Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)             6   5  10

Tomorrow's draw

Singles - Quarterfinals
[Q] Nico Angelo (ETN) vs [Q] Bradley Tang (UNV)
[3] Johmer Vales (CEN) vs [7] Marisa Maradona (CEN)
[4] Lonus Varalin (CEN) vs [11] Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU)
[2] Ardil Navsal (CEN) vs [14] Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[1] Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs [5] Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)
Leanne Stewart/Anthony Kawasaki (ETM) vs Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)
[Q] Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF) vs [Q] Alwyn Pedr/Ceallachán Amhlaoibh (FCF)
[Q] Ainsley Eurig/Flannán Dorit (FCF) vs Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)

Order of Play - Day 4

Play starts at 4pm

Centre Court (ticketed separately)
[2] Ardil Navsal (CEN) vs [14] Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)
[4] Lonus Varalin (CEN) vs [11] Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU)
[3] Johmer Vales (CEN) vs [7] Marisa Maradona (CEN)
[1] Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs [5] Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)

Grandstand 1
[Q] Nico Angelo (ETN) vs [Q] Bradley Tang (UNV)
Leanne Stewart/Anthony Kawasaki (ETM) vs Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)
[Q] Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF) vs [Q] Alwyn Pedr/Ceallachán Amhlaoibh (FCF)
[Q] Ainsley Eurig/Flannán Dorit (FCF) vs Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)

The hot weather ends tomorrow! An independent scorinator will be used for the Electrum matches in the final.

[Ceni]

NSTT - News
Quarterfinal stage at the Hamilton International

It was a day of three-set matches in the hot Hamilton weather as the field was winnowed down to the elite eight after the Round of 16 matches to determine who would be moving on. In the singles, every single Round of 16 matches went to three sets, while in the doubles, only two matches went through in straight sets without the need for a match tiebreaker. It was a day of upsets as well, with several of the top seeds in both events falling to lower-ranked qualifiers and unseeded players.

In the first section, a qualifier is guaranteed to advance through to the semifinals as Bradley Tang of United Vietussia only added to the casualties of the seeded players, defeating Kika Dovan in three hot sets, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. It was a tight first set but the former Electrum Slam runner-up was the first to fall, having her serve broken in the sixth game of the set. She then had several break points but could not convert, eventually giving the set to Tang off a forehand drilled into the net. In the second set, she regained some of her form to defeat Tang 6-2, but Tang held on tightly in the third set and eventually broke Dovan in the last game of the match to seal the win. Tang will face qualifier Nico Angelo of Ethane.

In section 2, the top seeds came through as 'mini-Andiam' Johmer Vales faced a strong challenge from Indah Susanti of Pemecutan. Susanti rebounded after Vales grabbed the first set after sixty minutes' stylish play from the third seed, capturing the second 6-3. The third and deciding set was topsy-turvy on the clay, with Susanti breaking Vales's serve but then being broken in return. This went on for several games until Vales broke in the sixth game and then consolidated his break, concluding with a perfect forehand volley to end the match. Marisa Maradona used her strong forehand to much effect in her match against Electrumite hope Samuel Gates, especially in the first and third sets, but it failed in the second, with some crucial errors giving Gates the set. She won in the end, however, and will face Johmer Vales for a spot in the semifinals.

Lonus Varalin, more of a clay-court specialist than most players, conceded a tight first set to one of the outstanding ferrets, Alwyn Pedr, who had also given Samuel Gates a hard time in the Astyrian Slam. The ferrets have more relied on their groundstrokes and returning ability to do well on clay, and they have really only faltered in the face of strong servers. Varalin admits that the serve is his weakness, and Pedr took advantage in the first set, but Varalin came roaring right back to break the ferret's serve. Marla Gerard, meanwhile, who has not done so well on clay this season, took the first set against Ngurah Putra Muliawan but lost the next two sets easily.

Ardil Navsal, for the third time this tournament, fought back from a set down, this time against Albert Yong of Vietussia, but ended up coming back to win in three sets yet again; the first set between Dagmar Liusaidh and Astrithur Eydis was fairly competitive in the first set, but then Dagmar ratcheted up her returning to win the all-ferret match 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. She will now face former world #1 Navsal in the quarterfinals - a much anticipated matchup.

