Delaclava Sporting Newsfeed

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jun 19, 2020 5:16 pm

DELACLAVA SPORTING NEWSFEED

This thread will be used to post summaries, previews, detailed results, and athlete/team updates for a variety of sports, focused mainly on domestic competition in Delaclava but also in use for breaking international news pertaining to the Delaclav national teams (the Phoenixes).

The main priorities of this thread shall be:
- The forthcoming establishment of the inaugural Delaclav Tennis Association (DTA) Tour,
- The future inception of an athletics (track and field) circuit,
- The future inception of a state-sponsored mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, and
- Publishing results and tables of the United Football League (association football), which will also be transmitted to the International Newswires for IFCF entries.

This post will also be used to compile domestic results as well as international competition history, as gameplay occurs and research is conducted.

Please refrain from posting unless you have received explicit permission to participate.

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jun 19, 2020 6:24 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE
SEASON 1

The national team isn't the only new invention the Delaclava Football Association has been cooking up. While the predecessor, the Delaclava Football League was shut down during the hiatus for the AOCAF and World Cup cycles, the DFA elected to re-format the league as a fresh start for the newly united Delaclava and promote talent and squads from around the mainland and overseas territories. While the formation of the system is still in its final system, a first-tier league of twelve teams were selected to take part in Season 1 of the United Football League. There were concerns about competitive balance given the limited field of players available to take part, but as the system develops and expands, there promises to be exciting football up and down the ladder.

Team	City	Province	Manager	Captain
Catherina FC	Catherina	Catherina	Johannes Detmer	Javor Milic
Cleopatrana SC	Cleopatrana	Rextaria	Dhiego Vera	Ryan Keating
Steckholl United	Quinniville	Stenrick	Tim Landers	Kelly Joseph
First City	Corcorran	Rextaria	Ernie Davis	Robert Hubbard
AC Espene	Espene	Grote Vrede	Pieter Bergsma	Tychon Stefanidis
Manchester	Manchester	Brentaria	Martin Walker	Peter Abspoel
Manchester Wolves	Manchester	Firinsymnia	Jos Haarhuis	Jüri Ilves
Ossiana FC	Ossiana	Firinsymnia	Roland Verwoold	Euphranor Papadimitriou
Sindsyge FC	Sindsyge	Verceola	Joseph Peters	Declan Mullins
Coldwater	Kalinin	Valhalla	Boris Ishutin	Dallas Harrison
Sands of the Flowers	Mariana	Rextaria	Donnel Cartier	Lynn Baldwin
Valhalla Vikings	Valhalla	Valhalla	Kimi Rautavaara	Eimantas Kazlauskas

Each team plays every other team four times - twice at home, twice on the road - for a total of 44 matches. At the end of the season, teams are sorted according to points, then wins, then overall goal difference, then head to head record and goal difference

The full match results are listed below.

After 264 games, the final standings are:

#	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Catherina FC	44	34	7	3	247	57	+190	109	IFCF CL
2	Steckholl United	44	32	4	8	224	63	+161	100	CC
3	Manchester	44	27	10	7	163	63	+100	91	CC
4	Cleopatrana SC	44	25	11	8	92	52	+40	86	CC
5	Ossiana FC	44	21	6	17	136	123	+13	69
6	AC Espene	44	19	6	19	90	98	−8	63
7	Valhalla Vikings	44	18	9	17	36	35	+1	63
8	Manchester Wolves	44	13	7	24	93	140	−47	46
9	Coldwater	44	10	15	19	50	96	−46	45
10	Sindsyge FC	44	8	10	26	58	158	−100	34
11	First City	44	6	9	29	35	105	−70	27
12	Sands of the Flowers	44	3	2	39	37	271	−234	11

Highest Scoring Game — MD12, Sands of the Flowers 0–18 Catherina FC,
Largest Winning Margin — MD12, Sands of the Flowers 0–18 Catherina FC,
Most Back and Forth (total - margin) — MD10, Manchester 10–6 Ossiana FC

It was largely a tight race for the top, with two high powered offenses in Catherina FC and Steckholl United, the two historically best teams in Delaclava. Steckholl United took a road win in their first meeting, 3-0, but Catherina FC got revenge on the road with a 7-0 thrashing. After a draw in Round 3 in Catherina, the capital's club pulled out the final meeting in the 40th match of the season. That match proved decisive, as Steckholl dropped their next match in Manchester 5-3, allowing Catherina FC to clinch the league title the match following. In the end, Catherina FC pulled clear by nine points, while Steckholl remained nine points clear of Manchester to clinch the runner-up spot. Catherina was led by the offensive firepower of young guns Artem Kohut and Dathan Ingram, while Steckholl United kept pace by the efforts of Griogair Urquhart and Michael Rogers. Manchester had an up-and-down season, holding the league lead through Round 1 but eventually falling to fourth place, but eventually remained clear of Cleopatrana SC for third, led by midfielder force Ruben Albert. Cleopatrana SC, the defending league champions from the final season of the DPL, were unable to replicate their performance against stronger clubs but were able to avoid a major letdown, on the back of the second-stingiest defense in the league and the impressive play of keeper Donat Soler.

Ossiana FC, from Firinsymnia, made a strong showing for fifth place, the best among overseas clubs. Another overseas club, AC Espene of Grote Vrede, slipped past Valhalla Vikings to round out the top half of the table, equal at 63 points but holding one more win. The Vikings were impressive in their own right, allowing less than a goal per game and even putting up the same resistance against the best offenses in the league, although their own offense betrayed them in their quest to move further up the table. Manchester Wolves - from the Manchester in Firinsymnia, not the Manchester, came in at eighth.

Finishing off the table: Coldwater, the second team out of Valhalla; Sindsyge FC, the lone Verceolan club in the league and outfitted with many of the aging Verceolan veterans who joined the Delaclav national team; First City, the Corcorran squad who put up a better defensive performance than their position suggested; and Sands of the Flowers, a largely semipro team from Mariana who were simply overwhelmed by the superior competition and unable to adjust at any time. The squad did have a relative bright spot near the end of the season, with a 1-2-2 run in five games, but they allowed double-digit goals in seven games and cemented their status as bottom-dwellers.

AWARDS

Best XI
GK - George Ross, Catherina FC
DF - Keghart Nazaretian, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Carlos Berrera, Catherina FC
DF - Luke Lemieux, Cleopatrana SC
MF - Javor Milić, Catherina FC
MF - Michael Rogers, Steckholl United
MF - Rubèn Albert, Manchester
MF - Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
FW - Artem Kohut, Catherina FC
FW - Dathan Ingram, Catherina FC
FW - Griogair Urquhart, Steckholl United

Next XI
GK - Tyron Young, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Kelly Joseph, Steckholl United
DF - Eimantas Kazlauskas, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Zane Davis, Manchester
MF - Timur Zaitsev, Cleopatrana SC
MF - Ben Romeijn, AC Espene
MF - Rudolf Janíček, Steckholl United
MF - Sargis Nazaryan, Steckholl United
FW - Dashaun Howard, Steckholl United
FW - Khachatur Sargsyan, Manchester
FW - Euphranor Papadimitriou, Ossiana FC

Golden Ball (MVP) — Dathan Ingram, Catherina FC
Golden Boot (Most Goals) — Artem Kohut, Catherina FC - 97
Golden Flick (Most Assists) — Dathan Ingram, Catherina FC - 109
Golden Glove (Fewest Goals) — Tyron Young, Valhalla Vikings - 35
Offensive POY* — Artem Kohut, Catherina FC
Defensive POY* — Keghart Nazaretian, Valhalla Vikings
Best GK* — George Ross, Catherina FC
U20 POY* — Artem Kohut, Catherina FC
U23 POY* — Rubèn Albert, Manchester
Masters POY — Euphranor Papadimitriou, Ossiana FC
Most Improved — Rudolf Janíček, Steckholl United
Fair Play (Individual) — Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
Fair Play (Team) — AC Espene

* MVP not eligible for awards

Champions, IFCF Champions' League: Catherina FC
Challengers' Cup: Steckholl United, Manchester, Cleopatrana SC

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jun 20, 2020 1:17 am

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

Delaclava has a rich tennis history, as the hosts of the Scott Cup, a mixed team competition that still stands at the longest-running international tennis competition in the world, the World Team Tennis Championships, and winners of numerous Olympic medals. Delaclav tennis was also responsible for the introduction of its distinctive wood courts, as well as the revival of carpet courts, to the sporting world.

While Delaclava's national sport has largely existed in a scattered, unorganised fashion, the Delaclava Tennis Association recently announced its formation with the goal of providing a standard schedule, greater media and spectator exposure, and increased prize money to its players.

Since there are no rankings or pre-existing recurring competition, the DTA has devised a format for the inaugural season that will provide a starting point for the initial rankings and allow players to join the tour and ascend the latter from there:

Classification Phase
- 64 men and 64 women from around the country will participate in the singles competition. Season 1 of the DTA Tour will not have doubles competition
- The classification phase of the tour will last for three weeks.
- In each week, there will be four tournaments with a single-elimination draw of 16 players. In a given week, every player in a given gender will be playing on the same surface and in the same geographic region.
- Each player will be participating in all three weeks of the competition, and will be drawn in such a way that each player will have a unique schedule, i.e. no two men or two women will play in the same three tournaments.
- The men's schedule of tournaments is:

- The women's schedule will take place in the same regions and at the same tournaments, but will be staggered so the men's and women's draws of each tournament will take place in different weeks, allowing fans the opportunity to view as much of the tennis action as possible. The women's schedule of tournaments is:

- All rounds through the semifinals will be best-of-three matches, with a final-set tiebreak. The final of each tournament will be a best-of-five match, also with a final-set tiebreak. This format is the same for both men and women.
- All tournaments are on equal footing. The winner of each tournament will receive 10 points, the runner-up will receive 7 points, the semifinalists will receive 5 points, and the quarterfinalists will receive 3 points. Because the field of 64 players will be the same throughout the schedule, and therefore will play opening matches in all three tournaments, no points are awarded for Round of 16 losses.
- After three weeks, all tournament winners (which could be between 4 and 12 in each field) will qualify for the Finals. All other competitors will be ranked by points and the top point-earners will be advanced so that the Finals field consists of 16 men and 16 women.

Finals
- The top 16 men and 16 women will travel to Catherina to compete in the Finals, which will be held on indoor wood courts.
- For each field, the 16 competitors will be seeded by classification points. (Although tournament winners automatically qualify for the Finals, they may still be seeded below players who did not win a tournament but earned more points overall.) The 16 competitors will be arranged into four pots by seed, and then drawn into four groups of four.
- Each group will play a single round-robin competition. All group stage matches will be best-of-three, with a final-set tiebreak.
- The top two players from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
- If two players are tied (at 2-1) for first in their group, the winner of the match between those two players is the group winner.
- If there is a three-way tie (i.e. three players at 2-1 and one at 0-3, or one player at 3-0 and three at 1-2), set or game tiebreakers will not be used to advance and eliminate - the players must earn their way in. This will be done by a special, rapid-fire, Tiebreak 10 format that will be conducted as follows:

full group stage match

- The eight remaining players in each field are drawn into a single-elimination bracket, with group winner facing group runners-up in the quarterfinals, and so that no rematches will occur until the final.
- All knockout matches, for men and women, will be best-of-five, with no final set tiebreak.
- The winner of each bracket is the champion of Season 1. While the end-of-season point system has not been finalised, the champions will be installed as the #1-ranked players on the tour.

