The AOpen II - RP & Scores (Tennis, NSTT Grand Slam Event)

[Krytenia]

The AOpen II - The Grand Slam of Atlantian Oceania

Welcome to the second AOpen, the Grand Slam of Atlantian Oceania! The newest Grand Slam on the ATP circuit, it is being held at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Emberton. Those with a long memory may remember the venue from the Seventh Summer Olympics held here in Emberton, the capital of Krytenia; for those who don't...well, it's a chance to make some memories of your own.

The Singles Competition
[*]The top thirty-two players entered in the competition are seeded in the main draw.
[*]The next thirty-two ranked players are unseeded, but qualify automatically to the main draw.
[*]The remaining players will be sorted into main draw and qualifying draw once signups are closed. At least one player from each nation competing will qualify automatically to the main draw.
[*]All matches, including qualifiers, are best of five sets. Sets at 6-6 are decided by tiebreaker; if the fifth set is at 6-6, then play continues until a player leads by two games.

The Doubles Competition
[*]The top sixteen pairs entered in the competition are seeded in the main draw.
[*]The next sixteen ranked pairs are unseeded, but qualify automatically to the main draw.
[*]The remaining pairs will be sorted into main draw and qualifying draw once signups are closed. At least one pair from each nation competing will qualify automatically to the main draw.
[*]All matches, including qualifiers, are best of five sets. Sets at 6-6 are decided by tiebreaker; if the fifth set is at 6-6, then play continues until a player leads by two games.

Your Host City - Oxley District, City of Emberton
Emberton is the sprawling capital of Krytenia. Known as the "City of Nations", pretty much all nationalities can be found somewhere in the city limits. The centre of the city is full of gleaming skyscrapers, whilst the outskirts are "garden suburbs" with plenty of parkland. The Olympic Tennis Centre itself is in the Oxley area of the city; expect to see many maroon and navy shirts and scarves, as Royal Emberton FC play about a half mile down the road. Transport is good, with Oxley Hawton Road station on the Emberton Metro the best bet for reaching the venue. If you fancy a bit of a walk, Oxley Park station (on the mainline) is by the football ground, and offers a refreshing (and well-signposted) walk that will take you through the centre of the district, and the bars, restaurants, and cafés therein. Oxley Park Green, next to Oxley Park station, will host a big-screen "fan area" with live music throughout the tournament.

Your Host Venue
The OTC is a rather large venue, set as a venue "in the park". Plenty of landscaping, plenty of space to mingle. Free maps are provided. The complex contains twenty-one courts, including five show courts.

The Medal Court - Marked on the map as MC or Court Zero, this is the main court. Nineteen thousand can be seated here, and there is a retractable roof for bad weather.
Olympus Court (Court One) - Seats fourteen thousand. With sunshine predicted, the new roof might not get an outing.
Celesta Court (Court Two) - The smallest of the central courts. Seats 7,800. Easily recognisable by its sky blue seats, as opposed to the dark teal of the rest of the complex.
South Court (Court Ten) - As the name suggests, the southernmost court. Seats 3,100.
North Court (Court Twenty) - As the name suggests, the northernmost court. Also seats 3,100.

The remaining courts range from capacities of five hundred to fifteen hundred. General admission tickets give all-day access to non-show courts, subject to available seats. Reserved seating at any non-show court can be requested prior to day's play. Show court seats are available per match or all day, but will cost more of that hard-earned cash.

Schedule
Monday 24 October - Qualifiers (minor courts only)
Tuesday 25 October - Round 1: Singles sections A-D, doubles sections A-B
Wednesday 26 October - Round 1: Singles sections E-H, doubles sections C-D
Thursday 27 October - Round 2: Singles sections A-D, doubles sections A-B
Friday 28 October - Round 2: Singles sections E-H, doubles sections C-D
Saturday 29 October - Singles round 3
Sunday 30 October - No scorination
Monday 31 October - Doubles round of 16
Tuesday 1 November - Singles round of 16
Wednesday 2 November - Doubles quarter-finals
Thursday 3 November - Singles quarter-finals
Friday 4 November - Doubles semi-finals
Saturday 5 November - Singles semi-finals
Sunday 6 November - Finals

Cutoffs will be approx 2330-0000 UK time on each day. Please note this means that the cutoff is an hour earlier in the second week, as British Summer Time (the UK's DST) ends in the early hours of October 30. Should any Krytenians reach the last sixteen of any competition, those matches will be scorinated by a third party. RP bonus is cumulative, and added directly to logarithmic rank for each player.

[Krytenia]

SINGLES DRAW

Section A
[3] Marla Gerard (NEG) v Rob Westfelt (SCH)
Estela Fenton-Millington (EFL) v Sean Dunne (CCT)
[30] Halaeo DiGaldi (QAD) v Sheena Belko (BEN)
Simcha bat Dor (JUD) v Helisu Rak (VKL)
[9] Kika Dovan (CEN) v Marco Vrient (NEG)
Bradyn Burn (EFL) v Zeke Volt (BEN)
[29] Rafferty Henri (NDA) v Dominik Augsbirjke (MTJ)
Adebowale Gilliam (NDA) v Ria Valentia (SRB)

Section B
[7] Ardil Navsal (CEN) v Dominika Lisicki (MTJ)
Jim Cowie (SCH) v Yissakhar ben Ira (JUD)
[23] Dominic Ripaldi (NEG) v Donny Knight (QAD)
Mattias Doerwald (NEG) v Sean Walters (ANT)
[15] Alma Semmes (NEG) v Aljaž Ćorluka (MTJ)
Andrew Baumgartner (KRY) v Luis Cantarman (BEN)
[22] Ellela Thotan (CEN) v Selav Tukerawan (VKL)
Melissa Herbert (NGD) v Ruwee Dibaba (COS)

Section C
[2] Lonus Varalin (CEN) v Ben Cooney (CCT)
Hadar ben Ofer (JUD) v Donovan MacBride (ANT)
[17] Noah Damaris (CEN) v David Sonnendahl (KRY)
Mark Southgate (NGD) v Livnat bat Avram (JUD)
[16] Jill Walker (SCH) v Barry Coffey (CCT)
Meaghan Sharples (EFL) v Fionan Minogue (CCT)
[26] Stephen Perez (KRY) v Troy Hourigan (CCT)
Laura Roshik (MRC) v Kasandra Perrier (EFL)

Section D
[5] Ciache Nagya (CEN) v Noelle Dennis (KRY)
Marisa Celeste Frieri (SRB) v Ravid ben Yehoshua (JUD)
[21] Tommy West (NGD) v Nik au Ignaa (REV)
Carus Lurious (SCH) v Philomena Chasity Haven (PRD)
[12] Catherine Kruminš (SCH) v Feyrord Poniac (QAD)
Georgio Irani (EFL) v Mayeso Kayden (NDA)
[24] Felice Marceaux (NEG) v Damion Kester Dunn (ANT)
Keeley Sinai (EFL) v Boya au Ignaa (REV)

Section E
[1] Botack Andiam (CEN) v Theodor Rahl (NEG)
Jaimy Leger (EFL) v Elke Hartung (NEG)
[32] Martin Bond (NDA) v Gilad ben Yehudah (JUD)
Adam Gory (SCH) v Marika Kanepi-Vukovic (SRB)
[11] Neia Dovan (CEN) v Borusa Mallapragada (COS)
Gisela Stefanovic (SRB) v Max Aswick (NGD)
[20] Gabe Anderson (NDA) v Adam Smith (BEN)
Ty Kanelious (QAD) v Sissie Damsgard (LIS)

Section F
[6] Johmer Vales (CEN) v Kathy Ellis (PRD)
Megan Elliott (NGD) v Ausir Eduril (SAV)
[27] Danjella Zovic (NEG) v Stuart Riley (KRY)
John Muir (SCH) v Cathal Conneally (CCT)
[14] Luke Pool (SCH) v Alba Baxter (SCH)
Harry Blackwood (NGD) v Ross Algersuari (KRY)
[18] Andrew Lamar (NGD) v Degei (SAV)
Sukaina Yunan (EFL) v Wesly Archibald (PRD)

Section G
[4] Andy Amada (CEN) v Pierre au Ignaa (REV)
Jill Clark (NGD) v Sarah Johnson (TOB)
[31] Cracik Almeronovic (MRC) v Tijana Mirkic (SRB)
Liam Penderyn (NGD) v Arieh ben Daniyyel (JUD)
[13] Paul Quiront (NEG) v Anat ben Yonah (JUD)
Ofir bat Paz (JUD) v Ava Kerperios (VKL)
[25] Thierry Garzala (NEG) v Dani Mateus (NDA)
Linwood Marchand (NDA) v Sarah Dinsdale (KRY)

Section H
[8] Marisa Maradona (CEN) v Anne Valens (LIS)
Aljaž Isaac (EFL) v Stephanie Brown (NGD)
[19] Eliza Reusmann (SCH) v Alexander Linip (MRC)
Mattias Burges (MTJ) v Ofra bat Dekel (JUD)
[10] Dioro Hansil (CEN) v Cian McInerney (CCT)
Paul Chinra (TOB) v Tom O'Neill (CCT)
[28] Jessica Moreaux (KRY) v Bilaal Bilclough (EFL)
Alex Sanders (TOB) v Scott Durin (LIS)


DOUBLES DRAW

Section A
[4] Perger Rianor / Ricpeer Rianor (CEN) v Starlin Azocar / Alcides Ferrara (SRB)
Cristos Browning / Mya Browning (EFL) v Patrick Sintarnov / Harry Rymin (MRC)
[15] Glenn Benoit / Drummond Hamilton (NDA) v Phoebe Harvey / Berat Latif (EFL)
Jack McDonell / Alan Alexander (SCH) v Tom O'Neill / Sean McInerney (CCT)
[5] Will Nolovor / Kell Korden (CEN) v Marisa Celeste Frieri / Gisela Stefanovic (SRB)
Jill Clark / Melissa Herbert (NGD) v Catalina Vallejos / Kieryn Alvarado (COS)
[9] Owen Simmons / Perry Walsh (KRY) v Ray Franco / Jennifer Rawlings (KRY)
Laura Roshik / Wendy Noyek (MRC) v Haimo au Jara / Horsa au Jara (REV)

Section B
[1] Coosal Darlcheri / Gyrachor Rentos (CEN) v Wendy Gonson / James Andies (TOB)
Rayford Wise / Dhaakir Prieto (EFL) v Sam Jones / Danny Wallson (TOB)
[16] Giorgio Irani / Clementina Travers (EFL) v Katina Gallion / Madeleine Quinn (LIS)
Jeremy Metagne / Elizabeth Corbisieri (KRY) v Kara Dragovič / Jelena Svitolina (MTJ)
[6] Val Korekal / Jac Iegis (CEN) v Trudy Penolakin / Helen Carbonni (VKL)
Livnat bat Avram / Arieh ben Daniyyel (JUD) v Jaime Mendez / Elijah Omenna (PRD)
[11] Peter McLeod / Anna Jones (SCH) v Luciano Ziccardino IV / Selav Tukerawan (VKL)
Rikard Kampl / Dominika Lisicki (MTJ) v Blair Forest / Donny Knight (QAD)

Section C
[3] Ellela Thotan / Ciache Nagya (CEN) v Monas Kel-Eir / Helisu Rak (VKL)
Julian Slazić / Lara Basič (MTJ) v Paul Chinra / Alex Sanders (TOB)
[10] Jack Algernon / Andrew Lamar (NGD) v Viktor Vokazov / Paul James (BEN)
Michael Legrand / Juan Ortiz (KRY) v Tommy West / Stephanie Brown (NGD)
[8] Rob Westfelt / Ken Gates (SCH) v David Branson / Donovan MacBride (ANT)
Marcel Jamil / Lynton Shelley (NDA) v Frida au Fuse / Emma au Fuse de Maris (REV)
[13] Dominic Ripaldi / Mattias Doerwald (NEG) v Sebastien Durand / Francois Navarre (KRY)
Anat ben Yonah / Hadar ben Ofer (JUD) v Harvey Buck / Scott Dimmer (PRD)

Section D
[2] Elia Xal / Fia Xal (CEN) v Ravid ben Yehoshua / Ofir bat Paz (JUD)
Mark Southgate / Megan Elliott (NGD) v Franklin Polymar / Yves Whitz (QAD)
[14] Alma Semmes / Danjiella Zovic (NEG) v Angela Knight / Ian Kennedy (KRY)
Jack Parminus / Adam Stratesimov (MRC) v Dorian Almosetti / Svetlana Liete (COS)
[7] Paul Quiront / Thierry Garzala (NEG) v Feyrord Poniac / Jaxton Monty (QAD)
Kiersten Bullock / Reina Jaber (EFL) v Catherine Kruminš / Adam Gory (SCH)
[12] Harry Blackwood / Liam Penderyn (NGD) v Florian Durigan / Gareth Teiss (LIS)
Sven Abel / Sven Strand (SAV) v Gyda au Jara / Andrea au Jara (REV)

[The Redvale]

The River

Book I: Flame

Chapter One: The Vision

Somewhere far into the sea, past rough waters and veils of clouds that kept the rest of the world away, there was an island. An island that was from another age, in a way. The island was ruled by a pantheon of gods, who limited the world of the island’s inhabitants to the shores of the island, and carried out their will through miracles and acts that were impossible to explain by science. They called that island Redvale, because of the scorched rocky land that had been turned red by the gods, and because of the deep valleys that had been carved by them at some point.