In the doubles, all the seeds are gone except two - and those two will face off against each other in the quarterfinals for a spot in the semifinals. After conceding the first set to a dedicated Bowermars/Syncole of Ethane, the Xal sisters rocketed back to win overall, proving almost impenetrable at the net; Manners and Ingram forced a match tiebreak against Antari/Andreawati of Pemecutan, but the higher-seeded team came back and won that anyhow. The two will now face off against each other - the two pairs have always had quality matches, but their head to head is tied at 1-1. In the second section, though, all of the seeds fell, leaving the section wide-open for someone to reach the finals. One of the most surprising was Liusaidh/Eydis, despite earlier playing a tenacious battle against each other in the singles competition, teamed up to defeat the world's #2 team, Gredello/Levinsky, damaging them even more in their battle to reach #1 again; Darlcheri/Rentos, the recent Astyrian Slam doubles champs, lost to Eurig/Dorit, and Thotan/Nagya lost to Gates/Meares.

[United Vietussia]

The Vietussian Inquisitor

Tang's dream run continues, doubles ousted in Round of 16

In an exciting match against 6-seeded Kika Dovan on Centre Court, Bradley Tang was able to win the match 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, advancing him to the quarterfinals and the section 1 finals against fellow qualifier Nico Angelo, which will be played on Grandstand 1 tomorrow. Kika Dovan was unable to take advantage of net play and Tang was able to easily continue to lob it over Kika's head, earning many games for this reason. The 2nd set was better for Dovan, but the momentum did not carry into the third set and Tang was able to reassert his control over the match.

Albert Yong was unable to defeat number 2 Ardil Navsal on Centre Court even after winning set 1 6-4. He ended up with many unenforced errors that proved costly and lost the next two sets 3-6 and 2-6. Yong will likely gain many points in the NSTT rankings for his round of 16 run.

Freepan Jer and Jordan Higgins were finally eliminated in a 3-6, 5-7 loss to qualifiers Leanne Stewart and Anthony Kawasaki on Grandstand 2. The match was hard fought, but in the end, the experience prevailed in the match.

That's it for today's issue. I'm Jeb Ports, signing off.

[Ethane]

Explosive News: Sports
Hamilton International IV

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Double Trouble

All of the Ethanian Doubles Pairs have gone crashing out in a disastrous day at the Hamilton International.

With the hot weather continuing to plague the matches, the extreme heat policy still being effect, the Ethanian doubles pairs struggled, as they were faced with superior opponents in temperatures they are not used to. Oscar Bowermars and Julie Syncole faced off against the world number 1 pair from Ceni, Elia and Fia Xal. Starting strong, with a good serve in their first games against the Cenians, who had no initial response to the immediate Ethanian onslaught, Bowermars and Syncole stormed through the first set, winning it by 6 games to 3. However, even with such a strong start, which they knew a quick rush to start would be needed to shock the Cenians and upset their play style if they wanted to win, the Ethanian pair were unable to capitalise on a weak start from the Xal pair, and allowed them back into the game in the second set. Unable to gain the same momentum as they had managed in the first set, the Ethanians allowed the Cenians to run away with the games, breaking their serves and making continuous mistakes of their own, which resulted in the Cenians taking the set 6 games to 2 games. This left it all down to the last set, which proved to be a bit of a run-over. Starting off in the right manner to win, the Ethanians capitalised on a lack of coordination between the Cenians at the start, staling a few break points and nicked a game off them, leading to a 3 game streak. However, determined to not let this be the end of their tournament, the multiverse number one pair played conservatively, slowly building the game count back up. Continuing with this momentum, they played slightly more riskily towards the end, sensing a win close to them, and only allowed the Ethanian pair to take 1 more game in the set, dominating by 10 games to 4.

Ethan Manners and Susan Ingram also were knocked out, losing against Komang Antari and Kadek Andreawati of Pemecutan. The Ethanian pair were hoping for an upset against this pair, who were 5th ranked in the world, but they knew that this would be a tough job, and thought that it would be lucky, like the Bowermars and Syncole game, if they managed to pull it out over 3 sets by winning 1 of the sets. Going into the first set, the Ethanian pair got off to a fairly bad start, losing 2 games straight against the Pemecutan's, who were wrapping the game around their hands with their strong serves, scoring 2 aces against the Ethanian pair in just the first game. The Ethanian pair did manage to recover towards the end of the set, finally adapting to the hot weather from the high pressure system that had come off the desert region nearby, but they were nowhere near close to enough to be able to try to pull the set back, losing the set to Antari and Andreawati 6 games to 3. Going into the second set, the Ethanian pair knew that they had to win to stay in the match, and, determined to do so, got off to a flying start in the set, breaking the Pemecutan pair's first serve game. Able to maintain a similar level of play to the opponents, the Ethanian pair managed to stay ahead of the Pemecutan pair to wrap up the set 6 games to 4 and successfully extend the game over 3 sets, something at the start of the game they though difficult. Challenging for a win against the 5th ranked pair, the Ethanians also managed to put in a good show in the 3rd set, putting pressure on the Pemecutan pair to mess up and give the Ethanians a chance to win. However, it was not to be, as Antari and Andreawati managed to break an Ethanian serve game to pull ahead, and then were able to wrap up the match with a strong 10 games to 7 victory in the 3rd and final set.