The field of 64 men and 64 women is still being finalised, but we look forward to presenting a high level of tennis within exciting and innovative formats. The next you hear from us, carpet action for the men and clay action for the women will be underway! Stay tuned!

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jun 20, 2020 1:36 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

Week 1
Men - West Region, Carpet | Women - South Region, Clay

The first week of the inaugural DTA Tour season is upon us! 64 men and 64 women begin play in a quest to be crowned to win tournaments, pick up prize money, and eventually become the champions in Catherina and first #1-ranked players. But until they all convene for the finals, the tours will remain separate to spread out the action around the venues. The men head first to four carpet tournaments in western Delaclava, while the women head down south to make their DTA debut on red clay.

Eight new champions will be crowned this week - let's meet the players and see who punches an early ticket to Catherina!

Men - West Region, Carpet

The four host cities of the carpet tournaments this week are: Farland, Quinniville, Salem, and Santa Lourdes. Quinniville is the site of the most prestigious carpet championships in the country - and at one point, the world, as it was contested internationally. While Quinniville will only be hosting a 16-person tournament in this schedule, they look forward to hosting the carpet major tournament in future seasons, in a DTA structure that will directly funnel the best players in the nation into the tournament, rather than disparate registration. Inland surburban sprawl Farland, modern coastal metropolis Santa Lourdes, and northern seaside city Salem finish out the carpet round.

First Round
Supyan Avtorkhanov	6	6	
Linus Demkers	        4	3	
			
Renard Previn	        1	4	
Alexandros Rokas	6	6	
			
Liam Fletcher	6	7	
Montego Diaz	4	5	
			
Ferdynand Obara	5	6 (5)	
Kesnel Desir	7	7 (7)	
			
Rahil Rice	6	1	6
Alex Teymur	3	6	2
			
Randy Giles	6	7 (7)	
Serafin Pérez	3	6 (3)	
			
Ryan Ferron	2	5	
Samu Kallur	6	7	
			
Nart Varkazek	1	7 (7)	6
Adan Muratian	6	6 (4)	2

Quarterfinals			
Supyan Avtorkhanov	2	6	6
Alexandros Rokas	6	2	0
			
Liam Fletcher	0	3	
Kesnel Desir	6	6	
			
Rahil Rice	2	5	
Randy Giles	6	7	
			
Samu Kallur	6	7	
Nart Varkazek	2	5	
	
Semifinals		
Supyan Avtorkhanov	5	6	6
Kesnel Desir	        7	4	0
			
Randy Giles	2	7 (7)	6
Samu Kallur	6	6 (3)	3

Quinniville Final	
Supyan Avtorkhanov	6 (4)	4	5
Randy Giles	        7 (7)	6	7

Due to Quinniville's legendary status, it was decided that the Quinniville tournament should be the first to open play - and the honor of the opening match was given to Randy Giles (yes, relation to the legend Darren Giles - his great-grandson) and Serafin Pérez. The two did not disappoint in kicking off proceedings with two tightly contested sets, which were ultimately won by Giles, who looked a little more comfortable on the fast carpet. Surprisingly, the notable carpet specialists in the tournaments, Ryan Ferron and Alex Teymur, were not long to last. Ferron was quickly dumped out by Samu Kallur, while Teymur's effort to come from behind against Rahil Rice fell flat despite a dominant second set. The highlight of the round was Kesnel Desir's close two-set victory over Ferdynand Obara. Neither of the two clay specialists was eager to give an inch, all the way to the ending tiebreak, and it will be exciting to see them face off on their favored surface.

In the quarterfinals, Supyan Avtorkhanov recovered from a rough start to dominant the last two sets, including a third-set 6-0, to get the jump on Alexandros Rokas, while Kesnel Desir eased past Liam Fletcher 6-0, 6-3. Giles continued his run by dispatching Rahil Rice, while Kallur took advantage of his efficient first-round victory to do the same to Nart Varkazek, who was more fatigued from his three-set battle. In the semifinals, Avtorkhanov once again recovered from losing the first set to defeat Desir, closing the show with another bagel. In the match of the tournament, Giles saved a match point in the second set against Kallur, won the subsequent tiebreak and came out on top in the back-and-forth third set, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. The week was nevertheless a strong effort for Kallur, who will be one to watch out for - but he still has work to do to make it to the Finals.

The final was close and competitive, with the server largely reigning supreme. Avtorkhanov and Giles got to the tiebreak quickly, and when push came to shove, it seemed to show that Giles had gotten through his early schedule more efficiently, and he stole the tiebreak 7-4. From there, Giles was able to capitalise on late breaks in the second and third sets. Avtorkhanov found another level in the third set but still could not hold serve in the 5-all service game, and Giles ended the match with two aces to seal the deal. Randy Giles is the Quinniville men's champion.

First Round
CeeCee Barrett	        6	2	4	
Karlis Eskandarian	2	6	6	
				
Ryder Fessenden	7 (8)	2	6	
Ari Kocharian	6 (6)	6	4	
				
Dontrall Holt	        6	2	3	
Christos Michelakakis	3	6	6	
				
Luke England	6	6		
Jacob Dorvil	3	2		
				
Jesse Lewis	6	6		
Tedrick Cole	4	4		
				
Konstantinos Kourelis	6	4	6	
Lachlan Whitford	2	6	2	
				
Eryk Kuna	6 (3)	6	6	
Sergi Argerich	7 (7)	2	4	
				
Kuka Qori	5	2		
Leo Thomas	7	6		
		
Quarterfinals		
Karlis Eskandarian	6	4	3	
Ryder Fessenden	        3	6	6	
				
Christos Michelakakis	5	6	4	
Luke England	        7	2	6	
				
Jesse Lewis	        3	4		
Konstantinos Kourelis	6	6		
				
Eryk Kuna	7 (7)	6		
Leo Thomas	6 (4)	1		

Semifinals				
Ryder Fessenden	6	6		
Luke England	4	3		
				
Konstantinos Kourelis	7 (7)	3	6	
Eryk Kuna	        6 (5)	6	3

Farland Final
Ryder Fessenden	        6	6	5	7 (7)
Konstantinos Kourelis	4	3	7	6 (5)

This was a highly competitive field, filled with close matches - with five first round matches and two quarterfinals going the distance. First round highlights included Ryder Fessenden edging out Ari Kocharian 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-4. Kocharian was thought to be the biggest threat on faster services, but Fessenden's all-around game was more consistent and held up better in the crucial stages, where Kocharian was betrayed by a few too many unforced errors in the third set. In the other half of the draw, Konstantinos Kourelis took out Farland homegrown talent Lachlan Whitford, whose affinity and experience for the Farland carpet did not hold up to Kourelis' dogged relentlessness and heavy groundstrokes. In another intriguing contrast of style, Eryk Kuna's booming serves and flat forehands were eventually too much for the diminutive Sergi Argerich, who did well to mitigate damage on the return and gave Kuna enough trouble to win the first set tiebreak.

In the quarterfinals, Fessenden was forced to come from behind to defeat Karlis Eskandarian 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, to set up a matchup with Luke England, who also survived a three-set battle over Christos Michelalakis. Kourelis was even more in control in a straight-sets victory over Jesse Lewis, 6-3, 6-4. Kuna's match against Leo Thomas was an interesting affair, as two big servers fired ace after ace. It was expected that if anyone would have an edge, it would be Thomas, who prefers grass and might handle the low bounce better in the return game. But Thomas unexpectedly faltered with two double faults to hand Kourelis the first-set tiebreak, then his serve seemingly vanished as Kourelis rolled to a 6-1 second set. In the semifinals, Fessenden was grateful to handle business in a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 victory, much quicker than his previous two rounds and allowing him to rest up for the final. Kourelis' return game and extreme backward return position contrasted brilliantly with Kuna's serve, and while each player continuously adjusted to the other, Kourelis came out the better, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-3.

Both Fessenden and Kourelis entered the final on slightly tired legs. But Fessenden's easy power and deft touch was more fitting for the occasion than the strength of Kourelis, and Fessenden took the first two sets, 6-4 and 6-3, in just over an hour. Fessenden was serving for the match at 5-4, looking at an easy title victory, when Kourelis came alive at the last gasp to break back. Flustered by the sudden change in Kourelis, Fessenden blinked again in his next service game, and suddenly the match was headed for a fourth set, and Kourelis was looking for blood.

Kourelis broke for a third straight time to open the fourth set 3-0, and all of a sudden, Fessenden's momentum from winning the first two sets was gone. To his credit, Fessenden dug in with even bolder and riskier servers, neutralising Kourelis' returns and finally stopping the slide at six straight games. A few games later, the momentum was relatively level, but Kourelis was serving for the set at 5-3. It was Fessenden's turn to steal the moment, with a few brilliant sharp angles and slices which Kourelis could not counter. After both men held, Kourelis had another chance to prolong the match on Fessenden's serve at 5-6, but did not get a chance to return again until Fessenden wrapped up the game. In the tiebreak, Kourelis ran out of fight and dropped the early mini-break, which Fessenden carried to the end, winning the match 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5). Ryder Fessenden is the Farland men's champion.

First Round
Chris Hart	4	6	6	
Chuqi Soncco	6	3	1	
				
Akna Tolau	7 (7)	7 (7)		
Kent Paulsen	6 (4)	6 (4)		
				
Hugo Pinot	4	6	6 (4)	
Jason Dickey	6	1	7 (7)	
				
Kyrillos Androu	3	2		
Nikita Khadaev	6	6		
				
Aidan Williams	3	4		
Timothy Fisher	6	6		
				
Tinder George	6	6 (6)	7	
Saratos Saran	2	7 (8)	5	
				
Billy Randall	7 (7)	6		
Aston Copeland	6 (2)	3		
				
Pascal Fleurimond	4	2		
Aiden Clarkson	        6	6		
		
Quarterfinals		
Chris Hart	6	6 (6)	1	
Akna Tolau	4	7 (8)	6	
				
Jason Dickey	7	3	3	
Nikita Khadaev	5	6	6	
				
Timothy Fisher	7	4	6	
Tinder George	5	6	1	
				
Billy Randall	6	2	5	
Aiden Clarkson	3	6	7	
		
Semifinals		
Akna Tolau	4	7 (8)	5	
Nikita Khadaev	6	6 (6)	7	
				
Timothy Fisher	6	6		
Aiden Clarkson	3	3

Salem Final
Nikita Khadaev	1	7	4	2
Timothy Fisher	6	5	6	6

While Giles and Fessenden were widely considered among the best players in the country, no true favorites emerged when the Salem field was first drawn, so the first round was a great opportunity for first impressions. Nikita Khadaev made the biggest statement with a 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of Kyrillos Androu, while Timothy Fisher and Aiden Clarkson also impressed with straight set victories over Aidan Williams and Pascal Fleurimond. Fisher in particular seemed suited for the carpet, with a strong forehand and consistent power despite his relative lack of size. On the other end of the spectrum, Tinder George and Saratos Saran entertaining with a thrilling battle in which each competitor had match points in the third set, and while George missed his chances in the second-set tiebreak, he would be the eventual victor, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5.