And on that island, next to the northern bay, there was a city called Maris. Outside of that city, past the university nearby the mountain that the city was named after, there was a monastery dedicated to the fire god, Ignaa. Fire was the chief element in Redvali mythology, the one that made life possible and kept it going. Thus, the cult of Ignaa was the largest, and the monastery by Mount Maris was the largest. Those that lived in the monastery had various jobs. Some were warriors who specialized in the art of fire magic. Others were alchemists and mages who instructed students from the outside. Some of them were young men and women who were staying there to learn from the more experienced monks and prophets.

Nik au Ignaa was part of none of those groups. He was a slave, an orphaned boy who had been raised at the monastery to become a member of the Inquisition. There was a hierarchy even for slaves, and Nik was one of the top ones in the monastery. He was set to gain his freedom as soon as he turned twenty one and graduated into the Inquisition’s ranks. He knew that his future was bright, but he didn’t know that it was about to change dramatically.

=====

Morning for Nik started with a routine. Getting up, taking some time for morning meditation, and then going down a few floors to the Inquisition dining hall and having breakfast. After eating, it was usually time for Inquisition training. Inquisitors were trained in a number of things, but magic was one of the things that they took the most classes for. The day that things changed, that was what Nik was working on.

“If you keep trying to force it, it’s never going to work,” his instructor told him, as he stood with the rest of the class and tried to use a flight spell. None of the students were able to figure it out, and the instructor looked especially frustrated that Nik didn’t get it.

“Sorry, boss. I’m not feeling quite right today,” Nik said. The red haired twenty year old ran a hand over his nearly shaved head in frustration, and wiped the sweat off of his face. “I find it hard to focus today. It’s as if the gods are calling me right now. I can’t describe it better than that… Maybe a prophet would be able to explain.”

The instructor raised an eyebrow. “If you believe the gods are calling you, then leave early and head to the meditation rooms. Maybe you will find the answers that you’re looking for there.”

Nik nodded and left, going up three flights of stairs to one of the floors near the top of the giant monastery. Through a large set of doors, there was a meditation room with a stone floor and mats lying on the ground to sit on. The decorations of the room, rocks and candles, supposedly made it more attractive to the gods, meaning that there was a better chance of contacting them from here. He sat down on one of the mats near the middle, next to some priests who were already meditating. They’d likely been here for hours already, which wasn’t uncommon for them.

Silently, Nik got into a meditative position and closed his eyes. He kept still, completely still. That was a must for meditation, at least in the Vali religion. As his body kept still and went into a sleeplike state, more energy went to his mind. He could feel the same sensation from earlier, like the gods were calling. If he was a prophet, he would know how to respond, but he wasn’t. And so he waited, and didn’t move. He lost track of the time that he was there, but eventually, it worked.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn’t in the place where he had been when he closed them.

=====

Nik was standing in the middle of a forest, with a large river flowing through it, and standing in front of him was a man with many arms and a face that could change in less time than it took to blink an eye. The man held a flame in one hand and a miniature sun in another. This was the flame god that everyone in the monastery served, Ignaa. “Hello, Nikolai,” the god said in Old Redvali. Nik’s understanding was only partial, but he could understand enough to know what Ignaa was saying.

“Why am I seeing you?” Nik asked bluntly, mainly because that was about as far as his Old Redvali went. The language hadn’t been spoken widely for at least a few hundred years, after all.

“Because you are one of the ones who will expand our glory beyond the shores of Redvale. The red island was brought to a new location for a reason, to expand the belief and power of the pantheon to a new region and to get the attention of the rest of the world,” Ignaa continued. “We will get the attention that we desire from other nations through using representatives like you. You and the other of the most athletic members of the monastery will go to Krytenia, and when you reach that nation, you will compete in our name in a sporting competition that will put us on the scene. And you will do this with the purpose of spreading the faith.”

Nik had to pause before he could come up with a reply to that. “I’ll do whatever you wish. But I might not be the best one to select for this. I may be athletic, but I’ve never played a sport well.”

A second figure materialized next to Ignaa, a female one with pale skin and a more humanlike form. Nik recognized the figure as Lae, Ignaa’s sister and the goddess of the harvest and of fertility. “You and your teammates will have us supporting you,” she said. “Do not worry about your skill. You won’t be in this alone.”

“I’ll do it, then,” Nik said, and he looked the two figures over once again before they started to fade. Everything started to fade, now that they had gotten the message across to him. “Wait a minute, I have a couple more questions,” he added, but it was too late. Everything went to black, and Nik was starting from square one again. Except now he knew what he had to do. He, and apparently a group of others, had to get to Krytenia, where they would compete in the name of their gods.

It was something that they had to do, but it was also easier said than done.

[House of Judah]

“It’s been awhile since all of us were together,” Simcha bat Dor noted.

“Well, not all of us have had the same sort of successes some others have,” Yissakhar ben Ira replied. Simcha blushed.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“You’re fine,” Batsheva bat Erez interrupted. “He’s just a little sour because things are not going too well with Shai.” Simcha looked over at Yissakhar.

“What’s going on with Shai?” Simcha asked. Yissakhar sighed.

“His show got some bad reviews and closed early. He’s been taking it pretty hard, and now the troupe might be breaking up. He’s been an absolute bear to live with. He… stayed home this time.” Simcha reached over and grabbed Yissakhar’s shoulder supportively.

“I’m sure things will get better when you get home,” she reassured.

“I don’t think it will be quite long enough for things to get better. I’ll probably get the boot in qualifiers. No point in staying after that.”

“What, aren’t you going to root for the rest of us?” Gilad ben Yehudah.

“How could you abandon our man like that?” asked Shani bat Dar, Gilad’s pregnant wife.

“He’s quite firmly your man, love,” Yissakhar said. “I just borrow him long enough to get spanked at tennis.”

“You could try upping your game,” Shani teased. Yissakhar waved his hand dismissively at the woman.

“Your qualifier group doesn’t look too bad. No one else is even ranked.”

“And I’m barely ranked,” Yissakhar replied.

“Oh cheer up, Yissakhar,” Gilad said. “At the very least we’ll have some fun seeing who Ravid shacks up with.” Ravid ben Yehoshua looked over.

“I do not shack up, you Philistine,” Ravid said angrily. “I love each and every one of them for the time we are together.”

“Of course you do, Ravid,” Ofir bat Paz soothed. “Have you met any Krytenian girls yet?”

“There are one or two I’m thinking about, but I won’t know until tonight when I go out to the club.”

“You already have a club picked out?” asked Aviv bat Roi.

“Of course. I do not go anywhere unprepared. I’ve spoken with trusted authorities on the subject and they have directed me to the best venues.”

“Well, alright then,” replied Ofir. “Let’s get checked into the hotel then head out to Ravid’s club.”

“As long as everyone remembers that we have some tennis to play in the morning,” said Ofra bat Dekel.

“Yes Mom,” Ofir joked and the Judeans laughed as they continued to their hotel for the AOpen.

[Schottia]

SBCNEWS Online...
Tennis special - The AOpen II

---

Journalists back home, have been falling over themselves to heap praise on Schotia's tennis players, after what has been a whirlwind first full season on the tour. With the International Tennis Trophy in the cabinet, two doubles titles, and more recently Catherine Kruminš victory at the Whitehaven Open, it would certainly seem that there is much cause for optimism. For the first time ever at a grand slam we have four seeded players all inside the top twenty - and one, in the form of Kruminš, who possibly has an outside shot at the title. The teenager's form in particular has created quite a stir in a nation not really used to winning anything, and prospect of having a future top-ten player in our midst, has put us all on a high state of alert.

However with Qualification about to get underway, this brief article aims to take a look at the lesser-known players, who will have to make it through the hard way. It might be tough going, but with the prospect of playing in the prestigious AOpen dangling at the end of this very long stick, it is a carrot well worth chasing.

Rob Westfelt is a player better known in combination with his playing partner Ken Gates, where the two of them have had a fair amount of success this season, winning both the Nassau Bay and Cityscapes Opens earlier in the year. The 30-year-old has been drawn against newcomer Katina Rangel form Paradisiam, who hopefully shouldn't present the vastly experienced Westfelt with any major problems. The Schottian has previously made the main draw of two slams, but the Cenian Open and Electrum were much better surfaces for him. The singles is likely to be a bit of a distraction for Westfelt, who will have the brunt of his attention on the doubles, where he and his partner are seeded eight.

Making the first round of the Cenian Open, and the second round of the Electrum Slamm III, Alba Baxter will be confident of making it three out of three in her debut tour season. While the 21-year-old is ranked at a lowly 168 on the NSTT, it is most likely a reflection of how little she has played this season. She is up against Cosumar's Kieryn Alvarado playing in what is his home tournament of sorts in AO. Baxter will fancy her chances no doubt, however, like Westfelt, grass is not her favourite surface. The same could be said for all of our players with the exception of Reusmann, with grass not a common court type on the Schottic Tour.

20-year-old Anna Jones is making her tour debut on the singles circuit here in Emberton, after what has been a strong doubles season with partner Peter McLeod. A tall player with a strong serve and quick feet around the baseline, Jones has all the makings of a good player - and at only 20, she has time on her side. While she is mostly known for her run to the semis of the Cenian Open in the doubles, Jones has had some success as a player in her own right. However, most of that success has been confined to national and junior tournaments back in Schottia, and she is thus far unproven at this level. She will lock horns with Serbian Jade Oreskovic, in what is likely to be an exceptionally difficult match, for that reason Jones will be taking things one day at a time in her first slam.

Our final singles entry, Dianna Plath makes her comeback after a long leave of absence from the NSTT. The 21-year-old was part of the same group of youngster including Jill Walker, Eliza Reusmann, and John Muir, who burst onto the scene at the start of the year; however she has sadly been left behind. Failure to make an impact at tournaments in Bastion, New Oxford, and Cenial have seen her fail to break into the top 100, while her countrymen and women have gone on to reach new heights. There is certainly a good player in there somewhere, but having drawn the tricky Katarina Dragovič, we may need to wait a while yet to see her full potential.

Moving on to the doubles, there are some potentially interesting pairings coming together for this one. Adam Gory along with good friend Catherine Kruminš are back for another stab at it, after their first outing in New Oxford ended in defeat. Kruminš has been the shining light of Schottic tennis so far this season, but she has thus far been unable to convert her singles form to doubles. With Gory now ranked 68th in the world also, you would imagine they could form a decent pairing if they are able to get their act together. They have been drawn against Cosumarite duo Borusa Mallapragada and Damien Arranguiz, who are ranked way down the field at 156, but that small amount of experience might just be the difference in this opening bout.

Next up is an entirely new pairing of Eliza Reusmann and Jill Walker, and with both players doing well on the singles tour right now, it is a potentially exciting combination. Walker is fresh from her first ever final at the tier one Championship New Oxford, while Reusmann has made the quarterfinals of her last two tournaments. Both players are at an all time high in their careers right now, and will have an eye firmly fixed on the singles draw. That said, the doubles represents a great chance to get some playing time under their belts, and another chance to play in a grand slam. They've been drawn up against Redvale's Emmerich au Fuse and Conrad au Fuse, also unranked, so this should make for an interesting battle, as both pairs will look to hit the ground running.

Finally, the combination of two of Schottia's big hitters, Jim Cowie and John Muir, should be an intriguing one. Neither player is afraid to hit the ball hard, even if accuracy can be a bit of a problem, so whoever they end up playing can expect fireworks at least. Both are decent singles players in their own right, with Cowie ranked 90th at the moment, and Muir knocking on the door of the world's top 50. With the latter certainly having temperament issues, you feel like this could actually be good for both players, and a strong run here in Emberton could inspire a little confidence. Up first for the boys are Jason Bjornjolf and Hailee Baysinger from Paradisiam, so the match is winnable, although they will need to keep their concentration if they are to get through it unscathed.

There is without a doubt a certain romance about the AOpen; with so much that sets it apart form the rest of the tour. With the majority of Multiverse Tennis confined to the south east of Rushmore, a chance to break out of that sets it apart from the two hard court slams. There is also the slight unpredictability of grass, which can in some cases be a leveller, so look out for a couple of shocks. With a player like Marisa Maradona lifting the title last year, it is proof that anything can happen. This will hopefully serve as further motivation - not that it will be needed - for Schottia's hopefuls, setting out on their journey later today.