The third and final Ethanian pair left in the tournament, Jake Cartson and Steven King, were unable to replicate the success of previous rounds, or even their counterparts in the other doubles pairs to pull the match out to 3 sets, being obliterated by the Pemecutan pair in Eka Putrawan and Dwi Ratmadi. Struggling under the heat of the match, the Ethanian pair were unable to get the traction needed to push for a victory in a game that they had high hopes for winning. Losing their first serve game to the Pemecutan pair, they were unable to get back into the set, always remaining the need to break a serve game of their opponents, but unable to do so, which gave the Pemecutan pair the first set in a 6 game to 4 margin. Going into the second set, they knew that they had to perform to have a chance of winning the match and staying in the tournament. To begin with, they were successful, winning two games off the bounce. However, after the medic was called on because of Steven King collapsing on the court, the game was called to a halt, while they saw to Steven King. It was discovered he had become dehydrated in the heat of Hamilton, but luckily was able to proceed with the game. Unable to perform to the same level he had previously though, the Ethanian pair lost 6 games straight on the bounce, and fell to a Pemecutan pair 6 games to 2 in the second set to lose in 2 straight sets and be knocked out the tournament in a disappointing match for the both of them.

Finally, and the source of the final remaining Ethanian player in the tournament going into the last 8 players, is Nico Angelo, who won his game against a resurgent Hollie Gratton in a tight final set. Hollie Gratton, who earlier in the tournament had knocked out the singles number 1 ranked player in the first round, was the favourite going into the game, after Angelo had a fairly poor qualification, only just managing to scrape into the main draw of the tournament. However, things started going wrong for Gratton immediately, struggling with the heat and making countless mistakes, including 3 double faults, to gift Angelo the set by 6 games to 1. However, when it came to the second set, it was Angelo's turn to fail miserably, and, unable to replicate the plays that he had managed in the first set due to a resurgent Gratton, lost the set. Failing to get a single game in the second set, which Gratton won 6 games to 0, things were looking bad in regards to Angelo winning the game to proceed further, but with the first set in mind as well, it was still anyone's game. Both determined to take the victory and proceed into the last 8 singles players in the tournament, they fought an almighty battle, with the match swinging back and forth between the 2 in an eventful and close battle between who would go the furthest from Ethane. Coming down to the line, and who could hold better in the battle of the deuces, it could not get any closer in terms of the level of play between the 2, a sharp contrast to both earlier sets, when they took turns to struggle. However, it was not Gratton but Angelo who was able to pull off the better plays, breaking Gratton's final serve game, from his lead of 6 games to 5 having served first, to win. The final game saw 7 match points as the advantage flip-flopped between the 2 players, with there being around 15 or 16 deuces neutralising advantages in the final game of the match, but Angelo was the only one able to finally capitalise on his position on an advantage to take the game, set and match in a thrilling encounter between the two Ethanians.

With Angelo being the only Ethanian competitor remaining in the Hamilton International, in what has been a very successful run for the Ethanian tennis Union, and the players, there will only be 1 match involving an Ethanian in the next day. In the hope of going one step further in this tournament, Nico Angelo will be playing a thrilling encounter in the final day of hot weather at 4pm on Grandstand 1, against the only other competitor remaining in the tournament who came through the qualification process. Angelo will be facing Bradley Tang of United Vietussia, a player who has found great success in the tournament so far, knocking out our very own Charlotte Little in the first round in 2 straight sets, before surprising everyone to succeed in the second round against the 9th ranked Ciache Nagya of Ceni and Kika Dovan, also of Ceni, who is 6th ranked, in 3 tight sets. It will be a difficult game for Angelo tomorrow, and by no stretch of the imagination is he the favourite to win the match, especially with the achievements that Bradley Tang of United Vietussia has managed this tournament, but Nico Angelo will be hoping that he can get a good game in and pull off a strong victory in the final day of hot weather to proceed into the final 4 of the singles tournament, of which it is looking likely will be all Ceni, apart from the victor of the match between Angelo and Tang, unless the Pemecutan player or Ferret Civilisation player can pull off a fairly decent victory against some of the top ranked players of the tournament. Basically, the last 8 is the battle of the top ranked players, apart from the Angelo vs Tang match, who are the only two remaining qualified players in the tournament.