In the quarterfinals, little-known Akna Tolau sprang a surprise on Chris Hart, one of the finer grass court players in the country, with a 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 victory. Jason Dickey provided some discomfort for Khadaev with his junkball, spin-heavy game, but Khadaev eventually made the proper adjustments to win the final two sets. A contest between Fisher and George exceeded expectations, with both players showing off their prowess at various stages in the same. But when the third set came, Fisher simply could not miss on the ground. George did virtually no wrong but just didn't have the answers when Fisher started going for broke, and Fisher rolled in a 6-1 third set. Clarkson made it a clean sweep of three-setters in the quarterfinals, toughing out Billy Randall 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

In the match of the tournament, Tolau and Khadaev got after it for almost three hours, each man consistent for the duration and neither able to streak away for even a brief period of time. It was a battle of David vs. Goliath, with Khadaev firing hard groundstrokes and big serves and Tolau providing enough craft and variety to not allow Khadaev to pull away. It was a classic battle, but Goliath usually wins, and Khadaev was the winner, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5. In a total contrast, Fisher was done with Aiden Clarkson in just under an hour, 6-3, 6-3. In the final, that workload discrepancy made all the difference. Khadaev put up just enough resistance to win the second set 7-5 but won a total of seven games in the other three sets combined. It was a fitting performance for Fisher, who emerged as a competent carpet player who may be able to translate his success to all surfaces. Just for now, however: Timothy Fisher is the Salem champion.

First Round
Roko Uchimura	4	4			
Masas Gabaran	6	6			
					
Radik Yanbayev	2	2			
Daniel Cairns	6	6			
					
Darryon Pierre	6	2	5		
Connor Stuart	0	6	7		
					
John Kidman	6 (5)	7 (7)	6		
Roddy Baxley	7 (7)	6 (5)	3		
					
Emilio Pugliesi	4	6 (4)			
Vasla Gusev	6	7 (7)			
					
Chase Eaton	6 (2)	7	6		
Philip Groce	7 (7)	5	2		
					
Dominick Morgan	4	2			
Jonathan Plank	6	6			
					
Beacon Fowler	6 (6)	7 (7)	7 (7)		
Jimar Young	7 (8)	6 (5)	6 (5)		
	
Quarterfinals				
Masas Gabaran	7 (7)	2	3		
Daniel Cairns	6 (4)	6	6		
					
Connor Stuart	6	7 (7)			
John Kidman	2	6 (3)			
					
Vasla Gusev	6	4	6		
Chase Eaton	2	6	3		
					
Jonathan Plank	6 (4)	2			
Beacon Fowler	7 (7)	6			
			
Semifinals		
Daniel Cairns	6	6			
Connor Stuart	4	4			
					
Vasla Gusev	6	6			
Beacon Fowler	4	1

Santa Lourdes Final
Daniel Cairns	6	4	6	6 (1)	7
Vasla Gusev	2	6	3	7 (7)	5

The players who were drawn into Santa Lourdes were perhaps most excited to visit this hoppin', happenin' party town, and take advantage of the warm weather and fresh air. But they had a job to do, even if being indoors was a bit of a bummer. Anyway, the players did not disappoint, with plenty of intriguing action. Daniel Cairns established himself as one to watch out for, blowing past Radik Yanbayev 6-2, 6-2. To Yanbayev's credit, even he had a positive ratio of winners to unforced errors. It was clean, enjoyable tennis, but Cairns by far got the better of it. Connor Stuart digested a bagel against Darryon Pierre to advance, 0-6, 6-2, 7-5. John Kidman and Roddy Baxley entertained in a tight, ferocious battle, splitting two tiebreaks before Kidman took the final set 6-3. Beacon Fowler and Jimar Young did them one better, with all three sets going to tiebreaks - a surprising outcome for two very strong returners, but a testament to the evenness of skill. It was Fowler who would take the last two tiebreaks.

In the quarterfinals, Cairns had his work cut out for him against dirtballer Masas Gabaran, who sliced and diced his way to a first-set tiebreak victory. The 6-foot-5 Cairns took out his frustrations on a couple of rackets at the break, which seemed to calm him as he pressed onward with ease, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-3. Stuart got the better of his friend Kidman in straight sets, Vasla Gusev moved on in three sets over Chase Eaton, and Fowler ran through Jonathan Plank in straight sets - an impressive result, with Plank being one of the Day 1 standouts. In the semifinals, Cairns and Gusev were simply the superior players and each eased into the final in quick straight sets. With this, it was ensured that the final would have two well-rested competitors.

The final was a classic, with both men swinging and banging, trading body blows like a cagefight. Each man took their turn to establish dominance, with Cairns taking sets 1 and 3, and Gusev taking the second. In the fourth, Cairns got a break and it seemed that he would be able to close out the match, but he faltered, Gusev got the break back, and had the momentum with an easy 7-1 tiebreak. Neither man was willing to give an inch in the fifth set until 5-all. It seemed that Gusev may have relaxed by the slightest margin, anticipating the final tiebreak on the horizon, but Cairns was having none of it. With Gusev serving at 5-6, 30-all, Cairns went for broke with two massive forehand returns. The first landed right at Gusev's feet and Gusev could not keep his own return in play; the second was a brilliant inside-out angle, and it went unreturned as Cairns fell to the ground in exhaustion, befitting the instant classic the fans had just witnessed. Daniel Cairns is the Santa Lourdes champion.

Women - South Region, Clay

To be published later.

Qualification

- Daniel Cairns, Ryder Fessenden, Randy Giles, and Timothy Fisher have automatically qualified for the Finals.
- The remaining twelve berths are held by the losing finalists and semifinalists, but with only one round completed, that is not particularly meaningful. The qualification picture will undoubtedly take better shape after Week 2.

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 12:05 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

Week 1
Men - West Region, Carpet | Women - South Region, Clay

Women - South Region, Clay

While the men sorted things out on the carpet, the women headed south to slug it out on the terre battue at four destinations - Athens, Corcorran, Mariana, and Tomo. Which four women earn their spots in Catherina this week?

First Round
Meghan McCullough	6	6			
Valentina Havel	        2	3			
					
Elle Garcia	7	6 (8)	6		
Elda Romain	5	7 (10)	4		
					
Serena Morillo	        1	6 (2)			
Tatiana Makarova	6	7 (7)			
					
Brandi Clay	6	3	3		
Kathleen Egan	2	6	6		
					
Fang Xinya	        6	4	6		
Claudia Whitaker	3	6	4		
					
Dagmar Matthiesen	3	5			
Janet Navarro	        6	7			
					
Cecily Rice	3	6	3		
Krystal Dawson	6	0	6		
					
Madelien van Dijk	2	6 (2)			
Zezig Korgay	        6	7 (7)			

Quarterfinals					
Meghan McCullough	7	6 (2)	3		
Elle Garcia	        5	7 (7)	6		
					
Tatiana Makarova	6 (5)	4			
Kathleen Egan	        7 (7)	6			
					
Fang Xinya	6	7 (9)			
Janet Navarro	4	6 (7)			
					
Krystal Dawson	5	6 (2)			
Zezig Korgay	7	7 (7)			

Semifinals					
Elle Garcia	6 (2)	6	2		
Kathleen Egan	7 (7)	2	6		
					
Fang Xinya	6	6			
Zezig Korgay	2	3

Athens Final
Kathleen Egan	6	6	2	4	3
Fang Xinya	2	2	6	6	6

While few obvious favorites popped out of this draw, an exciting opener was guaranteed with two of the best clay-courters, Elle Garcia and Elda Romain, going head-to-head. It was a shame to lose one of the better players so early, that's the nature of small, unseeded tournaments, and these two did not let down, with Romain clawing back in the second-set tiebreak, saving match points and winning 10-8, before Garcia eventually got the better of the encounter, winning the third set 6-4. On the other side of the draw, Zezig Korgay was effective in defeating Madelien van Dijk 6-2, 7-6 (7-2). However, other matches showed that specialty isn't everything, as Tatiana Makarova's power was too much for Serena Morillo's spin-heavy game, in a 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) affair. Kathleen Egan and Brandi Clay, two players more notable on other surfaces, also put on an entertaining match on their worst surface, with Egan the 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner.

In the quarterfinals, Garcia again survived a three-setter after dropping the first set to Meghan McCullough before coming back, and Egan's touch and finesse barely got the better of Makarova in a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory. Korgay gritted out a dogfight against Krystal Dawson, winning 7-5, 7-6 (7-2), and Fang Xinya punched her ticket to the semifinals after a highly competitive second-set tiebreak which Xinya took 9-7. Pundits expected the semifinals to be a formality which would set up the always-anticipated Garcia/Korgay final. But instead, Egan held on in a roller-coaster against Garcia, winning the first-set tiebreak, losing the second set 6-2, before avenging with a 6-2 set of her own. Then Fang completely outclassed Korgay with her all-court game, winning 6-2, 6-3 and making a statement en route to the Athens final.

The final was not necessarily high-quality, but it was certainly long and intriguing. Egan was the better player early, winning the first two sets 6-2, 6-2. It seems that she had more power and zip on the day, with Fang resorting to counterpunching and ending on the back foot too often. But with the Athens trophy in sight, Egan inexplicably faltered, spraying unforced errors and quickly trailing in the third set 4-0. While Egan righted the ship eventually, Fang took advantage of her new lease on the match, and held serve to close out the set. From there, they seemed to be at a relative stalemate until Egan again lost focus, serving at 4-5 and double-faulting twice to hand Fang the tying set. Emboldened, Fang went on the offensive to start the fifth set and broke Egan immediately to lead 3-0. Despite Egan's best efforts, Fang was now slicing and dicing on all cylinders, and closed out the final set 6-3. It was not her best match of the tournament, but she always held tough, found her opening and took it all the way. Egan had an admirable week but will surely regret missing this opportunity. Fang Xinya is the Athens champion.