[Bendicion]

Bendicion Delegate's Hotel
Room 247
0100

The dark night had reached its peak, the sun's dawning rays were fast approaching. But the city was still fast asleep, with each and one in a dream. The sky was still lit with the sparkling stars, amidst the great milky way. But to our heroes, a night was not just for dreams to be dreamt but for them to come true. As our hero, Gideon Jones;22, had finally had the night of his life. He had dreamed of sleeping with his beautiful co-athlete Megan Young;22, and allit had come true the night before. He had seen her silky white glow, and her pink thighs as well as seeing her rounded breasts. But, that was of course when Megan Young's room had to be renovated for the next day. She had just slept with him at the next bed. Not made love. There's a difference. But he had the time of his life. She was wearing short shorts and a loose white shirt. She was still sleeping soundly but our hero looked carefully every inch of her body. Her curvy thighs, he rounded butt as well as her mouth watering breasts.

Then he soundly slept.

6 hours later....

Gideon's POV

"Prrrrrrrrttt!!!" sounded the whistle of Coach Freddie; age 49, "Come on people we got training to do!!! On your feet!! Meet at the Quadrangle in 30 minutes sharp!!!". Then coach slapped the door hard.'Oh how i'd want to sleep more'. I turned to my covers once more. When i felt something under my covers."Yeesh!!!! Me-...Me---Megan??!!What are you doing there?!!", i blurted. For underneath my covers, sprawled on my lower abdomen was my co-athlete Megan. "Well...", she spoke soundly, "The AC was so cold I wanted to covers. I couldnt find one, so i decided to snuggle below you? Was I uncomfortable to you??", she asked, her eyes making a puppy face. "Oh yes---i mean no--'she said uncomfortable'---well lets hurry up..coach said so.", i replied. "Okie!", she said as she blew the covers out of me. Revealing my wood. We stopped and for a moment we looked at it for a second then at each other."Im very sorry!! Megan please dont look!!", i shouted as I hurriedly took back the covers and hid under it. She couldnt say anything, as she already ran towards the door back to her room. "What an idiot I am!", I slapped myself I hurried to get started for my first training.

Minutes later, I was at the Quadrangle, our multi tennis court arena. Word had it the Reich leased the court just for us. I saw other athletes like myself. But I immediately took notice of my long best friend Adam Smith;24, "Hey Gideon! How was your night!", he sarcastically said in my face. "How was the view?". "The view huh?", we heard a voice behind us. "Really Ads?", it was his girlfriend Polina Espana; 22, she was crossing her arms. She had fair complexion, had nice curves and a gorgeous face. But she wasnt my type, because she was getting red by the minute. "ADAM B. SMITH!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!!", the wolf-girlfriend blasted on my best friend. " So long pal!", i said to Adam as I raced out to safety. As I ran I saw a lovely orchid tree, they were so delicate to look that I stopped to look at them momentarily. "What lovely orchids!", i exclaimed as I attempted to grab one. "Please dont!", a voice rang nearby. It was Sheena Belko; 19, a nice girl. She was lovely as well as an elegant girl. She was wearing short shorts and a rather tight shirt where her bras could be distinguished, but other than that most men wouldve courtesied her than flirted with her. "Please dont pick them out. Theyre lovely as they are. Plucking them out would just hurt them.", she said with such meekness I stopped. "Oh ok...", i replied to her. "Thank you.", she said as she grabbed her racket and went back to the main group. I followed behind her as I was already hearing coach yelling instructions.

"OK Singles Participants go to Courts A-L, Doubles participants, half go to the gym for warm-up exercises and half of you get some jogging around the Quadrangle!! NOW!! NOW!! PEOPLE!! Go to your stations!!", he blurted and blurted.

However, I could see everyone was hurrying to their specified places. Some were already rallying while others still wondered where they left their water canteens. I looked to my Group Seeing paper.'SINGLES...vs Anna Eldred' it read. "Oh well time for some exercise and practice", i aid merrily to myself. I looked to the courts A-L and went to find my partner to rally against. I read the one for Court C, then D, then A, next and the next until i finally went to look at Court L.. I read the paper posted near it.' Alex Forsythe vs Josh Kolzak, Viktor Vozakov vs Michel Santos, Megan Young vs...."THE HECK"... Gideon Jones." I was about to have a panic attack. I looked left and right, she was nowhere near the court. Santos and Vozakov were already nearing their end game. "Looking for me?", a voice spoke...hmm, I think I heard that before. I looked at my back, there she was, smiling. "Oh I was searching for you, thought you left.", i smirked. "Left? I would not go out without practice.", she raised her eyebrows. "Ok you two, its your turn.", Santos said as she and Vozakov exited the court. "Oh well", Megan said. "Time to beat you", she laughed. "Woah hang in there pretty lady!", i replied myself. "I think you'll meet your match!". She started the rally...................for a time I enjoyed practice..........


25 minutes later... the game ended. She had won.

" Well, If you cant beat them. Love them! "

[Krytenia]

OOC: Second post updated with full draws.

EMBERTON GEARS UP FOR AOPEN
Published Sunday 23 October at 10:10

The grass is mown, the famed peaches and cream are on standby, and the great and the good of the NSTT are descending on the Krytenian capital. The fourth and final Slam of the year is almost upon us.

For Jessica Moreaux, this has been a banner year, and the eighteen-year-old will be seeded in a Slam for the very first time, with absentees and the collapse of Permecutan meaning she will enter the tournament as the twenty-eighth ranked player. Moreaux will start her campaign on Wednesday against Bilaal Bilclough. Stephen Perez, too, is seeded, and the Emberton native will play an opponent who will already have lost a game in the competition; the number of entrants gives five losers in Qualifying Round Two a second chance in the main draw, and the last of those to be drawn out of the hat will play Perez on Celesta Court on Tuesday. Andrew "Boom Boom" Baumgartner, meanwhile, faces one of four opponents as he has drawn a qualifier; the Krytenian number three will be looking to break back into the top hundred with a win that will most likely result in a match against fifteenth seed Alma Semmes.

In the doubles, home eyes will be on the pairing of Messrs Simmons and Walsh. The twosome narrowly missed out on a top eight seeding, but with a few pairs above them not making the trip to the EOTC, they might have their eyes on a Tour Finals place. Job One, then, is winning their opener against a qualifier that could potentially be fellow countrymen Ray Franco and Jenny Rawlings. That match is on Wednesday.

The minor courts take over the show today and tomorrow, though, as two rounds of qualifying sort the wheat from the chaff. It will be an interesting amuse-bouche to the main competition, and with cheap tickets and several Krytenians in action, it's worth getting on down to Oxley and getting your tennis on.

[The Redvale]

---

TENNIS FEVER HITS REDVALE AS TEAM ENTERS AOPEN FOR FIRST TIME
Article by Yannick Harper, sport enthusiast and Vali missionary

For the first time ever, the Redvale is attempting to gain relevancy in the world by entering a sports competition. The country has enjoyed sports for a long time, with gridiron football being the one that gets the best attendances, and tennis is one sport that's always hung around Redvale's largest cities such as Avgaria and Janford. However, we've never entered a competition to compete against other nations in sports. This time, that's what we're doing, but not for completely competitive reasons. Us members of the Vali religion are always trying to convert heretics, but we've historically rarely went beyond our borders to do so. Mainly because most of the Second Age of the Gods has been spent in isolation. Now that our island is no longer cut off from the rest of the world, a group of slaves and priests in Maris had visions instructing them to take up athletics to compete in the name of the pantheon. Many of the players entering for Redvale aren't even actual tennis players, but rather inhabitants of the famous Mount Maris Monastery dedicated to the flame god. Here's a quick look at some players of note on the roster before qualifying play.

Emma au Fuse de Maris: One of the few players on this delegation to actually win something. She's the favorite slave of Dago Fuse, son of the Grand Theocrat, and she has four trophies in her cabinet already: the Maris Open in singles, Janford Invitational in doubles, and Castle Classic in both. The only one of the big four Redvali competitions she hasn't won is the Avgaria Cup, which she finished third place in. She's also one of the most recognizable players competing for Redvale, with a full body tattoo that has a tribal design radiating outwards from the logo of the fertility goddess on her back. However, if she ever ends up having Dago Fuse's children, she'll likely get forced into an early retirement at the age of twenty three.

Jakub au Ignaa: The most experienced of the monastery dwellers is Jakub au Ignaa, who won the Castle Classic two years back during a break in his training as a missionary. The twenty five year old from Janford was an obvious choice for anyone building a tennis team from those living at the monastery, and Jakub's 6'5 height gives him a longer reach and has helped him in the past, by making him run less than some other players with shorter arms. His future as a pro tennis player is somewhat in doubt, as he would have to get out of his job as a missionary to go after that full time even if he has great success in the AOpen.

Nik au Ignaa: An orphan who was raised in the monastery, Nik au Ignaa isn't an athlete but was one of the best players in training for Redvale. Long story short, the twenty year old has some tricks up his sleeve in the form of magic, and it's unknown if this will help him or get him disqualified. He's a very powerful fire mage who dabbles in other branches of magic too, and has a certain flair to his style. Expect him to get under the skin of his opponents and grind out good results despite the lack of experience on his part.

Gyda and Andrea au Jara: Speaking of flair, this is the one thing that twin sisters Gyda and Andrea have. Both of them are wind up artists who are experts at pissing off the opponent. The two orphans have been slaves of the Fuse family ever since they were taken away with their parents, two high ranking Vali church officials, at age seventeen for conspiracy against the church and the state. They had to watch their parents get executed, but a lovestruck Dago Fuse was smitten by their appearance and had them spared, instead pressing them into the service of the Inquisition. Gyda, Andrea, Nik, and Boya are the four Inquisitors in the ranks of this team, and it should be interesting to see how far they can push the boundaries with their magic. There's also rumors that Gyda and Andrea were planning to defect to Krytenia as soon as they stepped off of the plane, but that's unlikely now that Gyda is covered from head to toe in Inquisition tattoos and Andrea has a very visible ouroboros tattoo on her arm.

We don't know how things will go. This could be great for the country and it could bring recognition to our church, or it could be an absolute disaster that sees everyone getting eliminated before the knockout stages. We don't really know yet, and nobody does. But it's a first step in bringing our country into international relevance, and so all of us at Red Valley Media support the new Redvali team in their efforts to win in tennis. We'll be the first ones to provide updates and recaps as the matches start very soon.

[Krytenia]

Singles - Qualifying Round 1

Martina Anger (VKL)                       3   2   6
Noelle Dennis (KRY)                       6   6   7

Goran Petrovic (SRB)                      4   7   4   6  10
Helios Solaris (PRD)                      6   6   6   1   8

Olivera Yuvir (SAV)                       6   4   4   7   3
Molly Rhonic (MRC)                        4   6   6   5   6

Gilad ben Yehudah (JUD)                   6   6   6   6
Jakub au Ignaa (REV)                      7   4   2   4

Hammond Lauren Géroux (ANT)               3   5   7   4
Trudy Penolakin (VKL)                     6   7   5   6

Sarah Johnson (TOB)                       6   7   5   1   6
Blair Forest (QAD)                        2   6   7   6   3

Tara Bellerose (ANT)                      2   6   7   6   6
Sean Dunne (CCT)                          6   4   5   7   8

Luke Astoria (BEN)                        5   6   6   4   5
Victoria au Ignaa (REV)                   7   4   3   6   7

Lovell O'Connor (ANT)                     6   2   6   3
Zeke Volt (BEN)                           1   6   7   6

Noah Lennox (NGD)                         6   6   6
Dorian Almosetti (COS)                    4   4   3

Gideon Jones (BEN)                        6   6   6
Anna Eldred (ANT)                         4   3   4

Paramena Olympianus (PRD)                 4   6   4
Yissakhar ben Ira (JUD)                   6   7   6

Katina Rangel (PRD)                       2   4   4
Rob Westfelt (SCH)                        6   6   6

Lou Herriot (NDA)                         4   4   0
Vladimir Ivanovic Ivanov (SRB)            6   6   6

Elsa Dublein (VKL)                        3   3   7   4
Sarah Dinsdale (KRY)                      6   6   5   6

Pierre au Ignaa (REV)                     7   5   7   3   6
Georgette Cannon (EFL)                    6   7   6   6   2

Kenyon Ern Shaw (ANT)                     2   1   2
Damien Arranguiz (COS)                    6   6   6

Terry Reben (QAD)                         4   6   1   6
Ausir Eduril (SAV)                        6   3   6   7

Mila Sekera (SRB)                         2   6   6   5   2
Helisu Rak (VKL)                          6   4   4   7   6