[Ferret Civilization]

With the event going on and less and less members of the Ferret team playing in the event, there of course was always more free time. Though with the weather even that was not a good option most of the time, with lead to things just being, rather dull. The event was still exciting, but so much harder now, and with the competition, it would not be reasonable to have that be the only thing to have to do. But for now it was all they could continue to do, and hope and try to do their best in order to make it just a little further than before.

For the matches themselves, Alwyn had the hardest of the times, going up against a strong opponent that, like everyone else, had a strong want to win.At first he was fresh and ready to go, but as the games went on, he quickly wore out. And with the second round loss, there was just no way for him to try and work up the will to go for match winning round. Though it was not for the lack of trying, for he was really overheating by the end of it, panting and all. Dagmar and Ástríður had it easier, playing competitively without trying to over push each other, and in the end Dagmar was the one that would end up going on. Making it so that at least one of them on the Singles side would be able to make it at least one more round into the event.

The Doubles side of the event continued to seem to go way better than they could have ever hoped, with all three of the teams winning their games. Dagmar / Ástríður went from their Singles match against each other to their Doubles match against better players surprising well. And even though Alwyn was thoroughly overworked for the time being, with Ceallachán's help and support they were able to win with a shorter match. Ainsley / Flannán were also able to come back from an early setback with another win to wrap of the team's collective efforts.

Dagmar being the only one left on the Singles side, it was hoped that she would get back the beginners luck from when they first started and be able to continue to the end. Though facing really tough competition, from opponents they have faced before, it would be as an uphill battle as ever. On the Doubles side of things Dagmar / Ástríður would have to go against their fellow team members Alwyn / Ceallachán, which was always one of the happy and sad matches. As one of them would be guaranteed to get further into the event, which was really far already for them, but one of them would be out. But if things happened like they had on the Singles side, then at least they were no matter what still in event.

[Electrum]

Chop

---

Singles Qualification

Section 1
Nico Angelo (ETN)               2   6   6
Bradley Tang (UNV)              6   1   3


Section 2
Johmer Vales (CEN)              6   7   6
Marisa Maradona (CEN)           7   6   1


Section 3
Lonus Varalin (CEN)             5   6   6
Ngurah Putra Muliawan (PCU)     7   4   4


Section 4
Ardil Navsal (CEN)              2   7  10
Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)           6   6  12

Doubles Competition

Top Half
Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN)                    2   6  10
Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati (PCU)      6   2   6

Leanne Stewart/Anthony Kawasaki (ETM)     6   3   5
Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)            1   6  10


Bottom Half
Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF)      5   6  10
Alwyn Pedr/Ceallachán Amhlaoibh (FCF)     7   4   4

Ainsley Eurig/Flannán Dorit (FCF)         4   6   6
Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)            6   3  10

Tomorrow's draw

Singles - Semifinals
[Q] Nico Angelo (ETN) vs [3] Johmer Vales (CEN)
[4] Lonus Varalin (CEN) vs [14] Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)

Doubles - Semifinals
[1] Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)
[Q] Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF) vs Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)

Order of Play - Day 5

Play starts at 4pm

Centre Court
[Q] Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF) vs Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)
[1] Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN) vs Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)
Not before 7pm
[Q] Nico Angelo (ETN) vs [3] Johmer Vales (CEN)
[4] Lonus Varalin (CEN) vs [14] Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)

[Ceni]

Hot Shot Compilation - Xal/Xal vs Antari/Andreawati

7. Elia Xal is serving - a decent serve motion out wide in court, and she comes diagonally into the net while Fia moves over laterally. The Xals form an impenetrable wall at the net, blocking all the shots that Antari and Andreawati hit at them. Finally, Elia Xal hits a drop volley, leaving Antari and Andreawati stunned.

6. From a Fia Xal serve, Antari hits a blistering return winner into the alley to line up a break point.

5. Elia Xal hits a blistering crosscourt return back to Andreawati on his serve. Andreawati can barely get it and sends a lob up; Fia Xal at the net smashes the ball into the alley, where Andreawati can't get the ball.

4. On an Elia Xal serve, Andreawati hits the ball right to Fia Xall, who hits an excellent angled backhand winner.

3. Andreawati serves almost an ace - but Fia Xal returns it. Antari smashes it. Elia Xal returns the ball back in play - Andreawati smashed it. Fia Xal gets the ball in again - and finally, Antari smashes it to win the point.