First Round
Marie Louise Valcin	6 (5)	1			
Tecia Gonzalez	        7 (7)	6			
					
Anežka Machová	6	7			
Deanna Knox	3	5			
					
Valerie Boren	6	6			
Barbara Stokes	2	4			
					
Mieke Kelderman	        2	6	6		
Michelle Bradley	6	3	4		
					
Marietta Lukomska	6 (1)	6	4		
Gabriela Olizharenko	7 (7)	3	6		
					
Hira Bhullar	3	2			
Marina Melea	6	6			
					
Carol Eaton	6	6 (1)	6		
Siske Haberman	3	7 (7)	2		
					
Aline Toussaint	2	4			
Kathy Kim	6	6			

Quarterfinals					
Tecia Gonzalez	7	6			
Anežka Machová	5	4			
					
Valerie Boren	7 (7)	2	6		
Mieke Kelderman	6 (4)	6	2		
					
Gabriela Olizharenko	6	7			
Marina Melea	        4	5			
					
Carol Eaton	6 (9)	6	6		
Kathy Kim	7 (11)	4	3		
	
Semifinals				
Tecia Gonzalez	6 (4)	4			
Valerie Boren	7 (7)	6			
					
Gabriela Olizharenko	3	6	6		
Carol Eaton	        6	2	1

Corcorran Final
Valerie Boren	        6	4	6	2	4
Gabriela Olizharenko	0	6	4	6	6

While none of these clay tournaments held the prestige of, say, the Quinniville carpet or Manchester grass tournaments, Corcorran is certainly the old town of Delaclava, giving this tournament the haunted vestiges of history to make it of particular interest. Before the draw came out, eyes were on Tecia Gonzalez and Anežka Machová to make big impressions this season - but with both players being weaker on clay, they needed the opportunity to play their way into the tournament. Neither got their wish, as the two women were slated to potentially play in the quarterfinal. Each player set up that match within about 80 minutes, with Gonzalez defeating Marie Louise Valcin 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 and Machova getting by Deanna Knox 6-3, 7-5. The most entertaining matches of the round came from Mieke Kelderman's victory over Michelle Bradley, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Gabriela Olizharenko's 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4 victory in a testy battle which saw her opponent, Marietta Lukomska, eschew a respectful post-match handshake for a brief tap with no eye contact. Kathy Kim turned in the most dominant performance, overwhelming Aline Toussaint 6-2, 6-4.

While the Gonzalez-Machova match lived up to expectation in terms of quality, Gonzalez's level was higher at the key moments, lifting her to a competitive 7-5, 6-4 victory. Other winners were Valerie Boren taking down Kelderman in three sets, Olizharenko's defeat of Marina Melea in two tight sets, and Carol Eaton overcoming a tough loss in an 11-9 first set tiebreak to win the next two sets. In the semifinals, Boren continued her surprise run by defeating Gonzalez 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, and Olizharenko booked her own ticket to the final, adjusting after a nervous 6-3 set loss, taking control and rolling past Eaton 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The Corcorran final was a tortuous one, as Boren's power and unorthodox angles were a big problem for Olizharenko, and the first set ended 6-0. Yet somehow, it was Olizharenko who picked up the early break in the second, digesting the bagel and tying the match at one piece. After a similarly tight third set broke Boren's way, Olizharenko powered through the fourth and fifth sets, winning seven straight games, including all the requisite breaks in the final two sets to win the match. Boren found her footing again in the final frame but had no answers to claw back the deficit, and with that, Gabriela Olizharenko is the Corcorran champion.

First Round
Cornelia Aberg	5	4		
Isolde Godfrey	7	6		
				
Elsi Wallin	3	6 (6)		
Rachel Myers	6	7 (8)		
				
Ryen Dixon	        6	6		
Karolina Duplantis	0	3		
				
Paula Barrios	4	4		
Cèlia Roger	6	6		
				
Marion Fleming	5	6 (6)		
Saba Abidi	7	7 (8)		
				
Daniela Hajkova	6 (7)	5		
Justina Perez	7 (9)	7		
				
Mary Chilton	6	7 (7)		
Kathryn Riggs	3	6 (4)		
				
Margaret Daugherty	6 (0)	6	7 (7)	
Emilie Gorogo	        7 (7)	1	6 (4)	

Quarterfinals				
Isolde Godfrey	4	7 (7)	6	
Rachel Myers	6	6 (5)	2	
				
Ryen Dixon	0	2		
Cèlia Roger	6	6		
				
Saba Abidi	1	5		
Justina Perez	6	7		
				
Mary Chilton	        6	5	6	
Margaret Daugherty	4	7	2	

Semifinals				
Isolde Godfrey	7 (7)	6		
Cèlia Roger	6 (2)	1		
				
Justina Perez	3	6	3	
Mary Chilton	6	2	6

Mariana Final
Isolde Godfrey	2	6	3	4
Mary Chilton	6	2	6	6

Three names were on everyone's lips for the scenic tournament in Mariana - Isolde Godfrey, Mary Chilton, and Justina Perez. Godfrey is one of the best all-around players in the game, Chilton is a world-beater on any other surface, and Perez was the dominant clay force who would be best suited for this tournament. The three would defeat Cornelia Aberg, Kathryn Riggs, and Daniela Hajkova respectively, all in straight sets - but the competitiveness of each match showed the strength of this field. They were on course for three semifinal spots, and when Ryen Dixon blew past Karolina Duplantis 6-0, 6-3, it seemed that she was gearing up to take that fourth spot. But the 18-year-old somehow wasn't quite ready to continue her run through the competition, and suffered her own 6-0, 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Celia Roger. Godfrey was challenged by Rachel Myers, even saving a match point in the second set before prevailing 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Chilton hit her own speedbump in the form of Margaret Daugherty, but it was less impactful as Daugherty's second-set victory was a mere distraction in Chilton's otherwise comfortable 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory. It was Perez who seemed to be in the best form of the three, defeating fellow dirtballer Saba Abidi in straight sets. But Celia Roger's dominance could not be discounted.

In the semifinals, Roger showed remarkable poise in handling the pressure of the situation and of Godfrey's powerful, accurate groundstrokes. But when Godfrey got the best of her in the first set tiebreak, Roger seemed to wilt and Godfrey rolled forward, winning the match 7-6 (7-2), 6-1. In the other semifinal, despite another rough second set, it seemed that the "cow on skates" had figured out how to survive on the clay, and Chilton pressed forward to the final, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 over Perez. In the championship, Chilton's bizarre second-set woes continued, but Chilton was still the more dominant throughout the match. On paper, Godfrey seemed to be better suited for this surface. But tennis is not played on paper - except for the wood courts in Catherina. Chilton was in the form of her life this week, and with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, Mary Chilton is the Mariana champion.

First Round
Cheyanne Natera	3	6 (3)			
Dáša Němcová	6	7 (7)			
					
Eleni Laskoti	6	6			
Maya Hough	3	4			
					
Anne Friberg	        4	4			
Danielle Ballard	6	6			
					
Jean Callan	        2	4			
Natalie Johansen	6	6			
					
Catherine Devane	6	7 (7)			
Ester Sandrini	        4	6 (5)			
					
Ilse Lange	5	6	6		
Kellie Finley	7	4	4		
					
Daniela Michniewicz	6	4	4		
Mila Pavlova	        4	6	6		
					
Helen Lorenzen	        3	7 (7)	4		
Ksenia Stepanova	6	6 (3)	6		

Quarterfinals					
Dáša Němcová	7 (8)	5	6		
Eleni Laskoti	6 (6)	7	1		
					
Danielle Ballard	6	1	6		
Natalie Johansen	3	6	2		
					
Catherine Devane	6	7			
Ilse Lange	        3	5			
					
Mila Pavlova	        6	4	0		
Ksenia Stepanova	2	6	6		

Semifinals					
Dáša Němcová	        7	6			
Danielle Ballard	5	2			
					
Catherine Devane	7 (7)	2	6		
Ksenia Stepanova	6 (5)	6	4

Tomo Final
Dáša Němcová	        6	2	6	4	7 (7)
Catherine Devane	4	6	4	6	6 (5)

At this tournament in Verceola, there was one match everyone wanted upon seeing the player list: Dasa Nemcova vs. Catherine Devane. Both are expected to be top-10, even top-5 players when the Delaclav tour is fully up and running, and pundits and fans alike were excited when the two were placed on opposite sides of the draw, with the potential promise of a final. Certainly other players would get their say, and they did as Eleni Laskoti prolonged her quarterfinal against Nemcova with a 7-5 second set victory, and when Ksenia Stepanova put Devane on the ropes in the semifinal with a dominant 6-2 second set. But at the end of the week, it was Nemcova vs. Devane as promised, the heavy hitter and powerful athlete vs. the smooth, lithe tennis artist. It was thought that Nemcova might have the edge on clay, but that didn't matter: the best player on the day was going to win in Tomo. The final was an instant classic that rivaled the Cairns-Gusev final in Santa Lourdes, but in the end, Nemcova was victorious, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5). Dáša Němcová is the Tomo champion.

Qualification

- Mary Chilton, Fang Xinya, Dáša Němcová, and Gabriela Olizharenko have automatically qualified for the finals.
- The remaining twelve berths are held by the losing finalists and semifinalists, but with only one round completed, that is not particularly meaningful. The qualification picture will undoubtedly take better shape after Week 2.

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 1:51 am

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

Week 2
Men - East Region, Grass | Women - West Region, Carpet

Week 2 of the inaugural DTA Tour season has arrived! Last week, 64 men headed to the carpet courts of the west region and 64 women traveled south to the clay courts, and four men and four women stamped their tickets to Catherina. Now, all competitors will be looking to either maintain their high level - to "hold serve", as it were - or improve on last week to gear up for the Finals and earn their spot. The men go east to play on grass, which should favor similar players to last week, and the fans have been waiting anxiously for elite tennis to arrive. Meanwhile, the women take their turn on the carpet, which should offer great parity compared to the grass, and the western fans should be delighted for more action after the intriguing men's tournaments.

Eight more champions will be crowned this week - how many will be winning their first title, and how many will be continuing an undefeated season?

Men - East Region, Grass

Manchester

Manchester was the headlining event of the men's grass week, having held the grass Grand Slam on the previous Delaclava Tennis Association tour and being promised a return to that prestige in the new edition. Rounding out the schedule are Novick, Stockton - a Firinsymnian city - and small town Worthington.