Alex Dimitrov (MTJ)                       4   6   4   2
Calvin O'Brien (CCT)                      6   0   6   6

Sabina Soća (MTJ)                         6   3   6   1   6
Helen Carbonni (VKL)                      4   6   1   6   3

Marianita Cross (NDA)                     2   6   5   3
Cathal Conneally (CCT)                    6   2   7   6

Tommy Brun (VKL)                          3   3   7   6   1
Dominik Augsbirjke (MTJ)                  6   6   6   3   6

Harry Davidson (TOB)                      6   7   2   0
Brian van Vossen (KRY)                    7   5   6   6

Jess Peterson (TOB)                       5   3   3
Cian McInerney (CCT)                      7   6   6

Kieryn Alvarado (COS)                     0   6   6   6   1
Alba Baxter (SCH)                         6   3   4   7   6

Catalina Vallejos (COS)                   4   6   1   3
Arieh ben Daniyyel (JUD)                  6   2   6   6

Andrea Palmannerson (MRC)                 6   6   3   6
Juana Reio (VKL)                          3   2   6   4

Sami Dominikanov (MTJ)                    7   6   5   6   1
Donny Knight (QAD)                        5   7   7   1   6

Troy Hourigan (CCT)                       6   6   5   5   7
Antonin Gwenaël Mac an tSagairt (ANT)     4   3   7   7   5

Icy Mellows (QAD)                         7   7   6
Starlin Azocar (SRB)                      5   5   4

Barry Coffey (CCT)                        6   6   6
Sam Jones (TOB)                           2   4   2

Violet Prieto (EFL)                       4   6   6   6
Julian Slazić (MTJ)                       6   4   3   4

Ravid ben Yehoshua (JUD)                  2   6   6   6
Rob Canson (TOB)                          6   1   4   2

David Sonnendahl (KRY)                    6   7   6
Cristes au Ignaa (REV)                    4   6   0

Yves Whitz (QAD)                          6   6   7
Sean McInerney (CCT)                      4   1   5

Dana au Ignaa (REV)                       4   6   4   6   4
Ria Valentia (SRB)                        6   2   6   4   6

Lara Basič (MTJ)                          4   6   2   1
Sean Walters (ANT)                        6   1   6   6

David Branson (ANT)                       7   5   6   6
Monas Kel-Eir (VKL)                       6   7   2   4

Marika Kanepi-Vukovic (SRB)               6   1   3   6   6
Alex Forsythe (BEN)                       3   6   6   2   1

Katerina Fortunadus (PRD)                 6   6   6   4   3
Stuart Riley (KRY)                        7   4   1   6   6

Mei Jokek (MRC)                           6   5   6   6
Danil Brandet (LIS)                       3   7   4   4

Adam Smith (BEN)                          6   7   6
Freya Stanson (PRD)                       2   6   2

Kees Coevorden (COS)                      5   7   6   6
Georgia Bassett (KRY)                     7   5   2   4

Murdo Kavanaugh (ANT)                     7   7   3   4   8
Franklin Polymar (QAD)                    6   6   6   6   6

Anat ben Yonah (JUD)                      6   6   3   2   6
Jane Smith (TOB)                          2   1   6   6   4

Ricardo Houston (COS)                     6   6   4   3   1
Davos Tengris (SAV)                       2   1   6   6   6

Tyler Koa (PRD)                           6   2   6   6
Ben Cooney (CCT)                          4   6   7   7

Jack Algernon (NGD)                       6   2   6   7   3
Mayeso Kayden (NDA)                       7   6   4   5   6

Ava Kerperios (VKL)                       6   6   6   4   6
Wendy Gonson (TOB)                        3   4   7   6   3

Jaxton Monty (QAD)                        6   6   6
Viktor Vozakov (BEN)                      4   3   3

Ofra bat Dekel (JUD)                      7   6   6
Philip Barlacy Hopson (ANT)               5   0   3

Synclair Stemmons (COS)                   5   2   6   6   4
Josh Kolzak (BEN)                         7   6   4   4   6

Jeanna Hakim (NDA)                        5   3   1
Marco Vrient (NEG)                        7   6   6

Megan Young (BEN)                         6   7   2   6
Marko Pejic (SRB)                         2   6   6   2

Ruwee Dibaba (COS)                        6   5   6   6
Hayato au Ignaa (REV)                     3   7   3   3

Max Aswick (NGD)                          2   7   6   6
Maria Julenić (MTJ)                       6   5   3   2

Alcides Ferrara (SRB)                     6   6   7
Martin Shearman (VKL)                     4   4   6

Jonum Korlovia (MRC)                      7   3   6   6   5
Paisley Brazzos (QAD)                     5   6   1   7   7

Heather Oakly (PRD)                       5   3   2
Fionan Minogue (CCT)                      7   6   6

Rasmus Milik (MRC)                        6   6   6
Sean O'Neill (CCT)                        2   3   3

Andred Holgersson (COS)                   7   5   4   5
Donovan MacBride (ANT)                    5   7   6   7

Johanna Korlovia (MRC)                    6   1   6   4   6
Melinda Drew (TOB)                        2   6   3   6   3

Sissie Damsgard (LIS)                     6   2   6   6
Odell Bristol (NDA)                       3   6   4   3

James Andies (TOB)                        1   3   1
Scott Durin (LIS)                         6   6   6

Tony (Tik) Tuk (QAD)                      4   6   7   6
Mikhayhu Lévesque (NDA)                   6   3   5   4

Batsheva bat Erez (JUD)                   0   6   6   6
Danny Wallson (TOB)                       6   2   4   2

Dani Mateus (NDA)                         7   6   7   2  10
Friduric au Ignaa (REV)                   5   7   5   6   8

Adriana au Ignaa (REV)                    3   3   3
Markus Carlgren (MRC)                     6   6   6

Elke Hartung (NEG)                        6   6   6
Alexandra Helmand (KRY)                   3   1   1

Quin Tipper (PRD)                         4   1   5
Boya au Ignaa (REV)                       6   6   7

Aviv bat Roi (JUD)                        3   6   1   2
Kurt Dragic (NEG)                         6   4   6   6

Anna Jones (SCH)                          7   6   6
Jade Oreskovic (SRB)                      6   3   4

Svetlana Liete (COS)                      2   1   3
Livnat bat Avram (JUD)                    6   6   6

Theodor Rahl (NEG)                        6   6   3   6
Kaku Itoka (PRD)                          3   4   6   3

James Williams (KRY)                      6   3   6   2   7
Patrick Horan (CCT)                       4   6   2   6   9

Luciano Ziccardino IV (VKL)               6   2   4   6
Alveen Colby (COS)                        3   6   6   7

Kathy Ellis (PRD)                         6   6   6
Polina Espana (BEN)                       3   4   1

Vladimir au Ignaa (REV)                   4   3   6   1
Luis Cantarman (BEN)                      6   6   3   6

Diana Plath (SCH)                         6   6   6
Katarina Dragovič (MTJ)                   1   1   1

Rikard Kampl (MTJ)                        6   6   3   6
Michel Santos (BEN)                       4   3   6   4

Fulco au Ignaa (REV)                      4   2   5
Ross Algersuari (KRY)                     6   6   7

Singles - Qualifying Round 2

Noelle Dennis (KRY)                6   6   3   4   6
Goran Petrovic (SRB)               2   1   6   6   3

Molly Rhonic (MRC)                 5   6   4   5
Gilad ben Yehudah (JUD)            7   3   6   7

Trudy Penolakin (VKL)              3   6   3   6
Sarah Johnson (TOB)                6   3   6   7

Sean Dunne (CCT)                   4   7   3   6   7
Victoria au Ignaa (REV)            6   6   6   0   5

Zeke Volt (BEN)                    7   3   6   6
Noah Lennox (NGD)                  5   6   1   1

Gideon Jones (BEN)                 6   6   6   2
Yissakhar ben Ira (JUD)            7   3   7   6

Rob Westfelt (SCH)                 6   3   7   6
Vladimir Ivanovic Ivanov (SRB)     1   6   5   4

Sarah Dinsdale (KRY)               7   5   6   7
Pierre au Ignaa (REV)              6   7   3   5

Damien Arranguiz (COS)             0   3   2
Ausir Eduril (SAV)                 6   6   6

Helisu Rak (VKL)                   5   6   6   3   7
Calvin O'Brien (CCT)               7   4   3   6   5

Sabina Soća (MTJ)                  3   2   6
Cathal Conneally (CCT)             6   6   7

Dominik Augsbirjke (MTJ)           6   6   2   4   6
Brian van Vossen (KRY)             4   4   6   6   4

Cian McInerney (CCT)               3   4   4
Alba Baxter (SCH)                  6   6   6

Arieh ben Daniyyel (JUD)           5   7   6   6
Andrea Palmannerson (MRC)          7   5   4   2

Donny Knight (QAD)                 6   6   3   7
Troy Hourigan (CCT)                3   4   6   6

Icy Mellows (QAD)                  6   6   6   4   8
Barry Coffey (CCT)                 4   7   2   6  10

Violet Prieto (EFL)                5   0   4
Ravid ben Yehoshua (JUD)           7   6   6

David Sonnendahl (KRY)             7   3   6   6   6
Yves Whitz (QAD)                   6   6   4   7   2

Ria Valentia (SRB)                 7   6   3   6
Sean Walters (ANT)                 5   4   6   3

David Branson (ANT)                5   5   3
Marika Kanepi-Vukovic (SRB)        7   7   6

Stuart Riley (KRY)                 6   6   5   6
Mei Jokek (MRC)                    4   3   7   4

Adam Smith (BEN)                   6   6   6
Kees Coevorden (COS)               3   4   0

Murdo Kavanaugh (ANT)              5   6   7   1   3
Anat ben Yonah (JUD)               7   3   5   6   6

Davos Tengris (SAV)                5   6   4   3
Ben Cooney (CCT)                   7   2   6   6

Mayeso Kayden (NDA)                3   6   6   6
Ava Kerperios (VKL)                6   2   4   1

Jaxton Monty (QAD)                 2   5   6   6   2
Ofra bat Dekel (JUD)               6   7   4   3   6

Josh Kolzak (BEN)                  6   2   1   2
Marco Vrient (NEG)                 0   6   6   6

Megan Young (BEN)                  6   2   6   2   1
Ruwee Dibaba (COS)                 2   6   4   6   6

Max Aswick (NGD)                   6   6   3   6   6
Alcides Ferrara (SRB)              7   4   6   4   4

Paisley Brazzos (QAD)              3   3   2
Fionan Minogue (CCT)               6   6   6

Rasmus Milik (MRC)                 6   2   7   3
Donovan MacBride (ANT)             7   6   6   6

Johanna Korlovia (MRC)             4   4   6   3
Sissie Damsgard (LIS)              6   6   3   6

Scott Durin (LIS)                  6   6   6
Tony (Tik) Tuk (QAD)               2   4   1

Batsheva bat Erez (JUD)            6   2   6   6
Dani Mateus (NDA)                  3   6   7   7

Markus Carlgren (MRC)              2   5   1
Elke Hartung (NEG)                 6   7   6

Boya au Ignaa (REV)                3   6   6   6
Kurt Dragic (NEG)                  6   2   3   4

Anna Jones (SCH)                   6   5   2   0
Livnat bat Avram (JUD)             2   7   6   6

Theodor Rahl (NEG)                 4   6   6   6
Patrick Horan (CCT)                6   2   4   2

Alveen Colby (COS)                 7   6   6   6   0
Kathy Ellis (PRD)                  5   7   7   4   6

Luis Cantarman (BEN)               6   6   3   6
Diana Plath (SCH)                  4   3   6   3

Rikard Kampl (MTJ)                 5   5   6   3
Ross Algersuari (KRY)              7   7   3   6

Lucky Loser Draw
A. Sean Walters (ANT)
B. Cian McInerney (CCT)
C. Ava Kerperios (VKL)
D. Pierre au Ignaa (REV)
E. Troy Hourigan (CCT)

[Krytenia]

Doubles - Qualification Round 1

Terry Rében / Icy Mellows (QAD)                        3   3   2
Tommy West / Stephanie Brown (NGD)                     6   6   6

Fabiano Bishop / Sebas Hariri (EFL)                    6   6   6
Felice Mareaux / Marla Gerard (NEG)                    1   2   4

Phoebe Harvey / Berat Latif (EFL)                      7   6   6
Jonum Korlovia / Johanna Korlovia (MRC)                6   2   2

Elke Hartung / Kurt Dragic (NEG)                       6   4   6   6
Sarah Johnson / Jane Smith (TOB)                       2   6   1   3

Ray Franco / Jennifer Rawlings (KRY)                   6   3   6   7   6
Yissakhar ben Ira / Gilad ben Yehudah (JUD)            7   6   3   6   2