2. Fia Xal serves the ball. Andreawati hits a decent return but Elia Xal moves right back into volley it to Antari. Antari lobs the ball so sublimely - it hits the back right corner, point for the Pemecutan players.

1. It's match point for Elia and Fia Xal - 9-5 on the serve of Antari and Andreawati. Fia Xal hits the ball down the line, and Antari hits a forehand back to Fia. Andreawati volleys the return, and Elia Xal just hits the ball upward on her racket. The two Pemecutan players switch so Antari can get a handle on the ball; he smashes it down. Fia lobs it up, and Antari volleys with a great angle. But Elia Xal is just too quck - she scurries around to get it back. Andreawati then volleys that into the empty space - but Elia runs to get the ball as Fia moves back. The Pemecutan pair then moves to hit the ball into the half of the court left open - but Fia is there to defensively lob the ball up. Antari smashes it, and Fia lobs it again. Then Andreawati hits a mean ball and slices it into the alley for a winner. It was one of the best points of the match - perhaps even the tournament.

Second Set Tiebreaker - Vales vs Maradona
Vales to serve first. He hits an ace to Maradona. 1-0.

Maradona serves. An excellent serve with lots of pace to it, served out wide, and Vales can't return it. 1-1.

Maradona serves - fault. Second serve - Vales heats a weak drop shot return, and Maradona moves up to the net to hit a forehand to the backhand corner. Vales hits a lob, barely getting to it, while Maradona smashes to the other side. 2-1.

Vales serves and comes in to the net - Maradona hits a cross court return, but Vales plucks it out of the sky to hit a volley winner into open court. 2-2.

Vales hits a good first serve to the T, but Maradona hits an excellent inside-out forehand for a return winner. 3-2.

Maradona now needs to consolidate her mini-break. She hits an excellent serve, but Vales gets a good handle on it to return. The two engage in a cat-and-mouse ralley until Maradona makes an error, splaying her forehand wide. 3-3.

Maradona hits a fault. And then another fault - giving Vales the minibreak on a silver platter. 4-3.

Vales is ready to serve it out, and Maradona makes a return error. 5-3.

Vales then hits a serve out wide and comes in, with Maradona hitting a nice crosscourt return, he has to slide over and half-volley the ball. Maradona gets a good handle on that to hit a cross-court passing shot.

5-4. Maradona hits a good serve which Vales can't return. 5-5. It's a crucial point for both players.

Maradona then hits a fairly weak second serve, and Vales hits an on-the-line return and moves into the net. Maradona hits a lob, which goes over and into the corner. Match point for Maradona - 6-5.

Vales calmly serves it out with an ace. 6-6.

Vales then serves well again and hits a nice volley winner to set up set point for himself. 7-6.

Maradona serves, and Vales hits a cross-court return winner. Set for Vales, 7-6.

[Ferret Civilization]

This chapter in the Ferrets journey in tennis slowly started to come to a close, Dagmar continued to make the whole team proud of her as she proved a capable player. Even though it was a lot of luck and impossibilities to go through, she somehow managed to do it, once again beating out a very tough opponent after a tense third tie breaking round. The team was still in it on the Singles side, but Dagmar would have to go up against more experienced and skilled players than her still. A challenge which somehow she did well at certain times.

The Doubles did end up going just like it had gone for the number they had in the event, with the one guaranteed loss and their one possibility duos out in the event. Dagmar / Ástríður played a fairly simple match against Alwyn / Ceallachán, once again playing without the competitiveness that would end up wearing each other down. Ainsley / Flannán ended up losing their match after almost managing to come back in the middle of it to be put down in the end. Which left their last Doubles duo to have to go up against that team next.

But in the end the team had gotten into the both the Singles and Doubles semifinals, that was a great achievement for them still. Even if this time it would not turn out a miraculous win, then there was always next time.

[Pemecutan]

All Lies in Double
Hamilton, Electrum

The quarterfinal of Hamilton International showed 3 matches for Pemecutanian players, 1 in single competition and 2 in double competition. (11) Ngurah Putra Muliawan met (4) Lonus Varalin of Ceni. Muliawan secure the first set although has to go through 5-5 deuce. The match went very tight as both players wants a spot in semifinal. The second set went tight with 4-4 position. Muliawan losing grip in the 9th game resulting Varalin take over. He again made another mistake in the 10th game which gives Varalin the set. In the third set, Muliawan take the first step leading 2-0 before Varalin able to take over by 2-3. The situation came to 4-4 again. Varalin nice netting gives him the 9th game. And another mistake made by Muliawan in 10th game cost him the match.