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final				Champion
Samu Kallur	6	7 (7)		Samu Kallur	7 (7)	6		Samu Kallur	2	6	7	Samu Kallur	1	3	3	Timothy Fisher
Kent Paulsen	1	6 (4)		Jonathan Plank	6 (4)	4		Luke England	6	0	5	Timothy Fisher	6	6	6

Christos Michelakakis	3	6	3	Ryan Ferron	2	6	3	Timothy Fisher	6	4	6
Jonathan Plank	6	1	6	Luke England	6	3	6	Tedrick Cole	4	6	3

Billy Randall	3	4		Timothy Fisher	6	4	7
Ryan Ferron	6	6		Jesse Lewis	4	6	5

Emilio Pugliesi	6	6 (5)	0	Kesnel Desir	7 (7)	0	1
Luke England	4	7 (7)	6	Tedrick Cole	6 (4)	6	6

Chase Eaton	7	2	6 (4)
Timothy Fisher	5	6	7 (7)

Jesse Lewis	4	6	6
Randy Giles	6	3	4

Kesnel Desir	7 (7)	4	6
Aiden Clarkson	6 (3)	6	3

Roddy Baxley	3	4
Tedrick Cole	6	6

Notable appearances at this former Grand Slam came from Salem champion Timothy Fisher, Quinniville champion Randy Giles, and semifinalists of various tournaments in Samu Kallur, Luke England, and Kesnel Desir. The surprise early casualty was Giles, who squandered a set lead to Jesse Lewis. He started off strong but when he started to lose his range on his serve and forehand, Lewis jumped in for the kill and Giles lost his nerve. It's a shame to see such a talent falter, but Giiles will come back stronger. Fisher barely escaped after dropping the first set to Chase Eaton and winning the third set in the tiebreak, while Desir and England also required three sets to advance - England squeaking out the second-set tiebreak before blowing by Emilio Puglilesi 6-0 in the decider. The only clean progression was Kallur, who defeated Kent Paulsen 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). In the quarterfinals, Desir managed to pick up the first set tiebreak but was then completely overwhelmed by the athleticism and doggedness of Tedrick Cole, who won the next two sets 6-0, 6-1. Jesse Lewis put up a remarkable fight against Salem champion Fisher, but Fisher got the better of the match, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. England again needed three sets to advance while Kallur got through clean against Jonathan Plank. In the semifinals, Kallur's ability to get through matches efficiently paid off, dipping into his reserves to find another level and overcome a set deficit against England. Fisher did well to dispose of a second in-form opponent in Cole to reach the final. The Manchester championship was one way traffic as the smaller Kallur managed just five games to the powerful Fisher with the booming serve. Kallur had done well to scrap so far through the draw, but Timothy Fisher is the Manchester champion.

Novick

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final						Champion
Renard Previn	6	6		Renard Previn	1	6	3	Kyrillos Androu	6	0	6	Kyrillos Androu	3	6	6	3	6	Kyrillos Androu
John Kidman	3	2		Kyrillos Androu	6	3	6	CeeCee Barrett	3	6	4	Karlis Eskandarian	6	4	4	6	2

Kyrillos Androu	7 (7)	6		Lachlan Whitford	1	4		Liam Fletcher	5	6 (5)
Jason Dickey	6 (3)	3		CeeCee Barrett	6	6		Karlis Eskandarian	7	7 (7)

Saratos Saran	1	0		Dominick Morgan	3	5
Lachlan Whitford	6	6		Liam Fletcher	6	7

Montego Diaz	6	4	3	Philip Groce	6	4	3
CeeCee Barrett	2	6	6	Karlis Eskandarian	1	6	6

Dominick Morgan	3	6	7 (7)
Radik Yanbayev	6	3	6 (3)

Aston Copeland	6	6 (4)	4
Liam Fletcher	3	7 (7)	6

Alex Teymur	3	2
Philip Groce	6	6

Karlis Eskandarian	6	6
Leo Thomas	4	2

When the schedules for each player were drawn up before Week 1, no one could have foreseen that this Novick tournament would have no player who had even made the semifinals of a Week 1 tournament. The draw was wide open for the taking, and it never seemed quite clear who was going to get the job done. It seemed like it might be Lachlan Whitford, who swept aside Saratos Saran to the loss of just a game, before Whitford took his own licks at the hands of CeeCee Barrett. Maybe it would be Philip Groce, another impressive first-round winner, but Groce ended up blowing an emphatic 6-1 first set lead to Karlis Eskandarian. Then the more straightforward quarterfinal winners, Barrett and Liam Fletcher, went down to Kyrillos Androu and Eskandarian, respectively. In the end, it was Androu who pulled out the five-setter to win the tournament. The Novick fans may well have hoped for more star power in this tournament, but they were appreciative of the efforts nonetheless. Even though he, from the quarters onward, lost as many sets as possible while still winning every match, Kyrillos Androu is the Novick champion.

Stockton

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final						Champion
Ari Kocharian	4	6	6	Ari Kocharian	6	7 (14)		Ari Kocharian	6	7 (8)		Ari Kocharian	6	4	2	7	6	Ari Kocharian
Ferdynand Obara	6	4	3	Masas Gabaran	0	6 (12)		Dontrall Holt	0	6 (6)		Pascal Fleurimond	0	6	6	5	2

Masas Gabaran	3	7	6	Dontrall Holt	6	6		Pascal Fleurimond	6	4	6
Ryder Fessenden	6	5	3	Hugo Pinot	3	3		Nart Varkazek	3	6	3

Tinder George	6 (4)	5		Pascal Fleurimond	1	6	6
Dontrall Holt	7 (7)	7		Alexandros Rokas	6	3	0

Hugo Pinot	3	6	7 (7)	Jimar Young	6	1	6 (3)
Eryk Kuna	6	1	6 (2)	Nart Varkazek	2	6	7 (7)

Supyan Avtorkhanov	5	2
Pascal Fleurimond	7	6

Alexandros Rokas	7	4	7 (7)
Darryon Pierre	5	6	6 (4)

Beacon Fowler	1	4
Jimar Young	6	6

Nart Varkazek	3	7 (7)	6
Nikita Khadaev	6	6 (0)	2

The Firinsymnian fans were excited to see Delaclav athletes come to put on a show for the first time, and they were particularly excited for Farland champion Ryder Fessenden, Salem finalist Nikita Khadaev, and Quinniville finalist Supyan Avtorkhanov. But if you blinked, you missed them, as they all lost in the first round. Fessenden was shocked by clay specialist Masas Gabaran, Avtorkhanov lost to Pascal Fleurimond in straight sets, and Khadaev was the most shocking exit - he seemed in total control until the second set tiebreak, where Nart Varkazek swept through 7-0 and rolled the rest of the way in the third set. This opened up another draw. In the quarterfinals, Gabaran lost to Ari Kocharian, but not before winning the fans' hearts, battling back from a bagel to nearly extend Kocharian to the third set, eventually losing the tiebreak 14-12. Hardcore spectators would have also remembered Gabaran's admirable performance against Daniel Cairns in Santa Lourdes. With Gabaran sitting just outside the top 16 and his favorite surface coming up, he must be considered a solid bet to eventually qualify, and he will have many supporters in that regard. The streaky Pascal Fleurimond rebounded from a first-set breadstick to Alexandros Rakos to serve up a bagel in the third. In the end, Kocharian and Fleurimond passed through their semifinals against Dontrall Holt and Varkazek to set up the championship match. Kocharian opened with a bagel for his third consecutive match, but Fleurimond found his way, winning the next two sets and going up a break in the fourth. All signs seemed to be pointing towards his victory, but Kocharian stayed with him just long enough, got back one too many balls, and Fleurimond lost his nerve, got angry, got distracted...whatever you want to call it, Kocharian ran through to break back, break again for the fourth, break yet again to start the fifth. By the time Fleurimond regained his composure, the match was already over, and Ari Kocharian is the Stockton champion.

Worthington

Round 1				Quarterfinals			Semifinals				Final						Champion
Konstantinos Kourelis	6	6		Konstantinos Kourelis	6	6	Konstantinos Kourelis	1	4		Chris Hart	3	6 (4)	6	6	6	Chris Hart
Jacob Dorvil	4	4		Aidan Williams	3	4	Chris Hart	6	6		Sergi Argerich	6	7 (7)	4	4	4

Chuqi Soncco	1	6	5	Chris Hart	7 (7)	6	Rahil Rice	1	6	1
Aidan Williams	6	4	7	Daniel Cairns	6 (4)	1	Sergi Argerich	6	4	6

Vasla Gusev	4	4		Rahil Rice	6	6
Chris Hart	6	6		Linus Demkers	1	3

Akna Tolau	3	1		Sergi Argerich	6	7
Daniel Cairns	6	6		Roko Uchimura	4	5

Kuka Qori	6	3	4
Rahil Rice	4	6	6

Linus Demkers	7	4	6
Adan Muratian	5	6	1

Sergi Argerich	6	6
Serafin Pérez	4	1

Roko Uchimura	3	7	6
Connor Stuart	6	5	2

Descending onto the tiny but tennis-hungry village of Worthington, the field was led by Daniel Cairns, the Santa Lourdes champion, his vanquished final opponent Vasla Gusev, and Konstantinos Kourelis, the Farland finalist. The fans also had eyes on Chris Hart, a favorite in the Salem tournament before being unexpectedly bounced by Akna Tolau. Hart didn't have an easy road ahead to get revenge - Vasla Gusev was his opening match, and should he win, he would either get a rematch with Tolau or a meeting with Cairns. Perhaps no one could have foreseen what happened next: Gusev romped to the final without dropping a set or a break, beating Gusev, Cairns, and Kourelis; other than letting Cairns into a first-set tiebreak, he was never even remotely in danger of dropping a frame. Hart had been dealt a draw of death and blew through it like it was nothing, and the fans were prepared to coronate him as the Worthington champion. The last obstacle - Sergi Argerich, who had looked similarly impressive in defeats of Serafin Pérez and Roko Uchimura, then only suffered a small blip against Rahil Rice in the middle of dishing out two breadsticks. Argerich had gone out in the first round of Farland but had clearly shown he was going to be a tough outing.

Remarkably, Argerich had Hart on the ropes in the final. He won the first set 6-3, perhaps it was a blip, but then Argerich won a second set. It was in Hart's grasp, with just a few more points the other way. Remarkably, Hart was so calm on that changeover, determined, pensive and pondering the adjustments to make. He employed a different, more varied serve strategy, mixed up his use of serve and volley, used every weapon in his arsenal to confuse and neutralise Argerich's defensive flexibility and return angles. A re-steadied Hart won each of the next three sets by the exact same scoreline, 6-4, doing exactly what he needed with efficiency. Hart had shown dominance, he had shown resilience, imposed his game, responded to adversity. A worthy subject of the statement: Chris Hart is the Worthington champion.

Women - West Region, Carpet

The women head to the same tournaments as the men did last week - the old Slam Quinniville, Farland, Salem, and Santa Lourdes. But these sites, these competitions are now becoming known for the new memories, not just the old, and the women will continue to build on what the men started last week.

