ABC Sport: Gary Williams Column - Eve of PlayQualifying is now complete and tomorrow is the big day, I was again overjoyed by the level of success my compatriots had, all four qualifying for the main event. This means that Grand Angland will have TWELVE competitors in the first round of a Grand Slam, which is fantastic for our nation. For the fans at home, section three will be particularly interesting as there are four Anglish competitors there, including the popular duo of Harley Watson and Harry Brown, two individuals who I firmly believe will reach the very pinnacle of our sport.
I am in the top half of the draw, as are eight other Anglishmen, so tomorrow is another crucial day for our nation. It won't be easy, I've practiced this morning and the rest of my day will be spent having massages and doing flexibility work. I've worked hard for tomorrow and I need to make sure that I bring my A-Game, as you can be beaten by anybody in an event like this and I have no walkover in the first round. Sara Zhou is the No.10 from Electrum. When you think of Electrum, rather like Ceni and Kannap, you think of a nation steeped in tennis folklore. In terms of their players, the Cassington's spring to mind, as does Greg Meares. Sara Zhou may not be the most prominent player from their nation but she is on home turf, is an up and coming player and, with her not being the most prominent player from Electrum, is an unknown. I am not as familiar with her game as I am with the likes of Greg Meares and Maya Cassington for example. So, this is far from being easy and I will need to be mentally sharp to do well.
For some, they may look at a potential R2 match with World Number Three Liam Penderyn and get excited... this is a mistake. At this level you have to stay focused, take each day as it comes and focus on each match. Zhou has a ranking of 178 but, given the difficulties I've described above, I will be treating this as a match against a player in the Top 50. I don't fear any player but I respect everyone, Sara will be no different. Normally, playing home favourites early on in a tournament is a nightmare because the crowd get on your back and they can be quite ferocious. However, I'm looking forward to this because the atmosphere is friendly, I don't think the natives have a vicious bone in them, they're all very sporting in my experience. Sara is an emerging talent for Electrum... or looks to be, this should be good!
On matchday itself my schedule depends on time of play, I am on Court 4 as the second match out of three. Generally though I'll try to lie-in, have a healthy breakfast and eat plenty of carbs roughly 90 minutes before the match. I will take energy bars out to the court with me to nibble at throughout but that's more about sustenance. Temperature will matter. Electrum is fairly cool and has a maritime climate. This is the exact same as back home in Grand Angland, so fortunately I have adjusted easily from the warmer climes of Ceni. That is one bonus for me. Playing in the middle of the day on an outdoor court means that the temperature could be slightly higher and wind could be a factor but I don't foresee any particular issues, as again the climate is virtually identical to home.
Directly after the match tomorrow I will have the usual media commitments, press conferences, interviews and I'm doing an autograph signing; I'm hoping to ask Sara Zhou if she would consider doing a joint one with me, whoever wins. Sportsmanship is a key part of tennis and must be maintained!
So, if anybody reading this is currently in Centralis, feel free to pop along!!
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AnglishLawnTennisAssociation.comElectrum Slam Qualifiers- The Match ResultsBEN WESTLEY def. Cláudius Carolus Álvares 3-6 6-2 6-4Ben Westley had his heart in his mouth at the end of the first set after he was outplayed, out-powered and outmanoeuvred by the plucky Claudius Carolus Alvares. It looked like it was all over for Westley when Alvares also served to love in the first game of the second set. Thankfully Westley managed to summon the strength to increase his serve speed and dominate the points from then onwards. Alvares effectively controlled the pace in the first set with a series of delicate drop-shots and looping lobs that ran the 38-year old 6 ft 5in Anglishman ragged.
Westley fought back, hitting an average serve speed in the second set of 132mph, forcing Alvares into two-handed returns. The cooler temperature allowed Westley to serve and volley more than is normal on a hard court as he powered his way to equalling the match through taking the second set. Alvares did adjust better in the final set but was broken when his forehand sailed long as Westley aggressively returned his serve by stepping into the court. Match point came in the form of an ace with Westley punching the air in delight as he finally qualified for an international Grand Slam.
The first round pits Westley up against Ioana Amúlio Constantinescu tomorrow.