In Double competition, (5) Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati facing (1) Elia Xal/Fia Xal also from Ceni. Antari/Andreawati shocked the Xal Sister by taking the first set by 6-2. But they couldn't keep up the pace and failed to maintain their performance in the second set. They lost 2-6 to Elia/Fia. The match was taking into super tie-break. Elia/Fia lead the way until 9-5 position. Antari/Andreawati able to steal one point to closer the gap. But after a long rally, Elia/Fia secure their position and take a spot in semifinal.

On the other hand, Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi played against Leanne Stewart/Anthony Kawasaki. Stewart/Kawasaki shocked Putrawan/Ratmadi with fast play and lost easily to 1-6. But Putrawan/Ratmadi able to rise up and gain control over the second set. They secure the set by 6-3. The match went through super tie-break. Putrawan/Ratmadi gives a calm play and lead until 8-3. Stewart/Kawasaki try to closer the gapand reach the position of 9-5 for Putrawan/Ratmadi. And finally, Putrawan/Ratmadi closed the tie-break after a nice netting by Putrawan that trick Kawasaki.

On the Semifinal, the only Pemecutanian player left, Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi will be facing (1) Elia Xal/Fia Xal of Ceni who previously defeated Komang Antari/Kadek Andreawati in Quarterfinal. This also marked the highest position for Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi in a major tournament so far.

[Electrum]

Cutoff!

---

Singles Competition

Nico Angelo (ETN)         6   1   7
Johmer Vales (CEN)        4   6   5

Lonus Varalin (CEN)       6   6
Dagmar Liùsaidh (FCF)     1   1

Doubles Competition

Top Half
Elia Xal/Fia Xal (CEN)                   3   3
Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)           6   6

Bottom Half
Dagmar Liùsaidh/Ástríður Eydís (FCF)     0   3
Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)           6   6*

*Scored by The Sarian

Singles Competition
[Q] Nico Angelo (ETN) vs [4] Lonus Varalin (CEN)

Doubles Competition
Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU) vs Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)

Order of Play

Play starts at 7pm

Centre Court
[Q] Nico Angelo (ETN) vs [4] Lonus Varalin (CEN)
Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU) vs Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)

[Ceni]

They (Almost All) Fall Down, Like Toy Soldiers

---

Hamilton, 4/16/2016 - by Vyri Arcaina, chief correspondent

This year's Hamilton International will be known not for the seeds that did well, if there were any, but for the unseeded players who upstaged them. In the singles tournament, Nico Angelo upset a Grand Slam champion, Johmer Vales, in the semifinals, while Eka Putrawan and Dwi Ratmadi vanquished the world's number one pairing also in the semifinals as most of the remaining seeds in the doubles draw had been upset by the second round of play. One can ask many questions about this phenomenon - does tennis have a great depth of talent that all the unseeded players are as dangerous as the seeded players? Or perhaps more importantly, is Cenian dominance over the sport over, and if so, is there a new dominant power?

The answer to the first question is, for this particular tournament, a resounding yes. With the seeds falling down like toy soldiers or dominoes, it's not just that the seeds were playing bad tennis - which some likely were - it's that there's a big amount of talent going around in a small draw that upsets are bound to happen. Botack Andiam, after an almost two-month domination of the clay circuit, including two titles (including the Astyrian Slam), fell in the first round to Hollie Gratton, who then reached the third round, and Andy Amada, and quite a few other seeds, lost to Nico Angelo, a qualifier no less. What these results indicate is that there's a groundswell of potential talent rising up from the qualification circuits, and that the top seeds shouldn't take qualifiers as a win for granted. But for other tournaments, the answer can be considered as no, with the talent pool not as high as this one and the top seeds enjoying an easy ride to the last rounds, more so in the doubles than in the singles.

This phenomenon, though, was on exhibit throughout the Astyrian Series, including the first four minor tournaments of the series, where a qualifer, Dagmar Luisaidh, won in Paradise City, committing some upsets along the way, and Lusaidh won the title again in Cadenza. Then the tour took a ride, with Lusaidh falling in Albergaria to Andy Amada, who then lost to Felice Mareaux - another qualifier! - in the final. And the tables turned on Lusaidh yet again in Neu Engollon, where a big server, Dioro Hansil, won the title over her in the final. All of those results indicate a large depth in the player pool and that there's a lot of talent floating around the international tennis circuit.