Farland

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final					Champion
Cecily Rice	6	2	6	Cecily Rice	7	6		Cecily Rice	7	6		Cecily Rice	4	6	3	4	Daniela Michniewicz
Carol Eaton	4	6	1	Valentina Havel	5	3		Marietta Lukomska	5	3		Daniela Michniewicz	6	2	6	6

Valentina Havel	6	6		Kathryn Riggs	1	3		Helen Lorenzen	7	4	5
Maya Hough	2	3		Marietta Lukomska	6	6		Daniela Michniewicz	5	6	7

Kathryn Riggs	6	7 (7)		Helen Lorenzen	6	4	6
Dagmar Matthiesen	2	6 (3)		Justina Perez	3	6	4

Marietta Lukomska	6	6		Marion Fleming	6	3	3
Deanna Knox	4	3		Daniela Michniewicz	4	6	6

Helen Lorenzen	2	7	7
Ksenia Stepanova	6	5	5

Justina Perez	6	6
Aline Toussaint	2	3

Marion Fleming	6	6
Ryen Dixon	4	3

Daniela Michniewicz	6	7
Serena Morillo	4	5

Similar to Novick on the men's side, Farland was a fairly wide open tournament for the women, with Carol Eaton (Corcorran), Ksenia Stepanova (Tomo), and Justina Perez (Mariana) the only returning semifinalists from Week 1. The draw got even wider as Eaton went down to Cecily Rice in three sets and Stepanova also lost to Helen Lorenzen, with a tough 7-5 decider. Perez was an easy winner over Aline Toussaint, and other intriguing first-round winners were Kathryn Riggs and Marietta Lukomska - who had each lost to eventual Week 1 champions in the first round, and arguably lost the chance to truly prove themselves. They were slotted to face in the quarterfinal, and Lukomska shone with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Rice also continued her run with a straight-sets quarterfinal victory over Valentina Havel, while the more natural carpet player Lorenzen took down Perez. The fourth semifinalist was Daniela Michniewicz, who had made little noise thus far but proved her mettle with a closely contested, come-from-behind semifinal victory over Lorenzen. She would meet Rice in the final, and save for an inconsistent second set, her crafty style and offensive counterpunching abilities were too much for Rice. If they didn't know her name before this week, they know her name now. Daniela Michniewicz is the Farland champion.

Quinniville

Round 1				Quarterfinals			Semifinals			Final					Champion
Saba Abidi	0	7 (7)	4	Krystal Dawson	3	3	Mary Chilton	7 (8)	6	Mary Chilton	6	2	5	4	Isolde Godfrey
Krystal Dawson	6	6 (5)	6	Mary Chilton	6	6	Natalie Johansen	6 (6)	3	Isolde Godfrey	3	6	7	6

Elle Garcia	3	6 (5)		Natalie Johansen	6	6	Isolde Godfrey	7 (7)	6
Mary Chilton	6	7 (7)		Meghan McCullough	4	1	Paula Barrios	6 (3)	3

Natalie Johansen	6	6		Jean Callan	3	4
Eleni Laskoti	4	2		Isolde Godfrey	6	6

Kathleen Egan	2	3		Paula Barrios	7 (9)	6
Meghan McCullough	6	6		Siske Haberman	6 (7)	2

Anežka Machová	2	6	6 (4)
Jean Callan	6	3	7 (7)

Isolde Godfrey	6	4	6
Marina Melea	4	6	4

Paula Barrios	6 (2)	6	6
Ilse Lange	7 (7)	3	3

Valerie Boren	6 (3)	6	3
Siske Haberman	7 (7)	1	6

For the crown jewel of the carpet tournaments, Quinniville happened to be gifted a potential rematch of the Mariana final - Mary Chilton and Isolde Godfrey, drawn on opposite sides of the bracket. Quinniville also had losing finalists Kathleen Egan (Athens) and Valerie Boren (Corcorran) and Athens semifinalist Elle Garcia. But the prevailing question was - could anyone stop Chilton-Godfrey II? The answer turned out to be "no" - the only speed bump was Marina Melea in the second set of her opener against Godfrey. Otherwise, neither woman lost a match. Garcia was unfortunate to draw Chilton in the first round but acquitted herself well, while Natalie Johansen also looked formidable in a tight semifinal lost to Chilton. While Egan and Boren both faltered in the first round, Paula Barrios cashed in with two wins and a trip to the semifinals, where she forced Godfrey into a first set tiebreak. It was a good effort for Barrios to earn five points in the standings and renew her qualification chances, but the main event was now locked in. The fast-court Chilton had beaten the all-rounder Godfrey on clay - how would she lose on a more comfortable service like carpet? Indeed, Chilton looked clean as a whistle with her serve-and-volley and impeccable groundstroke accuracy, winning the first set 6-3. But Godfrey kept trying, kept chipping away, simply kept bludgeoning the ball until Chilton could no longer respond. Chilton found her rhythm again in the third set and it was a tight contest to the end, but in each of the third and fourth sets, it was Godfrey who came up with the decisive break. The Quinniville fans, who had been treated to Randy Giles' title run the week prior, were even more impressed by the quality of tennis this week. Chilton and Godfrey will both be making the trip to Catherina, where fans will surely hope to be treated to Godfrey-Chilton III. But in this moment, Isolde Godfrey is the Quinniville champion.

Salem

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final						Champion
Dáša Němcová	6	6 (4)	7 (7)	Dáša Němcová	3	4		Emilie Gorogo	6	2	1	Barbara Stokes	6	4	7	6 (5)	0	Cèlia Roger
Janet Navarro	3	7 (7)	6 (5)	Emilie Gorogo	6	6		Barbara Stokes	2	6	6	Cèlia Roger	2	6	5	7 (7)	6

Zezig Korgay	2	4		Barbara Stokes	6	5	7	Cèlia Roger	4	6	6
Emilie Gorogo	6	6		Tecia Gonzalez	1	7	5	Kellie Finley	6	2	3

Michelle Bradley	6	0	1	Cèlia Roger	7	6
Barbara Stokes	2	6	6	Mieke Kelderman	5	2

Catherine Devane	7 (7)	5	3	Kellie Finley	6	3	6
Tecia Gonzalez	6 (5)	7	6	Claudia Whitaker	4	6	3

Karolina Duplantis	6 (5)	5
Cèlia Roger	7 (7)	7

Madelien van Dijk	5	5
Mieke Kelderman	7	7

Cheyanne Natera	5	4
Kellie Finley	7	6

Cornelia Aberg	2	2
Claudia Whitaker	6	6

The biggest intrigue of the draw was a possible rematch of the Tomo final, Dasa Nemcova over Catherine Devane. The draw also featured Celia Roger, a semifinalist in Mariana, perhaps unlucky to be put in the same draw as Chilton and Godfrey; Tecia Gonzalez, a semifinalist in Corcorran; and Zezig Korgay, a semifinalist in Athens. Gonzalez drew Devane in the first round, and many critics thought, tough luck for Gonzalez. But no - tough luck for Devane. Despite the class and skill of Devane, the tenacious Gonzalez would not go away, she wore down Devane, she was there at the end of the match when it counted most, and won the encounter, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3. Nemcova similarly had her hands full with Janet Navarro. It was a rollercoaster where Nemcova looked in control, then lost her grip on the match, looked out of it down a break in the third, but she roared back for a wild finish, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5). Korgay, meanwhile, could not back up her performance; tied up in a battle against a fellow clay-court specialist, Emilie Gorogo simply looked more confident and generated more easy power on the faster surface in a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Gorogo continued her streak with a straight-sets win over Nemcova, and was halfway to the final against Barbara Stokes. Stokes is tough, scrappy, not 100% dialed in, but always a gamer, the match is never over until the last ball has been struck. Stokes had yet to play a straightforward match this tournament - 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 over Michelle Bradley, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 over Gonzalez. Despite contributing to another strange scoreline, Stokes' class could not be denied as she overtook Gorogo for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.

On the other side of the bracket, Celia Roger took advantage of a lighter draw to work her way into the final, dropping only a set to Kellie Finley in the semifinal before quickly and emphatically rebounding. The final test for Roger was to ride out the peaks and valleys of Barbara Stokes. Stokes took the first, Roger the second, Stokes the third, Roger seemed well on her way to the fourth with a 4-0 lead, but Stokes decided she had unfinished business for this set. She saved set points to get to 5-5, she saved set points to get to 6-6. Finally, Roger pulled away, winning the tiebreak 7-5. That was Stokes' last bit of resistance, and she crumbled as Roger rolled to a 6-0 victory. Roger had fallen victim to a crowded Mariana draw, but given the opportunity to step into the spotlight, she would not be ignored. Celia Roger is the Salem champion.

Santa Lourdes

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals			Final						Champion
Kathy Kim	3	6	5	Marie Louise Valcin	3	6	6	Marie Louise Valcin	6	6	Marie Louise Valcin	6	4	1	6	1	Anne Friberg
Marie Louise Valcin	6	2	7	Margaret Daugherty	6	3	4	Hira Bhullar	2	1	Anne Friberg	2	6	6	2	6

Gabriela Olizharenko	6	6 (5)	4	Hira Bhullar	7	6		Elsi Wallin	3	6 (5)
Margaret Daugherty	4	7 (7)	6	Fang Xinya	5	1		Anne Friberg	6	7 (7)

Ester Sandrini	3	3		Elsi Wallin	5	6	6
Hira Bhullar	6	6		Elda Romain	7	2	4

Mila Pavlova	4	4		Tatiana Makarova	6	4	0
Fang Xinya	6	6		Anne Friberg	3	6	6

Daniela Hajkova	6	6 (10)	3
Elsi Wallin	4	7 (12)	6

Elda Romain	7	2	6
Brandi Clay	5	6	4

Tatiana Makarova	7	6
Danielle Ballard	5	1

Anne Friberg	3	6	7
Rachel Myers	6	1	5

This tournament generated plenty of buzz with the arrival of Gabriela Olizharenko and Fang Xinya, the champions of Corcorran and Athens. But in a flash, they were both gone - Olizharenko squandering a set lead and match points to lose to Margaret Daugherty in the first round, and Fang fading badly in a second-round defeat to Hira Bhullar. Who would now take over this draw? Perhaps Danielle Ballard, a semifinalist in Tomo? No, Ballard fell to the hard-hitting Tatiana Makarova, who was particularly dominant in the second set. Makarova herself? It looked for half an hour that she would, but Anne Friberg had the perfect tactical response, neutralising Makarova's strength and winning the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, the last set showing Makarova's eventual frustration. So how about Friberg herself? She did go on to defeat Elsi Wallin in a close two-set semifinal, but suddenly, Marie Louise Valcin fought through two three-setters to blow past Bhullar 6-2, 6-1, and now she was the talk of Santa Lourdes. As it turned out, it was a bizarre, topsy-turvy final, with only one set making it as close as 6-4. It was the more stoic Friberg who withstood the tides of the match, not wavering after hot sets from Valcin, buckling down and extending her own lead. It proved decisive with an emphatic 6-1 victory in the fifth set. With two previous champions in the field, this was the final that came out of nowhere - two ladies who had each lost in the first round the week prior. So kudos to both players, but for the all-important automatic berth to Catherina, Anne Friberg is the Santa Lourdes champion.