ADAM CHANDLER def. Mihaela Márcia Rodrigues 6-1 6-3Adam Chandler again enjoyed a fairly dominant victory, dropping just four games and holding serve in a routine victory against Mihaela Márcia Rodrigues as he sailed into the first round. Chandler notably sat further back than in his match against Eliza Stewart, focusing more on switching from defence to attack as opposed to the strong, aggressive play he exhibited in the Stewart match. The first set fell quickly, taking just 19 minutes for Chandler to race through. The advantages of having quicker matches is that Chandler has been able to conserve his energy and enter the main draw feeling nearly as fresh as any of the automatically qualified players, with match practice to boost it.
The scoreline does not accurately reflect the second set, as each match got to deuce and at 3-3 commentators were already gearing up for a tiebreaker. Chandler got the break however and then went into overdrive, eliminating Rodrigues and securing his place in the first round proper. Chandler said after the match: 'I'm happy with my performance in qualifying but it is just that qualifying. Beating these means nothing, now I wanna get my teeth into the main draw.' Chandler will be hoping for a run to get some ranking points ahead of the grass court swing; his specialist surface.
In the first round Chandler faces Keeley Sinai, though by being in the bottom half of the draw, he has a day off before play begins.
ANDREW NEWTON def. Sekdola Leresa 7-6 7-5Andrew Newton further proved that he is serious about this tournament and ending his reputation of being a joker by navigating a tricky tie against Keeley Sinai by exhibiting consistent concentration and composure never really seen by the Halpool-born ace. The first set saw no breaks of serve and progression to a tie-breaker. Newton won the tie-breaker 7-4, getting the mini-break late on with a fizzed backhand flicked around the net; drawing a gasp from the crowd. ALTA officials are hoping that Newton is focusing on keeping his electric style of play coupled with a newfound commitment... though you can never be sure with Andrew Newton.
The second set was also tightly contested with no breaks of serve until they reached 5-5. Newton, up 15-40 with two break points sacrificed one with an unforced error of epic proportions - he missed the ball entirely and fell over!! However, he quickly redeemed himself by winning a 17 stroke rally with a neat backhand dropshot that proved to slow and short for Leresa to get to in time. Then, serving for the match, he was 15-30 down; with many concerned that Newton might mentally crumble. All doubts proved incorrect though as Newton equalled the score and then served two consecutive aces to take the game, set and match.
In the First Round, Newton comes up against sixth seed Andrew Lamar and is the last match on Center Court (Night Session). If he brings his artistic A-Game, the fans could certainly be in for a treat in terms of shot-making.
ALEX BROWNE def. Dan Monwe 6-1 6-3Alex Browne also secured his place in the first round proper with a straight sets 6-1 6-3 victory over Dan Monwe of Tobiasia. Perhaps of the four matches featured, this was the least eventful with Browne producing a bland but professional and energy-conserving victory. Browne, tactically, looked to using his forehand and backhand equally, making Monwe cover the ground. He took every available opportunity to progress into the net and served out wide 77% of the time before continually trying to flick the return to the opposite side of the court, with a varied but generally a positive success rate.
A note on his opponent however, Monwe looked a promising talent and had good raw physicality and excellent topspin. We would to expect much more of Monwe at future events and it will be exceptionally interesting to see how he performs on both clay and grass courts as opposed to the standard hardcourt that we see over the summer months on the NSTT Tour. Twice in the second set he managed to wrongfoot Browne by disguising his strike upon approaching the net; showing an elegant maturity uncommon in modern tennis.
Browne next faces Monwe's compatriot Sally du'Ercab in the first round.
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Blackshore SentinalElectrum Open: Uncovered Anglish CompetitorsThus far over in Electrum, most of the media coverage has fixated around Williams, Watson and Brown, alongside the remarkable case of the qualifiers. However, there are also five other Anglish Competitors in the first round; we thought we'd introduce them.