Mattias Burges / Aljaž Ćorluka (MTJ)                   6   6   2   2   4
Adelaide Frost / Karissa Macy (NDA)                    1   2   6   6   6

Sebastien Durand / Francois Navarre (KRY)              6   5   6   6   8
Max Aswick / Noah Lennox (NGD)                         4   7   3   7   6

Aviv bat Roi / Ofra bat Dekel (JUD)                    7   6   2   6   2
Prudence Torrey / Malory Ringside (PRD)                5   7   6   1   6

Batsheva bat Erez / Simcha bat Dor (JUD)               4   6   5   7   4
Blair Forest / Donny Knight (QAD)                      6   3   7   6   6

Alli Scott / Ashlin Simmons (PRD)                      6   2   4   6   0
Andred Holgersson / Kees Coevorden (COS)               4   6   6   4   6

Angela Knight / Ian Kennedy (KRY)                      6   6   7
Anthony Mavke / Fritz Dreskol (BEN)                    4   1   5

Ava Kerperios / Elsa Dublein  (VKL)                    3   3   7   6   1
Ben Cooney / Cathal Conneally (CCT)                    6   6   5   3   6

Borusa Mallapragada / Damien Arranguiz (COS)           6   3   3   6   4
Catherine Kruminš / Adam Gory (SCH)                    3   6   6   2   6

Cynthia Froston / Derra Laxtavita (BEN)                6   6   6   6   6
Dag au Fuse / Fridhelm au Fuse (REV)                   7   1   1   7   4

Denise Krill / Denephew Krill (SAV)                    7   6   1   5   2
Dorian Almosetti / Svetlana Liete (COS)                6   3   6   7   6

Eliza Reusmann / Jill Walker (SCH)                     6   6   4   1   6
Emmerich au Fuse / Conrad au Fuse (REV)                2   1   6   6   2

Emilia Hummel / Milan Sarkic (SAV)                     2   7   6   3   3
Feyrord Poniac / Jaxton Monty (QAD)                    6   6   3   6   6

Furaha Abraham / Brooke Géroux (NDA)                   6   5   6   2   2
Gina Excel / Ynna Assistio (BEN)                       4   7   3   6   6

Goran Petrovic / Ria Valentia (SRB)                    6   6   6
Guy Bird / Francis Boartusk (PRD)                      1   3   3

Gyda au Jara / Andrea au Jara (REV)                    0   6   7   7
Halaeo DiGaldi / Ty Kanelious (QAD)                    6   2   5   6

Haimo au Jara / Horsa au Jara (REV)                    6   4   4   6   6
Hanur Thorg / Decril Fegrass (SAV)                     3   6   6   2   2

Ivan Ivanovic Ivanov / Marika Kanepi-Vukovic (SRB)     6   4   6   3   1
Jack Collins / Fionan Minogue (CCT)                    4   6   3   6   6

Harry Davidson / Melinda Drew (TOB)                    4   6   4   2
Ioana au Fuse / Ela au Fuse (REV)                      6   4   6   6

Jade Oreskovic / Tijana Mirkic (SRB)                   4   6   3   6
Jaime Mendez / Elijah Omenna (PRD)                     6   4   6   7

Jason Bjornjolf / Hailee Baysinger (PRD)               7   4   7   2   3
Jim Cowie / John Muir (SCH)                            6   6   6   6   6

Juana Reio / Martina Anger (VKL)                       1   4   0
Kara Dragovič / Jelena Svitolina (MTJ)                 6   6   6

Katina Gallion / Madeleine Quinn (LIS)                 7   6   7
Manus Heenan / Mattie Spain (CCT)                      6   1   6

Marco Vrient / Theodor Rahl (NEG)                      4   4   6   6   5
Maria Julenič / Sami Dominikanov (MTJ)                 6   6   3   4   7

Mark Harro / Nathaniel Marks (BEN)                     6   6   6   5   5
Marko Pejic / Mila Sekera (SRB)                        2   3   7   7   7

Monas Kel-Eir / Helisu Rak (VKL)                       5   6   6   7   7
Ricardo Houston / Synclair Stemmons (COS)              7   2   7   5   5

Oliver Kuuk / Zeke Volt (BEN)                          6   2   1   5
Patrick Sintarnov / Harry Rymin (MRC)                  3   6   6   7

Rob Canson / Jess Peterson (TOB)                       6   6   7
Ruwee Dibaba / Alveen Colby (COS)                      4   4   6

Sabina Soća / Dominik Augsbirjke (MTJ)                 6   4   6   6   2
Sam Jones / Danny Wallson (TOB)                        4   6   7   3   6

Sean O'Neill / Cian McInerney (CCT)                    7   6   3   6
Sean Walters / Hammond Lauren Géroux (ANT)             6   1   6   3

Starlin Azocar / Alcides Ferrara (SRB)                 3   6   0   6   7
Tommy Brun / Martin Shearman (VKL)                     6   3   6   3   5

Tony Tuk / Paisley Brazzos (QAD)                       4   7   7   6
Troy Hourigan / Patrick Horan (CCT)                    6   6   5   4

Doubles - Qualification Round 2

Tommy West / Stephanie Brown (NGD)            7   6   4   6
Fabiano Bishop / Sebas Hariri (EFL)           6   4   6   4

Phoebe Harvey / Berat Latif (EFL)             5   6   6   1   6
Elke Hartung / Kurt Dragic (NEG)              7   4   3   6   3

Ray Franco / Jennifer Rawlings (KRY)          6   6   6
Adelaide Frost / Karissa Macy (NDA)           0   4   3

Sebastien Durand / Francois Navarre (KRY)     6   5   6   6   6
Prudence Torrey / Malory Ringside (PRD)       7   7   4   1   3

Blair Forest / Donny Knight (QAD)             4   6   6   6
Andred Holgersson / Kees Coevorden (COS)      6   2   3   1

Angela Knight / Ian Kennedy (KRY)             6   6   7
Ben Cooney / Cathal Conneally (CCT)           2   3   6

Catherine Kruminš / Adam Gory (SCH)           6   6   6
Cynthia Froston / Derra Laxtavita (BEN)       4   3   2

Dorian Almosetti / Svetlana Liete (COS)       6   7   6
Eliza Reusmann / Jill Walker (SCH)            4   6   3

Feyrord Poniac / Jaxton Monty (QAD)           6   2   6   6   6
Gina Excel / Ynna Assistio (BEN)              2   6   7   3   4

Goran Petrovic / Ria Valentia (SRB)           4   2   6
Gyda au Jara / Andrea au Jara (REV)           6   6   7

Haimo au Jara / Horsa au Jara (REV)           6   6   6
Jack Collins / Fionan Minogue (CCT)           4   4   1

Ioana au Fuse / Ela au Fuse (REV)             2   3   4
Jaime Mendez / Elijah Omenna (PRD)            6   6   6

Jim Cowie / John Muir (SCH)                   5   6   6   3
Kara Dragovič / Jelena Svitolina (MTJ)        7   3   7   6

Katina Gallion / Madeleine Quinn (LIS)        6   6   3   6
Maria Julenič / Sami Dominikanov (MTJ)        2   2   6   4

Marko Pejic / Mila Sekera (SRB)               3   3   6   4
Monas Kel-Eir / Helisu Rak (VKL)              6   6   4   6

Patrick Sintarnov / Harry Rymin (MRC)         3   6   6   7
Rob Canson / Jess Peterson (TOB)              6   2   3   6

Sam Jones / Danny Wallson (TOB)               4   6   4   3
Sean O'Neill / Cian McInerney (CCT)           6   4   6   6

Starlin Azocar / Alcides Ferrara (SRB)        7   7   4   6
Tony Tuk / Paisley Brazzos (QAD)              5   6   6   1

[House of Judah]

“Are you sure there is no way for me to convince you to stay and root for the rest of the team?” Simcha bat Dor asked Yissakhar ben Ira. “I know you were eliminated in qualifiers… oh wait.” She finished with a smirked.

“Alright, so I didn’t get eliminated in qualifiers. I’m not sure how far I’ll advance besides. I’m up against Cowie next and he’s a good few hundred ranks ahead of me.”

“Well, you play him and do your best. Who knows, maybe you can pull an upset.”

“Maybe.” Simcha frowned.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m just… I’m worried about Shai.”

“What’s up with Shai?”

“Well, we talked on the phone last night. He sounded pretty drunk.”

“That doesn’t sound good, but it’s not necessarily bad.”

“Shai doesn’t drink.” Yissakhar said. Simcha let out a sigh. “What do I do about that?”

“You be there for him as much as you can, I suppose.”

“Yeah, well. I’ve got to finish this tournament first. Speaking of, this might be your tournament.”

“Not necessarily,” said Simcha. “A lot of my group may not be that tough but there are contenders in there. What’s life without a little challenge though?”

“Easier,” Yissakhar replied. “Well, at least I can be a little bit happy with two matches won and only one set lost in qualifiers.”

“That’s the spirit. Look on the bright side of life.”

“Whatever. Any idea who Ravid has hooked up with?”

“Not yet. I’m sure they’ll come out of his room eventually.”

[-Anthor-]

The calm quiet of his hotel room was broken as the simple wooden door was simply thrown open, the slightly rounder snow white man broke through the door with his key card that Donovan had given him and came up to the tennis player who had been sitting on the edge of his bed, sipping slowly on the unfamiliar brand name of the local beer from the bar downstairs in the lobby, and hugged him, picking him up from the bed and holding him tightly till the Donovan nearly shoved him.

"Jesus Ivor, I'm sore enough as it is, no need to be trying to pop the lungs out of my chest - they felt like they were going to do that alone in the third set."

"Ehhhhh, but what about my favorite client turning it around, and not only winning two rounds of matches, but also being the last Anthoran standing, the man who everyone else said was on the downfall of his career, and is now standing on the precipice of international success!"

The man's deep voice was odd to Donovan's ears, long used to the long, soft voices of his native town and county, but still made him smile, indeed, it agreed very well the thought in his head that had been playing over and over again, ever since he got into the car on the ride back to the hotel after he beat the Mercedinian Rasmus Milik, just slightly holding on against his much younger opponent who won 6 of the games in the set before Donovan overcame with 7; he however felt much more alive at the end of that first set, the early victory surged him on and he took the next set 6-2, it was initially 4-0 but then he conceded two straight games before scrapping it back together and closing it out, mostly relying on his ace serving skills, getting 4 of those to aid him out. He felt his body raging against him as he pushed himself, and he tried so hard in that third set, but he nearly felt like he was going to drop; but there was that one thought that kept him going; the repeated voices of everyone three years ago, the year when Hammond came on the stage and beat him in all four of the majors, denying him a major win for the first time in a very long time, and everyone said it was the beginning of the end. But he had refused to believe it, he had trained even harder, hiring Ivor here as his manager to help guide him through it, and here now, on his first return to the stage; he was already doing quite well. Hopefully, he so desperately hoped as Ivor nudged him into another bottle of booze.

[Schottia]

This story follows on from these posts a couple of weeks back, in case it needs a little more context. Hopefully it should stand on its own though.

Trying to win a game of doubles tennis had been like waiting for a bus for Cathy Kruminš and Adam Gory. Just when it was starting to feel like it wouldn't ever happen, they won two at once and were somehow in the main draw. Cathy was starting to come to the conclusion that she sucked at doubles, or at least was very rusty. It's a strange feeling when something comes along and knocks a long held belief, and it had forced her to go away and take stock. Just because she was very good at doubles in the juniors, it didn't seem to transfer up a level, like her singles abilities had. It turned out that it was one thing being a good tennis player, and quite another winning a doubles match against a pair of wily old foxes, who played together week in week out. That was certainly the case with her countrymen Rob Westfelt and Ken Gates, who were seeded eighth here. She had played them at singles on the practice courts a few times, and their game was as predictable as the Schottic weather. However, get them on the doubles court and they were a well-oiled machine, capable of beating anyone on their day. By contrast, she and Adam had been all over the place at points, going for the same ball, crossing over into each other's half of the court - at one point Adam had even hit her racket as she went to return a volley.

'We need to come up with a team name.' Said Adam, who was unusually chipper. So much so that Cathy almost felt suspicious.

'How do you mean?' Cathy asked, although she knew exactly what he meant. Adam was a strange character, in that, it was fine for him to joke around so long as he was in a good mood. Catch him at a random moment of self-loathing however, and his ability to discern humour from serious comment went out the window.

'I mean like a catchy team name...' He thought for a moment and scratched his head. '...like The Wild Cats?' Cathy wasn't sure if she actually saw him add a skip into his stride as he said this.

'How about... Catherine Kruminš and Adam Gory?' She answered with a wry smile. In all honesty, Cathy was just happy - and a little surprised - to be through. In her opinion keeping a low profile was a far better idea. 'And I really don't think you're going to get the organisers to put "Wild Cats" on the scoreboard, but by all means give it a try.'