Qualification

Men
- With his second title, Timothy Fisher takes the standings lead and solidifies his spot in the Finals.
- Kyrillos Androu, Chris Hart, and Ari Kocharian have now stamped tickets to Catherina. Hart sits tied for second at 13, while Androu and Kocharian are tied for sixth at 10.
- Daniel Cairns, Ryder Fessenden, and Randy Giles had already qualified for the Finals. Cairns sits tied for second at 13, while Fessenden and Giles are tied for sixth at 10.
- With his Manchester final to go with his Quinniville semifinal, Samu Kallur now is in fourth place with 12 points. While he will want a strong performance to build momentum and guarantee his place in the Finals, he appears to be a safe bet to qualify.
- Luke England and Karlis Eskandarian are also tied for 6th place at 10 points, albeit without the automatic qualifying spot from a title. They will likely have work to do next week to guarantee their spot.
- Kesnel Desir, Liam Fletcher, Rahil Rice, and Nart Varkazek are tied for 12th at eight points, and Supyan Avtorkhanov, Nikita Khadaev, Vasla Gusev, Sergi Argerich, Pascal Fleurimond are tied for 16th at seven points. WIth a week to go and numerous other players in close pursuits, all of these men will make or break their season next week.

Women
- Isolde Godfrey, Celia Roger, Anne Friberg, and Daniela Michniewicz have now qualified for the Finals. Godfrey is tied for first at 17 points, Roger is third with 15, and Friberg and Michniewicz tied for sixth at 10.
- Mary Chilton, Fang Xinya, Dáša Němcová, Gabriela Olizharenko had already qualified for the Finals. Chilton is tied with Godfrey at 17 points. It's an intriguing race to the top as the two women have faced off in two finals, winning one apiece. They will be in separate tournaments next week, and have an opportunity to clinch the #1 seed without running into the other. Fang and Nemcova are tied for fourth at 13 points, while Olizharenko is tied for sixth at 10 points.
- Unlike the men, the top eight spots on the women's tour are held by title winners. Tecia Gonzalez, Justina Perez, and Natalie Johansen are tied for ninth at 8 points, and Kathleen Egan, Valerie Boren, Catherine Devane, Marie Louise Valcin, Barbara Stokes, and Cecily Rice are tied for 12th at 7 points. None can rest on their laurels, and a strong performance in Week 3 will be necessary to book a trip to Catherina.

by **Delaclava** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:02 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

Week 3
Men - South Region, Clay | Women - East Region, Grass

Week 3 of the inaugural DTA Tour! For the players who have yet to stamp their ticket to Catherina, this is their last chance to either hold on to their spot or move into position. Who will make up the 16 men and 16 women competing for the first season championship on the wood courts?

Men - South Region, Clay

The men head south to the clay courts, where the women played back in Week 1. The fans were thrilled by the high quality of tennis the women put on then, and are excited to welcome the men to the events. It'll be a wildly different challenge from the previous two weeks, played in carpet and grass. Fast-court and all-court players will look to show their versatility, while the clay court specialists are now getting their chance to shine. Someone on the outskirts of qualification could now be getting their chance to break through. Let's recap:

Athens

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals			Final				Champion
Linus Demkers	5	6	6	Linus Demkers	6	6		Linus Demkers	6 (4)	1	Alexandros Rokas	6	6	6	Alexandros Rokas
CeeCee Barrett	7	3	4	Eryk Kuna	3	0		Alexandros Rokas	7 (7)	6	Luke England	3	2	4

Eryk Kuna	6	6		Roddy Baxley	7 (7)	2	6 (4)	Luke England	6	6
John Kidman	4	4		Alexandros Rokas	6 (5)	6	7 (7)	Akna Tolau	4	3

Montego Diaz	2	6	3	Luke England	3	6	7 (7)
Roddy Baxley	6	4	6	Connor Stuart	6	2	6 (2)

Jimar Young	3	6 (4)		Akna Tolau	5	6	6
Alexandros Rokas	6	7 (7)		Aston Copeland	7	4	3

Kuka Qori	6	5	4
Luke England	4	7	6

Billy Randall	4	6 (3)
Connor Stuart	6	7 (7)

Akna Tolau	2	6	6
Hugo Pinot	6	0	2

Kesnel Desir	7	4	3
Aston Copeland	5	6	6

It was a light draw in Athens, with no titleists or even finalists in the draw. Luke England was the points leader in Athens with 10 points, and Kesnel Desir also sat in a qualifying spot at the beginning of the week with 8 points. It was an opportunity for the rest of the competition to nab a spot into the Finals, particular as Desir lost his first round match to Aston Copeland on his favorite surface, making him a sitting duck. Dirtballers Montego Diaz and Kuka Qori were also early casualties, Qori with the misfortune of drawing England in the first round. In the top half, clay specialists Linus Demkers and Alexandros Rokas had better fortunes, advancing through the first two rounds - Demkers with an emphatic 6-3, 6-0 quarterfinal victory over Eryk Kuna. As the standings shook out, it appeared Demkers would need a win to make it to Catherina, but Rokas denied him, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 to strengthen his own position. In the bottom half, Connor Stuart and Akna Tolau started with wins and looked to move into contention, but England took them out in the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively, with Tolau just barely missing out on the Finals (more on that later). Rokas and England now appeared to have done enough to qualify, so the final was for positioning and pride, and it was all Rokas, the more physical and energetic player on the day, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Alexandros Rokas is the Athens champion.

Corcorran

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals			Final					Champion
Liam Fletcher	1	6	2	Randy Giles	1	6	1	Beacon Fowler	3	6 (2)	Lachlan Whitford	4	6	2	3	Timothy Fisher
Randy Giles	6	3	6	Beacon Fowler	6	3	6	Lachlan Whitford	6	7 (7)	Timothy Fisher	6	3	6	6

Beacon Fowler	6	4	6	Jason Dickey	2	5		Daniel Cairns	6 (2)	4
Chase Eaton	4	6	2	Lachlan Whitford	6	7		Timothy Fisher	7 (7)	6

Jason Dickey	6	4	6	Jacob Dorvil	7	4	4
Nart Varkazek	3	6	2	Daniel Cairns	5	6	6

Lachlan Whitford	6	2	6	Nikita Khadaev	3	6	1
Jesse Lewis	4	6	3	Timothy Fisher	6	2	6

Chuqi Soncco	3	4
Jacob Dorvil	6	6

Daniel Cairns	7	4	6
Adan Muratian	5	6	1

Ryder Fessenden	1	3
Nikita Khadaev	6	6

Timothy Fisher	6	6
Dominick Morgan	4	2

The most historic of the clay tournaments had a stacked draw - title winners Timothy Fisher (x2), Ryder Fessenden, Daniels Cairns, and Randy Giles, as well as contenders Liam Fletcher, Nart Varkazek, Jesse Lewis, and Nikita Khadaev. In the most intriguing match of the first round, Khadaev blew by Fessenden 6-1, 6-3, to keep his hopes alive. Fletcher needed a win but was eliminated by Giles in a seesaw match. As Varkazek and Lewis were also beaten in the first round, their conquerors Jason Dickey and Lachlan Whitford looked to make a late charge to the Finals, and it was Whitford who survived their quarterfinal encounter. In the top half, Beacon Fowler was also making a last-ditch effort, downing Giles in the quarterfinals. A semifinal win would have likely sealed it for Fowler, but Whitford earned his second consecutive straight-set victory, and now he could clinch a spot with a win in the Corcorran final. In the bottom half, Khadaev ran into Fisher for a second time this season, and while Khadaev put up his best hard-hitting resistance, Fisher would notch his tenth consecutive win. The prospective match of the tournament, the Cairns-Fisher semifinal, lived up to its billing, with two grass-court giants swinging their way through the dirt, but Fisher had the more solid form of the two in two tight sets. While Cairns' spot was still guaranteed, Whitford desperately needed the win, and while he caught Fisher off guard to win the second set, it was a heartbreaker as Goliath swept aside David otherwise. Fisher sewed up the top seed with his third consecutive title, while Giles, Cairns, and Fessenden had already qualified. When all was said and done, Fowler, Whitford, and Khadaev were tied at ten points, and while two were on the outside looking in, one had stumbled into a last-ditch berth. More on that later, but for now... Timothy Fisher is the Corcorran champion.

Mariana

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final						Champion
Ari Kocharian	6	6		Ari Kocharian	6	6		Ari Kocharian	2	7 (8)	2	Rahil Rice	7 (7)	4	7	5	1	Konstantinos Kourelis
Jonathan Plank	4	3		Alex Teymur	2	2		Rahil Rice	6	6 (6)	6	Konstantinos Kourelis	6 (5)	6	5	7	6

Alex Teymur	3	6	7 (7)	Christos Michelakakis	6	4	3	Konstantinos Kourelis	6	6
Masas Gabaran	6	3	6 (3)	Rahil Rice	4	6	6	Chris Hart	4	2

Christos Michelakakis	6	6		Konstantinos Kourelis	6	6
Roko Uchimura	3	3		Karlis Eskandarian	3	3

Supyan Avtorkhanov	6	2	4	Chris Hart	7 (9)	6
Rahil Rice	2	6	6	Aiden Clarkson	6 (7)	0

Konstantinos Kourelis	1	6	6
Kyrillos Androu	6	3	4

Karlis Eskandarian	6	5	7
Tinder George	4	7	5

Chris Hart	6	4	6
Ryan Ferron	0	6	4

Aiden Clarkson	6	6
Philip Groce	2	3

Ari Kocharian, Kyrillos Androu, and Chris Hart were the titleists in this idyllic tennis tournament, but perhaps Konstantinos Kourelis was the headliner, the consistent player who was just looking for a title to assert himself. Eyes were also on Masas Gabaran, who had become a fan favorite of sorts and one of the most notable clay-court players who might now get his due. But it was not meant to be, as he fought and fought but fell to Alex Teymur in a third-set tiebreak. Supyan Avtorkhanov and Rahil Rice were both looking to extend their season, and after splitting 6-2 sets, the third set went to Rice 6-4, eliminating Avtorkhanov. Kourelis showed he meant business with a comeback victory over Androu, still riding high from his Novick title. Then in the quarterfinal, Kourelis took on one of the more consistent players in Karlis Eskandarian and handed out a routine 6-3, 6-3 match, before saving his best for his semifinal with Chris Hart, showing off his all-court game and blowing by the big server 6-4, 6-2. In the final, Kourelis met Rice, who had gone the distance in his first three matches but showed his composure in defeating Kocharian after missing opportunities to close in the second. Rice again took the match to the distance, and they split the first four sets in close fashion, but Kourelis showed his class by emphatically winning the deciding set 6-1, winning a title at last and confirming his status as a player to beat in Catherina. Joining him in the Finals are Kocharian, Rice, Androu, Eskandarian, and Hart. But the headline here is: Konstantinos Kourelis is the Mariana champion.