However, the answer to the second question is a bit hazier than the first. Ceni's likely still around to stay on top of the tennis world for a little while longer, considering it is the home of the world's top four players and four more out of the top ten. It will likely take a lot to dislodge Ceni's players from the top - especially considering the 52-week rolling ranking. For example, despite retiring four months ago, Elaine Foyner is now still #18 in the rankings, and she was in the top 10 for a good three months of her 'retirement'. And while the depth of talent may be strong, there's no clear successor in the eyes of many - after winning titles, both Mareaux and Hansil dropped their opening match at their next tournaments, and Lusaidh hasn't done so well at the big tournaments, especially at the Astyrian Slam.

That being said, Lusaidh is likely the most salient of the 'New Generation' of players to come through - she is ranked the highest, #12 in the rankings overall, and she recently had a grinding win over Ardil Navsal in the quarterfinals of Hamilton. Mareaux is also on the upswing as well, ranked barely outside the top 30 of the world. These players, though, would be likely seeded at most tournaments, especially the Grand Slam tournaments, meaning the underdogs have become the favorites, although that is perhaps their goal overall. Nonetheless, many players still have long careers ahead of them and a real chance to succeed.

Back to the matter at hand, out of the four finalists in Hamilton, only one is seeded: Lonus Varalin of Ceni. He is part of another "New Generation", this one of young players at the top of the rankings, but he has shown his prowess and his ability to remain at the top of the pyramid with his dominating win over Dagmar Lusaidh in the semifinals of Hamilton by the score 6-1, 6-1. The only question is so far: will he be toppled by the ultimate David in this tournament too?

[Ethane]

Explosive News: Sports
Hamilton International IV

[Football] [Cricket] [Rugby] [Hockey] [Tennis] [Baseball] [Basketball] [Gaelic Football] [Other Sports]

One More Upset?

Nico Angelo has pulled off a massive upset against Johmer Vales of Ceni, who's ranked 14th in the world, to progress to the finals of the Hamilton International - a first for an Ethanian player - and place him 1 upset away from winning the tournament.

Nico Angelo has beaten Johmer Vales in a thrilling semi-finals game, which leaves him in the finals of the single draw, a place in a tournament where no Ethanian has ever reached before this. After having a slightly disappointing qualification period, where he qualified only just, no one ever expected Angelo to reach the finals of the Hamilton International. However, as he progressed through the tournament, he came into his full colours, removing the timid skin that he had played with during the qualifiers, to become this much more aggressive and confident player, giving him numbers of victories against strong players, which he was never expected to beat.

However, coming into the game against Johmer Vales, he knew that he was going to be in for the toughest game of his career, facing the 3rd ranked player in the world. He had played games previously to this that were tough, but nothing had reached this level yet, as he had not been the one to knock out the number 1 ranked player either in the Astyrian Slam or the Hamilton International. That does not diminish his efforts and success though, as he, so far, has progressed the furthest into a tournament out of all the Ethanian players. Even though he knew this was going to be a tough game, he still had a confident attitude. ''I know what I am getting myself into. This is going to be a tough game. Everyone knows it is. The bookies have me at the underdog by a long way. However, I am confident I can get a victory here. Sometimes, I feel that people, especially the media and the top-ranked players, underestimate the skill of the lower-ranked players in the world. They think that they are weak, and playing them is going to be a stroll in the park, but we are not like this. We are great players, on our way up, and we are going to prove this. We can end Cenian domination of tennis.''

Coming into the first set of the game, he certainly translated this strong mindset that he had before the match into the game. As he played, you could see the determination of him to win the game, in the way he swung the racket, in the way he moved about on the court. Pulling away by winning the first 3 games of the set, he concreted himself into a lead in the set. Vales was having none of it though, as he came steam-rolling back into the game in the fourth and fifth sets, winning Angelo's serve game and winning his own to bring the set back to 3 games Angelo, 2 games Vales. Angelo stayed calm, without panicking, and showed the nation, and the multiverse, why he is considered - or now is - one of Ethanian's best tennis players. He continued to play strong, as if there was no threat on his lead of the set, and pressed ahead with looking for that victory that he so desperately needed if he wanted any chance in this match. Determined to win, he pushed ahead again, in a closely fought remainder of the set. Vales was unable to break Angelo though, as the Ethanian continued to stay out front by 2 games to pull off a surprising first set victory of 6 games to 4 for Vales of Ceni.