'No no no!' Adam waved his hands around in protest. 'I wasn't meaning that, I was just meaning between you and I. Just, like, for a bit of fun.' His tone had changed a little, and he was more understated in what he said, moving Cathy to sympathy.

'Okay,' she answered at last. 'But can we please choose a name that is a little less obvious?'

'Such as what?'

'Oh, I dunno.' It was Cathy's turn to look quizzically. 'You're the name guy.' She nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to think of something that wasn't clichéd or obvious. 'Nah, I'll leave it up to you.'

'Look, it's totally cool.' Adam waved a hand air and slumped his shoulders in defeat. 'It was just an idea.' He pulled his racked bag over his head, so he didn't need to a hand to support it, before thrusting his hands in his pockets.

This was exactly the attitude Adam was famous for, and one, which drove Cathy nuts. If any challenge came along, he just gave up. In all honesty, he wasn't much different on the court either, and she had seen him throw away leads more times than tongue could tell. It was why he couldn't hold down a coaching team for more that two minutes, it was why he never got through to the latter stages of big tournaments, and above all, it was why he was lagging behind the likes of her, Eliza Reusmann, and John Muir in the rankings. He really needed to try and get up into the national top four, so he could at least get first refusal on the tier two tournaments. If he wasn't careful he was going to hit his level, languishing around the top seventy/eighty in the world, and Cathy knew he was better than that. The problem, as she had worked out long ago, was of course his father. Mike Gory, being the epitome of the pushy parent seemed to have more emotionally invested in his son's career than Adam himself. What's more, since Adam was again coachless following San Salvador, Mike was back centre stage, putting his son under all sorts of unnecessary pressure. Her friend had big matches coming up, in particular his first round tie with Marika Kanepi-Vukovic of Serbia - one he could easily lose if he let his head go down again.

As they made their way up from the outer courts, to the Olympic Tennis Centre proper, Cathy reminded herself exactly why she had pushed so hard to play along side Adam in the first place. The whole point had been to try and have a little fun, to get between Adam and his father, if only for a day or two; and now she had gone and taken it all serious. She felt like a right eejit (as her mum would say), fist pumping when Damien Arranguiz had hit long in the fifth set. It seemed she couldn't get on a court these days without the competition taking over. She actually shouted at him in the match against Cynthia Froston and Derra Laxtavita, when he hit her racket going for the same shot. They were two sets and a break up at that point, and as the words - What the heck!? - left her lips, she could even see his face contort with horror. She was meant to be taking some of the pressure off him, and here she was heaping it back on.

'Stop being sulky.' Cathy said, prodding him in the ribs. She knew was treading a very thin line between being firm enough to stop the irrational sulking; while at the same time keeping it light enough to avoid pushing him the other way. Years of being his friend on the Schottic Junior tour had meant she could add the title of: Adam Gory Behavioural Expert to her CV. 'Let's go and get a juice, then we can think of a team name... maybe we can go for something a little more arty than Wild Cats though, huh?'

[Bendicion]

Bendicion Delegate's Hotel
Main Hall
1200


The room was full of emotions, players were greeting each other. The qualifiers' results were not that good. Some had managed to reach the playoffs while most had been eliminated. The players were laughing, crying while others looked distraught of the results. But whilst this happened the Coach Freddie was busy looking at some papers. Scrolling across them he immediately barked orders.

"OK! Stop the mush! Stop the emotions! We got work to do!!", he shouted. Almost as automatic as the players could be, they immediately took their seats.

"Ok. Please give yourselves rounds of applause for the work you've done. You did the best of what you could do. But now everybody set your minds to the tasks!", he again barked, "All those players who didnt manage to qualify. You could now earn a well earned food buffet down at the lobby. OK". The players once again talked. "OK! OK! Stop the mush! Go there now! 1! 2!...", before he could say 3, the players were already running outside. "Zeke! Spare me some ribs!", whispered a player.

"NOW! You people managed to play well and Qualify. Tomorrow we have another rigid training for you all to earn a spot in the Finals! Dismissed!".

[Krytenia]

SHOW COURT TIMETABLE

MEDAL
[26] Stephen Perez (KRY) v Troy Hourigan (CCT)
[9] Owen Simmons / Perry Walsh (KRY) v Ray Franco / Jennifer Rawlings (KRY)
[7] Ardil Navsal (CEN) v Dominika Lisicki (MTJ)

OLYMPUS
[1] Coosal Darlcheri / Gyrachor Rentos (CEN) v Wendy Gonson / James Andies (TOB)
[5] Ciache Nagya (CEN) v Noelle Dennis (KRY)
[5] Will Nolovor / Kell Korden (CEN) v Marisa Celeste Frieri / Gisela Stefanovic (SRB)

CELESTA
[3] Marla Gerard (NEG) v Rob Westfelt (SCH)
[4] Perger Rianor / Ricpeer Rianor (CEN) v Starlin Azocar / Alcides Ferrara (SRB)
Andrew Baumgartner (KRY) v Luis Cantarman (BEN)

NORTH
[9] Kika Dovan (CEN) v Marco Vrient (NEG)
[15] Alma Semmes (NEG) v Aljaž Ćorluka (MTJ)
[17] Noah Damaris (CEN) v David Sonnendahl (KRY)

SOUTH
[16] Jill Walker (SCH) v Barry Coffey (CCT)
Jeremy Metagne / Elizabeth Corbisieri (KRY) v Kara Dragovič / Jelena Svitolina (MTJ)
[12] Catherine Kruminš (SCH) v Feyrord Poniac (QAD)

This is your cutoff for Tuesday 25 October.

[Krytenia]

SINGLES : Round One

Section A

[3] Marla Gerard (NEG)             6   6   6   1   5
Rob Westfelt (SCH)                 3   7   1   6   7

Estela Fenton-Millington (EFL)     3   6   3   7   0
Sean Dunne (CCT)                   6   3   6   5   6

[30] Halaeo DiGaldi (QAD)          4   6   4   6   6
Sheena Belko (BEN)                 6   3   6   2   4

Simcha bat Dor (JUD)               3   3   6   6   6
Helisu Rak (VKL)                   6   6   1   3   1

[9] Kika Dovan (CEN)               3   1   7   6   6
Marco Vrient (NEG)                 6   6   6   1   2

Bradyn Burn (EFL)                  2   6   6   6
Zeke Volt (BEN)                    6   3   4   4

[29] Rafferty Henri (NDA)          2   6   6   5   1
Dominik Augsbirjke (MTJ)           6   2   2   7   6

Adebowale Gilliam (NDA)            6   2   6   6
Ria Valentia (SRB)                 2   6   2   3

Section B

[7] Ardil Navsal (CEN)             2   7   5   6   3
Dominika Lisicki (MTJ)             6   5   7   1   6

Jim Cowie (SCH)                    2   6   1
Yissakhar ben Ira (JUD)            6   7   6

[23] Dominic Ripaldi (NEG)         6   6   2   4   7
Donny Knight (QAD)                 4   2   6   6   5

Mattias Doerwald (NEG)             7   6   6
Sean Walters (ANT)                 5   3   4

[15] Alma Semmes (NEG)             6   6   6   6   5
Aljaž Isaac (EFL)                  7   7   2   0   7

Andrew Baumgartner (KRY)           6   6   6
Luis Cantarman (BEN)               4   3   3

[22] Ellela Thotan (CEN)           5   6   6   2   5
Selav Tukerawan (VKL)              7   2   1   6   7

Melissa Herbert (NGD)              6   6   6
Ruwee Dibaba (COS)                 1   1   4

Section C

[2] Lonus Varalin (CEN)            7   6   6
Ben Cooney (CCT)                   6   2   3

Hadar ben Ofer (JUD)               2   5   6   7   6
Donovan MacBride (ANT)             6   7   2   5   2

[17] Noah Damaris (CEN)            4   3   7   6   6
David Sonnendahl (KRY)             6   6   5   0   2

Mark Southgate (NGD)               5   4   6   6   5
Livnat bat Avram (JUD)             7   6   4   4   7

[16] Jill Walker (SCH)             6   4   6   4   8
Barry Coffey (CCT)                 1   6   3   6   6

Meaghan Sharples (EFL)             1   6   6   6   6
Fionan Minogue (CCT)               6   7   3   0   3

[26] Stephen Perez (KRY)           6   2   6   6
Troy Hourigan (CCT)                4   6   3   2

Laura Roshik (MRC)                 6   6   4   6
Kasandra Perrier (EFL)             4   2   6   4

Section D

[5] Ciache Nagya (CEN)             6   6   6
Noelle Dennis (KRY)                3   2   3

Marisa Celeste Frieri (SRB)        6   4   7   6   7
Ravid ben Yehoshua (JUD)           7   6   6   3   5

[21] Tommy West (NGD)              7   7   6
Nik au Ignaa (REV)                 5   5   3

Carus Lurious (SCH)                7   6   7
Philomena Chasity Haven (PRD)      5   4   5

[12] Catherine Kruminš (SCH)       6   6   2   6   6
Feyrord Poniac (QAD)               7   2   6   3   1

Georgio Irani (EFL)                7   3   6   4   6
Mayeso Kayden (NDA)                6   6   1   6   2

[24] Felice Marceaux (NEG)         6   6   6
Damion Kester Dunn (ANT)           1   3   2

Keeley Sinai (EFL)                 2   5   6   6   7
Boya au Ignaa (REV)                6   7   4   4   5

DOUBLES : Round One

Section A

[4] Perger Rianor / Ricpeer Rianor (CEN)            6   6   6
Starlin Azocar / Alcides Ferrara (SRB)              2   4   1

Cristos Browning / Mya Browning (EFL)               6   6   6   6
Patrick Sintarnov / Harry Rymin (MRC)               0   7   0   3

[15] Glenn Benoit / Drummond Hamilton (NDA)         7   4   3   6   5
Phoebe Harvey / Berat Latif (EFL)                   5   6   6   3   7

Jack McDonell / Alan Alexander (SCH)                7   3   6   4   6
Tom O'Neill / Sean McInerney (CCT)                  5   6   2   6   2

[5] Will Nolovor / Kell Korden (CEN)                6   6   6
Marisa Celeste Frieri / Gisela Stefanovic (SRB)     2   1   1

Jill Clark / Melissa Herbert (NGD)                  2   6   1   6   6
Catalina Vallejos / Kieryn Alvarado (COS)           6   4   6   3   3

[9] Owen Simmons / Perry Walsh (KRY)                2   6   6   6
Ray Franco / Jennifer Rawlings (KRY)                6   2   4   4

Laura Roshik / Wendy Noyek (MRC)                    7   4   6   4   6
Haimo au Jara / Horsa au Jara (REV)                 6   6   1   6   1

Section B

[1] Coosal Darlcheri / Gyrachor Rentos (CEN)        6   6   7   4   6
Wendy Gonson / James Andies (TOB)                   7   3   5   6   4

Rayford Wise / Dhaakir Prieto (EFL)                 6   6   6
Sam Jones / Danny Wallson (TOB)                     1   4   3

[16] Giorgio Irani / Clementina Travers (EFL)       7   6   6
Katina Gallion / Madeleine Quinn (LIS)              6   2   3

Jeremy Metagne / Elizabeth Corbisieri (KRY)         6   6   7   6   6
Kara Dragovič / Jelena Svitolina (MTJ)              1   7   5   7   4

[6] Val Korekal / Jac Iegis (CEN)                   6   6   7
Trudy Penolakin / Helen Carbonni (VKL)              3   4   6

Livnat bat Avram / Arieh ben Daniyyel (JUD)         6   6   6
Jaime Mendez / Elijah Omenna (PRD)                  3   2   2

[11] Peter McLeod / Anna Jones (SCH)                6   4   6   6
Luciano Ziccardino IV / Selav Tukerawan (VKL)       2   6   1   3

Rikard Kampl / Dominika Lisicki (MTJ)               4   6   5   7   6
Blair Forest / Donny Knight (QAD)                   6   0   7   5   0

[The Redvale]

The River

Book I: Flame

Chapter II: The Spared

“I have quite a long list of crimes here,” said the judge, reading over the paper files that were in front of him, and looking up at the couple that was about to receive their judgement. “Heresy. Conspiracy against the Vali Church. Conspiracy against the state. Attempting to incite revolt. Attempting to incite a coup within the church and the state. Conspiracy to create protest. I won't go through the entire list. We've reviewed the evidence, and to be blunt, it's quite damning. With the power vested in me by the church, I hereby condemn you and your family to death by burning. The flame god will be happy with this sacrifice.”