Joshua HutchinsJoshua Hutchins announced himself in the Cenian Open, winning four consecutive matches before falling in four sets to World No. 3 Liam Penderyn. In that Penderyn match, Hutchins took the first set and then broke in the first game of the second set; making some viewers believe an upset of epic proportions was on the cards; before Penderyn stepped it up a gear and highlighted the gap at the time between the two players. Hutchins, 20, is part of the younger generation alongside Harley Watson and Harry Brown that are easing the veterans such as Ben Westley and Alex Browne out of the game. Hutchins, is an attacking all-court player who enjoys coming into the net, playing serve and volley and deploying chip and charge. He particularly enjoys being offensive from the baseline before finishing points at the net and he is reknown for a particularly strong second serve.
Nathan SladeGenerally in Anglish tennis there is a battle of the ages discussed, the older generation in their late thirties; such as Ben Westley and Alex Browne, and the younger, emergent generation such as Harley Watson, Harry Brown and Joshua Hutchins. However, aged thirty, Slade is sat exactly between the two generations. Slade looks to end points quickly by playing first-strike tennis, typically by inducing a weak return with a deep, hard shot, and then playing a winner at an extreme angle. His groundstrokes, return of serve, baseline game, anticipation, and eye–hand coordination are amongst his strengths. On the rare occasion that he charges the net, Slade likes to take the ball in the air and hit a swinging volley for the winner. His favoured groundstroke is his flat, accurate two-handed backhand, hit well cross-court but in particular down the line. His forehand iss nearly as strong, in particular his inside-out forehand to the ad court.
Slade's strength is in dictating play from the back of the court. When in control of a point, Slade often passes up an opportunity to attempt a winner and hit a conservative shot to minimize his errors, and to make his opponent run more.
Peter Scott[Peter Scott is another starlet of the young generation, being only 17 years of age and already qualifying for international grand slams. Scott is an all-court player with emphasis on aggressive baseline play. His groundstrokes from both wings are consistent, deep, and penetrating. His backhand is widely regarded as his strongest asset. His best shot is his backhand down the line, with great pace and precision. He is also known a decent mover on the court with superior agility, court coverage and defensive ability, which allows him to hit winners from seemingly defensive positions. Scott's return of serve is a powerful weapon for him, with which he can be both offensive and defensive. Scott is rarely aced because of his flexibility, length and balance. Scott is highly efficient off both the forehand and backhand return, often getting the return in play deep with pace, neutralizing the advantage the server usually has in a point. Occasionally, Scott employs a well-disguised backhand underspin drop shot and sliced backhand.
Charlie BeestonBeeston at 35 is one of the older generation, with him only expected to continue for another 2-3 years, he has already commented on numerous occasions of how he is tiring for the game; his coaches hope that a decent run in a Grand Slam may re-ignite his passion for a career swansong.
Beeston has a distinctive playing style. He plays from the baseline, with powerful ground-strokes. His highly unorthodox backhand involves taking his racket back with both hands but actually generating his power with his dominant right hand, letting go of the grip with his left hand around point of contact, and following through with his swing as a one-hander. He hits the ball hard and high from the back of the court and brought it down with considerable topspin, which made his ground strokes very consistent. Complementing his consistent ground-strokes was his fitness. Another trait usually associated with Beeston is his grace under pressure. Beeston's physical conditioning is also considerably strong, being more than capable of playing multiple five-set matches in quick succession.
Scott CarsonScott Carson, who turns 19 this year, is the last member of the young generation coming through the ranks and showing early signs of promise and talent.
Carson is best known for his flat backhand, a good service return and an indomitable spirit, with his determination making up for his small size. His on-court antics, designed to get the crowd involved, both helps and hurts his play. He, however, often states how he thrives off crowd reaction and entertaining... his anger being part of his extremely competitive nature.
Carson was taught to hit the ball on the rise, a technique he uses consistently and frequently, enabling him to reflect the power and velocity of his opponents back at them. Some consider his forehand to be his greatest weakness, especially on extreme pressure points, as it lacks the safety margin of hard forehands hit with topspin. His serve, while accurate and capable, is never a great weapon for him as it does not reach the velocity and power of his opponents.
OOC: Again, I had hoped to post hours ago to make others RP'ing easier and to provide substance, as ever though, life gets in the way!
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 11:12 pm