Not pleased with these results, Vales came back hard, punishing Angelo with some sloppy play in the first few games. Unable to repeat the strong performances of the first set - likely down to exhaustion from pushing so hard in the first set - Angelo collapsed under the pressure, losing 4 games on the bounce to the Cenian in the second set, and making it seem unlikely that Angelo would win the match, after collapsing in the second set. Providing a respite to all Ethanian fans by finally winning a game in the middle of the set - his own serve - he seemed to regain his confidence again, getting back into the game from the position where he just had not been able to get any games. However, this respite was short-lived as the Cenian once again dominated the remainder of the set, winning 2 more games in a row to wrap up the set and win it 6 games to 1, making it seem unlikely that Angelo would win after his disaster of a second set.

This was not to be, however, as Angelo started off strong in the first few games of the set, taking a few risky shots from the net to net himself some points towards the win. Going ahead 2 games to none against the Cenian. Once again, the Cenian was able to recover, winning 2 games on the bounce, breaking Angelo's serve with a remarkable 34 shot rally, to draw level in the set with the Ethanian. It seemed that the Ethanian had lost the momentum and was going to collapse again, but Angelo, not wanting a repeat of the previous set, and with victory in sight, he got himself back into the game, and, not allowing the Cenian to pull away in any game, challenging Vales for every point, he was able to hang on, with a few Aces in his own serve games giving him a chance for victory. It all came for Angelo though in the 12th game of the match, Vales' serve, and the score was 6 games to Angelo and 5 games to Vales, Angelo being only 1 game away from winning the set, and the match. Determined to win, Angelo powered through to go ahead in the Cenian's serve game 30 to 0, a weak serve game for the Cenian in what had been a closely fought match so far. The Cenian, once again spurred on by the fact that losing this game would mean losing the whole match, pushed on to level it in the game, bringing the match to hang in the balance. Both won a point each to bring the game to a deuce, and tip the game in the balace, to the knife edge for Vales, a position in which he was never expected to be in - deuce against a qualification player while behind in games, having lost a set, and to be fighting for the match. Immediately, Vales, determined to not let the match slip away, won the point to tip the game in his favour, and keep himself in the game, but it did not remain this way. Angelo, who did not want to let this opportunity slip in case there would not be another one for him to win the match, pulled the game straight back to a deuce, as the Ethanian fans breathed a sigh of relief. Angelo once again won a point to pull out an advantage, and tip the game in his favour. This continued in a cycle for about 3 rounds, closely played between the 2 players, each side breathing a sigh of relied when an advantage was averted from becoming a win for the game in itself. However, this back and forth could not go on forever. On Angelo's 4th championship point, he started off strong. Vales got in a good serve, but Angelo was able to knock it straight back in a nice swinging forehand motion. A nice little rally developed between the two, back and forth, with Vales pushing to stay in the match, while Angelo was pushing, with all his passion, to secure his place in the final of the Hamilton International. Powered on, Angelo swung a strong right-hander over to the far left of corner of the court, a ball which Vales was unable to reach. It was close, and Angelo, Vales, and the crowd, were unable to tell whether it was in or out. Vales called it up for review, and to everyone's surprise, Vales' disappointment, and Angelo's delight, it was just inside the court, to give Angelo a victory, and a place in the final of the Hamilton International.

I think it is safe to say that Angelo can now be classed as the first Ethanian tennis great, after that resounding victory against the number three seed to book his place in the final of the Hamilton International. While not as shocking as the victories to knock out the world number one in the Astyrian Slam and earlier in this tournament, it is the amount of upsets, and how far he has come, that has secured himself his reputation. It is not all over for him though, not by a long stretch. Nico Angelo will be facing another extremely tough game in tomorrows match, the final, against the world number 4 ranked Lonus Varalin, also of Ceni. It will not be an easy game for him, arguably even more challenging than this game just gone because of the prestige associated with this match, and victory in it. The question is: can Nico Angelo pull off one more upset to win the Hamilton International, and surprise everyone? Whatever the result of the final match is, and it would be amazing for Angelo if he did win, Angelo has secured himself as an Ethanian great, and for sure, has built his reputation and his rank on the world stage. Just reaching the final is a massive achievement for Nico Angelo, and winning this match would just add one more upset to his resume.

[Electrum]

Final cutoff, final results now...

---

Singles Championship

Nico Angelo (ETN)        7   3   3
Lonus Varalin (CEN)      6   6   6

Doubles Championship*

Samuel Gates/Greg Meares (ETM)     1   6  11
Eka Putrawan/Dwi Ratmadi (PCU)     6   2   9

*Scored by The Sarian

Congratulations to the winners and runners up, who all walk away with the trophies, brooches and pins described [url=http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=335236#p24032313]here[/here]