The men armed with shotguns on one hip and swords on the other moved to take the family away, including their two seventeen year old daughters. At least they did until a second voice called out. “Stop! Sentence the parents to burning, but keep the daughters alive,” said Dago Fuse. “Send them to the Avgaria monastery and make them wear the grey robes. They were brought into this by their parents, it wouldn't be fair to punish them as heretics.”

Everyone in the room was stunned by the decision by the heir, but his father didn't object. Dago continued. “They'll take on my father’s name and our clan will own them, and they will make up for their parents’ crimes by becoming members of the Inquisition. Understood?”

“Yes, my lord,” said the judge, and the confused Inquisitors backed away from the girls and instead only dragged their parents to the middle of the room. The taller and stronger girl, Gyda, tried to run to them, but stopped when the closest Inquisitor drew his sword and leveled it at her face.

“Stop,” he commanded, and another one picked up his shotgun. “Do not interfere, or you will receive the same punishment as them.”

“Gyda, Andrea, you two have to finish what we started,” her father called out, as the Inquisitors started to summon their fire. “Follow the river when it turns to blood and you'll see why the gods can't protect us-”

There was a bright flash that lasted for four or five seconds, and when Gyda and Andrea opened their eyes, their parents were gone. There was only a smell of smoke, as the Inquisitors pulled their flames back and let the fire in the middle of the room burn out as it spread across the stone floor but couldn’t find any more fuel. In that one moment, the lives of the teenage twins had changed completely.

They would never be the same after that day.

=====

The two twins had very different opinions on what they should do now that they were out of Redvale and in Krytenia to compete. Gyda was totally dedicated to the country that had killed their parents. Andrea, not so much. The two would have to play together in less than an hour, but right now, they were barely in any mood to spend time around each other. “We don’t have to go back, Gyda. We could make a run for it and use whatever money we win to buy a new life in Krytenia. Do you really want to spend your prime years working for the Inquisition that executed our parents right in front of us?” asked Andrea, as she walked through the locker room and looked at the shoe selection available to Team Redvale.

“What do you think? Look at my tattoos,” said Gyda, pointing to the intricate designs that covered her body from her neck downwards. “I used to feel like you, but I know better now. I believe in the church, and at least as an Inquisitor I have more purpose than some random orphan on the streets. This is our life now. Whether you want to accept it or not.”
“I can’t believe what you’re saying!” replied Andrea, turning to Gyda with a look of frustration crossing her face. “That church that you believe in, they’re the ones that killed mom and dad! You do remember that, right? Right? How can you act like that never happened?”

“Because dad was insane and mom went along with his delusions because he was a smooth talker. I hate to say this to you, Andrea, but that’s the truth. It’s time to move on and-”

“You take that back,” snapped Andrea, getting in Gyda’s face. “How the fuck can you say that about dad? How can you say things like that? You’ve been brainwashed from spending so much time around your Inquisition friends-”

“Get your fucking hands off of me,” replied Gyda, and she shoved her sister away. Andrea shoved her back, and Gyda replied by tackling her at the waist and dropping her to the ground. She was on top, but Andrea slapped her in the face before she could do anything. Andrea tried to escape her grip, but Gyda leaned forward and hit her hard on the ear.

“Why are you always like this now? You always act like the tough Inquisitor, not the sister I grew up with,” Andrea said, swinging at Gyda and getting her blow deflected.

“The sister you knew died the day that our parents did,” Gyda growled, pinning Andrea’s hands to the floor. “I’m not running away to Krytenia. I’m not leaving the Vali church. I’m going to compete for our country, and I’m going to do my best to spread the word about our faith. You’re either going to help me, or you’re going to go away and let me find another doubles partner. Got it?”

Andrea, who was still very much the younger sister even though she was a twin, had tears in her eyes. She blinked them back and wrestled for control, but her stronger sister held her down until she agreed. “Fine! I’ll give up any chance of a better life so we can spread the religion that killed our parents. Are you happy?”

Gyda stood and dusted herself off, picking up her racket and walking to the door of the locker room. “I’ll be happy when we win,” she said, an edge to her voice. She walked out as her sister stayed on the floor, hoping she’d gotten her point across. Her face was cold, and she had the look of a true competitor. Before leaving, she paused. “Andrea?”

“Yeah?”

“Of course you miss them more than I do. You were always their favorite,” she said, and with that, she left and headed to the court.

=====

Despite their disagreements, Gyda and Andrea played excellently in their doubles match against Goran Petrovic and Rita Valentia. Gyda especially was dominant, but not without controversy. She not only took as long as possible before every serve and did everything she could to stretch the match out and annoy her opponents, but during one of the breaks in play in the first set she cast a movement spell on herself that increased her reflexes and reaction time.

The biggest controversy came in the last set, when the sisters really pushed the boundaries of the rules to pull out a win. Specifically, Gyda caused the ball to catch fire after serving it, which made both opponents duck to give her a game ending ace. She ignored the protests from the opponents, instead kissing the flame tattoos on her wrists and pointing to the sky while walking to the cameras.

It was safe to say that the press were interested in hearing from her about what had just happened. “What can I say? I have the flame god on my side,” she said to the reporters, before causing a fireball to appear in her hand, that she blew on and caused to blow near the press. They all jumped back, and she grinned. “I’m sure none of you know where Redvale is, but remember the name. We’re going to be doing a lot of winning soon enough,” she added, putting on a smile. They’d made it through qualifiers, now they would compete in the actual competition.

Gyda hoped she was right when she said they would be doing a lot of winning. Her swagger would look bad otherwise. She turned around and started to follow Andrea off of the court, but she was surprised and almost stunned by what she saw once she stepped into the tunnel.

[The Serbian Empire]

Serbian Empire Tennis Guide

Ria Valentia, the Unexpected Future of Serbian Tennis?

Given the mediocre performance of Jade Oreskovic through the qualifying round, a surprise emerged from beneath her. A 18 year old in Ria Valentia from the far western sections of the Empire. This region has more Italians and what not and fewer Slavs. Valentia might as well be a foreigner in her own homeland once you get out of the small area of Italian majority. Oreskovic was the first to make her NSTT debut, but Valentia's debut was stronger than her slightly younger counterpart. Her loss to Ndekene player Adebowale Gilliam was no surprise as she ran out of magic in this Open.

The Late-Bloomer

Marisa Celeste Frieri has struggled through out much of her career. It's only been recently that she's found any sustained success outside of qualifying rounds. Her path through the Section D bracket has put her against Ravid ben Yehoshua from a land that seems a lot like Israel called Judea or something like that. The battle was long and lengthy. The first set was a loss for Marisa, 7-6 the score. The next one also was a loss of 6-4. Her next set? A 7-6 win followed by two more wins of 6-3 and 7-5. The battle probably explained her doubles loss in straight sets of 6-2, 6-1, and 6-1 to the Cenian doubles pairing of Will Nolovor and Kell Korden. Simply, how in the world does Marisa not collapse out of exhaustion with that much tennis having been played? The world will never know.

[House of Judah]

Yissakhar ben Ira was flying high. He had beaten a top 100 player. Not just beaten. He had taken all three sets, and the middle one was the only to be a close call. He wasn’t sure who he would play next, Lisicki, maybe. It didn’t matter right now. Today was his day.

He went along with the other Judeans to the club that Ravid ben Yehoshua had found. They commiserated with Ravid that he was out of the singles tournament until he left for the evening with the Krytenian girl he had most recently fallen in love with. That was just how Ravid was. He fell into and out of love all the time.

Eventually, Yissakhar made his way outside to call Shai.

“Hey, Yissa,” Shai answered.

“Shai, hey, did you see the match?”

“Sorry. I meant to, but, um… I, ehm… must have got distracted. Saw you won though. Congratulations.”

“Yeah. It’s awesome.” Yissakhar’s face fell a little. “Hey, Shai, how much have you had to drink today?”

“Oh… I don’t know. I don’t remember how full the bottle was when I started. It’s empty now.”

“I see. You know, Shai, you shouldn’t drink that much. Hell, you don’t drink that much.”

“That was before I knew how good this feels.”

“Shai, please…”

“I’m fine, Yissa, you go play your game. I’ll see you when you get back.” The call disconnected. Yissakhar looked down at his phone and sighed. He made his way back into the club.

“There you are, Yissakhar,” said Aviv bat Roi. “ Come on, dance with me. We’re doing our last song before we head back to the hotel.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

[Neu Engollon]

"Neu Engollon, thanks for tuning in to Courtside Central on NETV Sports 19. I'm your host, Lizbet Rittenhaus. Dom Toglani is now in Emberton, Krytenia and is currently lining up some exciting coverage and interviews for us for later in the show and for upcoming editions. We'll be covering the AOpen at length, as that is the big tennis tournament of the hour, and we may have some time to delve into the Torino Open later, the current domestic tournament where several under 21 players are on their continuing quest to make it onto the NETC team for international competition.

However, let's talk NSTT now...Let's recap the progress so far of our NETC team. As you all know, Paul Quiront took the Singles title at the Handon Open, the most recent past tournament on the NSTT circuit, after a much anticipated match up against hometown Handon favorite Catherine Krumins. Reactions as one could imagine, were rather mixed, even within the Confederacy. The infamous, aging bad boy of tennis has quite a following as well as a lot of detractors. A lot of people, and to be honest, myself included, were pulling for Marla Gerard to get the top spot. Marla is one who works hard and is very genuine, positive and professional. Only one of those words might come close to describing Paul Quiront, and I'll let you decide which one.

Alas, Marla didn't make it after a rough couple matches and Paul, on the other hand, seemed to have an incredible stroke of luck. Meanwhile, the rest of the NETC team continues to struggle with moderate success and hard fought victories in this, as in every other Grand Slam they've participated in.
Marla once again has been eliminated, losing to unranked Schottic Rob Westfelt in quite an upset after a grueling 5 set match. Alma Semmes, another seasoned vet, lost to Aljaž Isaac in her match.

Conversely, and not as expected was seeing Matti Doerwald and Dom Ripaldi win in their respective matches today. Doerwald dominated in a 3 set shut down of Sean Walters.
The younger, fresher members of the Neu Engollian team did surprisingly well during qualifications, only to get defeats handed to them during post-qualifying matches today. A lot has been expected from Marco Vrient and Felice Mareaux, the most solidly promising newer players of the NETC squad. Marco went up against Cenian Dovan and was given his walking papers, but Felice, erroneously listed as Marceaux on the official Krytenian scoring, was able to defeat her challenger, Damion Kester Dunn for the first day of competition Singles.

None of our doubles teams have played in post-qualifiers yet, but we eagerly await those matches. When we come back, we'll catch up with Matti Doerwald, who'll be live with Dom Toglani, my co-host there in Emberton. Stay tuned here to Courside Central on NETV Sports 19 for more NSTT coverage."

[Schottia]

SBCNEWS Online...
Tennis special - The AOpen II

---

The first round of the AOpen in Emberton produced some very interesting results for Schottia's players, if nothing else, in what was generally a very good day for our hopefuls at the Olympic Tennis Centre.

First up on the show courts were Jill Walker and Rob Westflet, taking on Barry Coffey and Marla Gerard respectively. For doubles specialist Westfelt it would be a rare moment in the singles limelight, as he took on Neu Engollian number three seed, and last year's beaten finalist, Gerard. The young woman, will have been many people's favourites for the title here, and wasted no time in taking the first set 6-3 out on Celesta Court. A break up in the second, it looked as if Gerard was cruising, until in a shock, the Schottian broke back in the last game of the set to take it to a tiebreak, which he managed to win 8-6. The Neu Engollian girl needed a big response and she got it in the third, closing it out in double quick time to take it 6-1. This is where most of us thought it was over, but out of nowhere, we saw an uncharacteristic collapse from Gerard, who looked all at sea, losing the fourth set by the same scoreline. Both players looked visibly drained as they headed into an energy sapping fifth set, with an ominous hush amongst the crowd who were anticipating a classic first round upset. Westfelt duly delivered, breaking in the last game to take the final set 7-5. Anyone watching would have thought it was the other player had won, judging his reaction at the end of the match, with the Schottian clearly shocked by what had just happened. Westfelt, 30, now moves into the second round of a singles tournament for only the second time in his career.

For New Oxford finalist Jill Walker, she was very nearly on the other end of an upset, as she took on the unranked Barry Coffey of Cumhact. The player, making his debut on the tour caused the sixteenth seed all sorts of trouble, taking the second and fourth sets in a marathon match on South Court. We all know that Walker can battle hard, and she really needed to today, taking the fifth set 8-6. As the match wore on, the Schottian found it harder and harder to break her opponent, who seemed to wise up quickly, after losing the first set 6-1. There were to be no easy points after that, and had it not been for her strong start, then the 24-year-old may well have lost this one. With a couple of early upsets, here in Krytenia, it shows none of the seeds can take anything for granted.

After a short break, it was the turn of Schottia's latest golden girl to shine on South Court, with Catherine Kruminš taking on Qasden's giant killer Feyrord Poniac. The player who disposed of Cenian star Johmer Vales at the Handon Open in straight sets, was no doubt in good form at the moment, and Kruminš would need to be on her toes to avoid a similar fate. There has been a lot of media attention heaped on the Schottic teenager of late, and with it has come a lot of pressure to perform. However, after three sets out on court, it looked like momentum was slipping away from her, in her quest to win her first grand slam. After Poniac took the third set 6-2, you had to wonder if the pressure was going to be too great for the girl from Saint Dos, and indeed, had this been a best of three setter, then the match would have been over. However, this seemed to be the point at which Kruminš rallied, and we got our first glimpse of exactly what she is capable of, as she rounded the match off 6-3 6-1.

On the outer courts, there was a straight sets defeat for rising star Jim Cowie, who will be deeply disappointed with his defeat at the hands of Judah's Yissakhar ben Ira. Another of Schottia's big servers, Carus Lurious, had better luck against relative newcomer Philomena Chasity Haven. The 6' 6" Handoner, cracks ace after ace down the middle, but can struggle with his movement. That said, the 20-year-old managed to sneak a break in all three sets to defeat the girl from Paradisiam 7-5 6-4 7-5.

Switching our attention to the doubles, Jack McDonell and Alan Alexander continued the theme of Schottic players making tough work of lesser-ranked opponents, as they required five sets to muscle past Tom O'Neill and Sean McInerney. It's unlikely that the pair are going to go all the way here, but with their ranking and their performances on the way up of late, they could be an outside bet to reach the last sixteen or better. Finally, Anna Jones got over the disappointment of failing to make the singles main draw, as she and partner Peter McLeod made it through in four sets. The pair, who are seeded eleventh here, finished strongly against Luciano Ziccardino IV and Selav Tukerawan, only dropping four games in the final two sets.

Big names in action for Schottia tomorrow include two former national number ones in the form of Luke Pool, and Eliza Reusmann. There are high hopes for the latter, with the 23-year-old having a very good season on grass. In the doubles, the hero of the first day, Rob Westfelt, is back in action with his partner Ken Gates. The pair, who are seeded eighth will know that a big result here could be their best chance as making the tour finals at the end of the season.

[Krytenia]

SHOW COURT TIMETABLE

MEDAL
[8] Marisa Maradona (CEN) v Anne Valens (LIS)
[2] Elia Xal / Fia Xal (CEN) v Ravid ben Yehoshua / Ofir bat Paz (JUD)
[28] Jessica Moreaux (KRY) v Bilaal Bilclough (EFL)

OLYMPUS
[3] Ellela Thotan / Ciache Nagya (CEN) v Monas Kel-Eir / Helisu Rak (VKL)
[1] Botack Andiam (CEN) v Theodor Rahl (NEG)
[13] Dominic Ripaldi / Mattias Doerwald (NEG) v Sebastien Durand / Francois Navarre (KRY)

CELESTA
[4] Andy Amada (CEN) v Pierre au Ignaa (REV)
[27] Danjella Zovic (NEG) v Stuart Riley (KRY)
[10] Dioro Hansil (CEN) v Cian McInerney (CCT)

NORTH
Linwood Marchand (NDA) v Sarah Dinsdale (KRY)
[14] Alma Semmes / Danjiella Zovic (NEG) v Angela Knight / Ian Kennedy (KRY)
[13] Paul Quiront (NEG) v Anat ben Yonah (JUD)

SOUTH
[8] Rob Westfelt / Ken Gates (SCH) v David Branson / Donovan MacBride (ANT)
[6] Johmer Vales (CEN) v Kathy Ellis (PRD)
Michael Legrand / Juan Ortiz (KRY) v Tommy West / Stephanie Brown (NGD)

This is your cutoff for Wednesday 26 October.

[Krytenia]

SINGLES : Round One

Section E

[1] Botack Andiam (CEN)           6   4   5   6   6
Theodor Rahl (NEG)                4   6   7   4   4

Jaimy Leger (EFL)                 6   6   4   6
Elke Hartung (NEG)                4   2   6   2

[32] Martin Bond (NDA)            6   7   6
Gilad ben Yehudah (JUD)           3   5   3

Adam Gory (SCH)                   6   6   6
Marika Kanepi-Vukovic (SRB)       2   4   2

[11] Neia Dovan (CEN)             6   6   6   4   6
Borusa Mallapragada (COS)         1   2   7   6   1

Gisela Stefanovic (SRB)           2   6   0   5
Max Aswick (NGD)                  6   1   6   7

[20] Gabe Anderson (NDA)          6   7   6
Adam Smith (BEN)                  1   5   2

Ty Kanelious (QAD)                7   6   6
Sissie Damsgard (LIS)             5   3   3

Section F

[6] Johmer Vales (CEN)            6   6   3   6
Kathy Ellis (PRD)                 0   1   6   3

Megan Elliott (NGD)               6   6   7
Ausir Eduril (SAV)                4   1   6

[27] Danjella Zovic (NEG)         6   5   7   7
Stuart Riley (KRY)                2   7   6   5

John Muir (SCH)                   7   6   6
Cathal Conneally (CCT)            6   4   3

[14] Luke Pool (SCH)              7   6   6
Alba Baxter (SCH)                 6   1   4

Harry Blackwood (NGD)             6   6   6
Ross Algersuari (KRY)             1   2   1

[18] Andrew Lamar (NGD)           6   6   6
Degei (SAV)                       2   3   2

Sukaina Yunan (EFL)               5   6   3   6   6
Wesly Archibald (PRD)             7   2   6   4   3

Section G

[4] Andy Amada (CEN)              6   6   6
Pierre au Ignaa (REV)             2   3   4

Jill Clark (NGD)                  6   4   7   2   6
Sarah Johnson (TOB)               4   6   6   6   2

[31] Cracik Almeronovic (MRC)     1   7   6   7
Tijana Mirkic (SRB)               6   5   2   5

Liam Penderyn (NGD)               6   7   1   7
Arieh ben Daniyyel (JUD)          4   5   6   5

[13] Paul Quiront (NEG)           6   2   7   6
Anat ben Yonah (JUD)              3   6   5   3

Ofir bat Paz (JUD)                6   6   7
Ava Kerperios (VKL)               3   3   5

[25] Thierry Garzala (NEG)        6   6   7
Dani Mateus (NDA)                 2   2   6

Linwood Marchand (NDA)            6   6   6
Sarah Dinsdale (KRY)              4   4   3

Section H

[8] Marisa Maradona (CEN)         2   7   4   6  10
Anne Valens (LIS)                 6   6   6   1   8

Aljaž Isaac (EFL)                 6   4   3   3
Stephanie Brown (NGD)             3   6   6   6

[19] Eliza Reusmann (SCH)         6   5   6   6   9
Alexander Linip (MRC)             7   7   3   1  11

Mattias Burges (MTJ)              6   6   6
Ofra bat Dekel (JUD)              3   3   4

[10] Dioro Hansil (CEN)           0   6   1   6   3
Cian McInerney (CCT)              6   2   6   3   6

Paul Chinra (TOB)                 6   7   2   4   6
Tom O'Neill (CCT)                 3   6   6   6   3

[28] Jessica Moreaux (KRY)        6   3   5   6   6
Bilaal Bilclough (EFL)            4   6   7   4   4

Alex Sanders (TOB)                6   7   6   7
Scott Durin (LIS)                 7   6   2   6

DOUBLES : Round One

Section C

[3] Ellela Thotan / Ciache Nagya (CEN)            7   6   6   4  11
Monas Kel-Eir / Helisu Rak (VKL)                  5   2   7   6   9

Julian Slazić / Lara Basič (MTJ)                  6   0   6   6   6
Paul Chinra / Alex Sanders (TOB)                  7   6   3   2   4

[10] Jack Algernon / Andrew Lamar (NGD)           6   6   6   4   6
Viktor Vokazov / Paul James (BEN)                 3   7   4   6   1

Michael Legrand / Juan Ortiz (KRY)                6   4   2   6   6
Tommy West / Stephanie Brown (NGD)                3   6   6   1   4

[8] Rob Westfelt / Ken Gates (SCH)                6   2   7   0   2
David Branson / Donovan MacBride (ANT)            2   6   6   6   6

Marcel Jamil / Lynton Shelley (NDA)               7   3   6   6
Frida au Fuse / Emma au Fuse de Maris (REV)       5   6   4   3

[13] Dominic Ripaldi / Mattias Doerwald (NEG)     2   6   6   6
Sebastien Durand / Francois Navarre (KRY)         6   4   4   2

Anat ben Yonah / Hadar ben Ofer (JUD)             4   6   7   7
Harvey Buck / Scott Dimmer (PRD)                  6   3   6   6

Section D

[2] Elia Xal / Fia Xal (CEN)                      4   4   6   6   4
Ravid ben Yehoshua / Ofir bat Paz (JUD)           6   6   4   3   6

Mark Southgate / Megan Elliott (NGD)              6   3   6   4   6
Franklin Polymar / Yves Whitz (QAD)               3   6   1   6   3

[14] Alma Semmes / Danjiella Zovic (NEG)          7   3   6   4   6
Angela Knight / Ian Kennedy (KRY)                 5   6   3   6   2

Jack Parminus / Adam Stratesimov (MRC)            7   0   3   6   6
Dorian Almosetti / Svetlana Liete (COS)           6   6   6   0   4

[7] Paul Quiront / Thierry Garzala (NEG)          6   7   6
Feyrord Poniac / Jaxton Monty (QAD)               4   6   2

Kiersten Bullock / Reina Jaber (EFL)              6   6   6
Catherine Kruminš / Adam Gory (SCH)               2   2   3

[12] Harry Blackwood / Liam Penderyn (NGD)        2   6   6   3   4
Florian Durigan / Gareth Teiss (LIS)              6   2   4   6   6

Sven Abel / Sven Strand (SAV)                     5   6   7   6
Gyda au Jara / Andrea au Jara (REV)               7   4   5   0

[House of Judah]

Ofra bat Dakel made her way to the hotel spa and masseuse. It was an unfortunate trend that she was just not advancing far in tennis tournaments. She had even started thinking about retiring from the sport, given how much older she was than the rest of the Judeans. She sighed and continued on her walk when she ran into Yissakhar ben Ira looking morose.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Shai’s getting worse. I don’t know what to do.”

“Come on,” she said. “Why don’t you join me for a massage?” Yissakhar shrugged and followed the older woman who mothered the entire team. A little later they were both laying face down on the table and groaning as the masseuses worked them over.

“Listen,” Ofra started, “you can’t save Shai if he doesn’t want to be saved. You can be there for him, but that’s it.”

“Well, I’m here, in Emberton. a long way from home. A long way from Shai. I’m not there for him right now.”

“You talk to him every day, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’re there for him. You finish the tournament, then go home and hold him. Make sure he knows that some loves him and cares about him.”

“Sounds almost easy.”

“It’s anything but. Still, it’s the only way. Relax a little for now, enjoy the massage, then call him when you’re done.”

“Mmmm…” Yissakhar groaned. “I’d argue but his hands feel so good right now, I think I will. Wake me up if I fall asleep.”

“You’ve got it.”

[Tobiasia]

This is TTV News at 6

Its been a great day for Tobiasian tennis as both Paul Chinra and Alex Sanders are through the first round of the AOpen. Sarah Johnson however, gave a valiant effort, even though she is ranked in the low 400s, and so nearly won her match.

Paul Chinra 6 7 2 4 6
Tom O'Neill 3 6 6 6 3

Chinra started strong, using his strong backhand to clench the opening two sets 6-3 then 7-6. However, just then his oppenent, Mr Tom O'Neill, began his comeback. After two sets of O'Neill using his powerful serve to clench the next two sets 6-2, 6-4, it was all to play for at level scores. But Chinra came through with one of his best sets in his life winning 6-3.

Sarah Johnson 4 6 6 6 2
Jill Clark 6 4 7 2 6

Johnson faltered in the first set, with an unusual style of player facing her, her oppnent Jill Clark took the first set 6-4. However, Johnson came fighting back, unleashing her forehand on Clark, and taking the second set 6-4. Then it came down to a tiebreak, which Clark just won. Not to be beaten, Johnson seemed to tap on hidden reserves of power to win the next set 6-2. Could this newcomer from Tobiasia actually beat Jill Clark? Sadly it was not to be, as while our Sarah Johnson began to slow down, visibly exhausted, Clark simply sped up, winning the decisive set 6-2.

Alex Sanders 6 7 6 7
Scott Durin 7 6 2 6

This match was extremely balanced. Alex Sanders began with a win in the first tiebreaker to take the first set, but then Durin won the second. This was quite a dull match at this point, with both men taking their service games. But that all changed