Tomo

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals			Final				Champion
Leo Thomas	5	6	2	Aidan Williams	3	3		Sergi Argerich	7	7 (10)	Sergi Argerich	6	6	6	Sergi Argerich
Aidan Williams	7	2	6	Sergi Argerich	6	6		Pascal Fleurimond	5	6 (8)	Renard Previn	3	3	3

Sergi Argerich	4	7 (7)	7 (7)	Pascal Fleurimond	6	7		Renard Previn	6	6
Serafin Pérez	6	6 (1)	6 (2)	Emilio Pugliesi	2	5		Samu Kallur	4	1

Pascal Fleurimond	7 (7)	6		Renard Previn	6 (5)	6	6
Tedrick Cole	6 (1)	3		Vasla Gusev	7 (7)	1	3

Kent Paulsen	3	4		Samu Kallur	6	6
Emilio Pugliesi	6	6		Dontrall Holt	4	4

Renard Previn	4	6	6
Saratos Saran	6	3	2

Radik Yanbayev	6 (2)	6 (4)
Vasla Gusev	7 (7)	7 (7)

Samu Kallur	6	6
Darryon Pierre	2	1

Dontrall Holt	4	6	6
Ferdynand Obara	6	1	1

This tournament didn't pop off the page to the casual fans, but it was full of strong players - Sergi Argerich, Pascal Fleurimond, Vasla Gusev, and Samu Kallur - who were looking good to make it to Catherina but needed a statement victory to bolster their resume. All four made it through the first round - Kallur the most easily over Darryon Pierre in a 6-2, 6-1 victory, Argerich the most traumatically as he needed to win second- and third-set tiebreaks, but was effective in winning 14 of 17 points in those deciders. Those four appeared to be on their way to the semifinals, but Renard Previn stunned Gusev, who faltered after winning a first-set tiebreak, and Previn was making his mad dash to grab a spot in the Finals. Previn was even more impressive in dispatching Kallur 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals. You had to feel for Kallur, who amassed a 7-3 record in the regular season, and had been so consistent but couldn't quite clear the final hurdles. But while he'd done enough for Catherina, Previn had work to do, and a victory over Argerich would do the trick. But Argerich, who had shocked the tennis world with his grass court run in Worthington, would not be denied on his best battleground, easily defeating Previn in three identical 6-3 sets to lift the Tomo crown. Argerich earned an automatic spot, while Fleurimond and Kallur had also done enough to qualify. Previn and Gusev sat on the line of 10 points. Had Previn done enough? Had Gusev lost his own chance when he lost to Previn? One thing's for certain: Sergi Argerich is the Tomo champion.

Women - East Region, Grass

The men head out and the women head into the east, to the grass courts. The spectators are ready, the courts are perfectly manicured yet battle-tested, broken in just the right amount for the women to feel comfortable on their footing. Who shines the brightest on the eastern lawns?

Manchester

Round 1				Quarterfinals			Semifinals				Final					Champion
Maya Hough	1	3		Deanna Knox	4	3	Justina Perez	2	4		Kellie Finley	3	2	6	5	Fang Xinya
Deanna Knox	6	6		Justina Perez	6	6	Kellie Finley	6	6		Fang Xinya	6	6	4	7

Justina Perez	6	6		Elsi Wallin	3	3	Fang Xinya	1	6	7 (7)
Elle Garcia	2	3		Kellie Finley	6	6	Natalie Johansen	6	3	6 (3)

Elsi Wallin	6	5	6	Fang Xinya	6	6
Siske Haberman	4	7	4	Marie Louise Valcin	4	4

Saba Abidi	3	2		Natalie Johansen	6	6
Kellie Finley	6	6		Michelle Bradley	1	3

Cèlia Roger	6 (6)	7 (7)	3
Fang Xinya	7 (8)	6 (5)	6

Marie Louise Valcin	6	6
Serena Morillo	1	4

Natalie Johansen	7 (7)	7 (7)
Ester Sandrini	6 (2)	6 (4)

Janet Navarro	7 (7)	3	4
Michelle Bradley	6 (1)	6	6

The prestigious Manchester tournament was headlined by Celia Roger and Fang Xinya, who had the misfortune of being placed against each other in the unseeded draw. They provided one of the most entertaining matches of the season, splitting two tiebreaks before Fang eventually won the third set 6-3. Unlucky for Roger, but her spot in the Finals is safe nonetheless. Meanwhile, Justina Perez, Marie Louise Valcin, and Natalie Johansen all sat near the cut line, needing a win or two to lock in their spots. On a mission, they all won their matches in straight sets, and while Valcin went down in the quarterfinals to Fang, Perez and Johansen continued their runs with emphatic wins over Deanna Knox and Michelle Bradley to reach the semifinals. But the breakout star of the week was Kellie Finley, who did not drop a set and lost just 17 games in consecutive defeats of Saba Abidi, Elsi Wallin - also an outside hopeful - and Perez to reach the final. She hoped to put the icing on the cake with another signature victory against Fang Xinya, but she simply did not find her form early enough and fell down by two sets. She recovered to win the third and looked in the running to extend the match to a decider, but Fang sprung a break at the last moment to clinch her second title of the season. In the end, Finley, Perez, and Johansen all did enough to join Fang and Roger in the Finals, while Valcin lay in waiting for a decision on her fate. Fang Xinya is the Manchester champion.

Novick

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final					Champion
Mary Chilton	6	6		Mary Chilton	6	6		Mary Chilton	3	6	6	Mary Chilton	6	3	6	6	Mary Chilton
Elda Romain	2	4		Claudia Whitaker	1	4		Anne Friberg	6	1	3	Krystal Dawson	4	6	2	4

Claudia Whitaker	7 (7)	6		Anne Friberg	6	6		Krystal Dawson	6	2	6
Catherine Devane	6 (5)	3		Ilse Lange	4	4		Kathryn Riggs	3	6	4

Anne Friberg	6	6		Emilie Gorogo	3	6	3
Helen Lorenzen	4	2		Krystal Dawson	6	3	6

Marietta Lukomska	6	4	5	Kathryn Riggs	3	6	6
Ilse Lange	4	6	7	Mieke Kelderman	6	2	3

Emilie Gorogo	6	3	7 (7)
Kathy Kim	4	6	6 (5)

Krystal Dawson	7	6
Cecily Rice	5	3

Kathryn Riggs	6 (4)	6	6
Daniela Hajkova	7 (7)	1	3

Anežka Machová	2	3
Mieke Kelderman	6	6

The story of this season on the women's side has been Mary Chilton and Isolde Godfrey's budding rivalry. Set up in tournament finals in the first two weeks, the two women were now separated and intended to win a title without obstruction - Chilton on her favorite surface. Chilton won her first two matches with ease, dropping just 11 games. Anne Friberg, the Santa Lourdes champion, was also looking for a strong performance and made it to the semifinals in similarly emphatic fashion. Left behind was Catherine Devane, a Week 1 Tomo finalist who couldn't find that form in subsequent tournaments. The bottom half featured a first round battle between Krystal Dawson and Cecily Rice, who both needed strong performances to make the cut. Dawson won 7-5, 6-3 to eliminate the Farland finalist Rice. Also victims of the bottom half were Emilie Gorogo and Mieke Kelderman in the quarterfinals, then Kathryn Riggs in the semifinals to Dawson. All three of those women likely would have qualified with just one more win, but it was too little, too late. In her own right, Dawson's run to the final was just what the doctor ordered, giving her enough points to qualify. But the story of the week was still Chilton, who responded magnificently to a little adversity, dropping the first set to Friberg before winning 12 of the next 16 games. In the final, Dawson showed she belonged on the court by winning the second set, but Chilton otherwise rolled to take her second title. Friberg still has the automatic qualifier and Dawson is through on points, but most importantly for the race to #1, Mary Chilton is the Novick champion.

Stockton

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final						Champion
Jean Callan	7 (7)	4	6	Jean Callan	6	4	6	Jean Callan	5	6	3	Dáša Němcová	6	4	3	7	3	Daniela Michniewicz
Cornelia Aberg	6 (4)	6	2	Gabriela Olizharenko	0	6	2	Dáša Němcová	7	1	6	Daniela Michniewicz	4	6	6	5	6

Marion Fleming	5	3		Dáša Němcová	7 (7)	6		Valerie Boren	5	4
Gabriela Olizharenko	7	6		Margaret Daugherty	6 (3)	2		Daniela Michniewicz	7	6

Paula Barrios	2	2		Valerie Boren	6	6
Dáša Němcová	6	6		Madelien van Dijk	3	3

Margaret Daugherty	6	7 (7)		Barbara Stokes	5	5
Aline Toussaint	1	6 (3)		Daniela Michniewicz	7	7

Brandi Clay	1	4
Valerie Boren	6	6

Meghan McCullough	2	1
Madelien van Dijk	6	6

Barbara Stokes	6	6
Mila Pavlova	2	0

Dagmar Matthiesen	6 (3)	2
Daniela Michniewicz	7 (7)	6

Bringing automatic qualifying bids into Stockton were Gabriela Olizharenko, Dasa Nemcova, and Daniela Michniewicz. While Olizharenko fell in the second round to Jean Callan for another disappointing week, she still has the spot in Catherina - now she just needs to find her winning ways again. But Nemcova and Michniewicz were not messing around, winning their first two matches to enter the semifinals. Hoping to make late runs to the Finals were Margaret Daugherty, Valerie Boren, Meghan McCullough, and Barbara Stokes. McCullough's hopes were dashed with a blowout loss to Madelien van Dijk in the first round, and Daugherty's season ended with her quarterfinal loss to Nemcova. Stokes won her first match but then fell in a very tight quarterfinal to Michniewicz, putting her right on the cut line - would the tiebreakers break her way? But it was Boren's run to the semifinals which solidified her spot, although after her 7-5, 6-4 semifinal loss to Michniewicz, she'll enter as one of the lower seeds. In the other semifinal, Callan was looking to squeeze in, and beating Nemcova might just give her enough points. When she lost the first set just 7-5 and won the second in dominant fashion, 6-1, it seemed that Callan was the player to beat on the day, but Nemcova was not content to give up and back her way into the tournament. She rode the tides of the early part of the match, found a late break to go up 5-3 and served the match point to end Callan's season and go to the final. Both Nemcova and Michniewicz were looking to make a statement, with a top-4 seed potentially on the line, but in five sets, it would be Michniewicz who would take her second title as well as the crucial head-to-head victory over Nemcova. Daniela Michniewicz is the Stockton champion.

Worthington

Round 1				Quarterfinals				Semifinals				Final				Champion
Cheyanne Natera	3	6	2	Hira Bhullar	6	2	6	Hira Bhullar	7 (7)	7 (7)		Hira Bhullar	3	6 (3)	6 (6)	Isolde Godfrey
Hira Bhullar	6	3	6	Tecia Gonzalez	4	6	4	Karolina Duplantis	6 (4)	6 (2)		Isolde Godfrey	6	7 (7)	7 (8)

Tecia Gonzalez	1	7 (7)	6	Karolina Duplantis	6	6		Eleni Laskoti	6	5	2
Valentina Havel	6	6 (4)	2	Tatiana Makarova	4	2		Isolde Godfrey	4	7	6

Kathleen Egan	4	2		Carol Eaton	1	1
Karolina Duplantis	6	6		Eleni Laskoti	6	6

Rachel Myers	3	4		Ryen Dixon	5	4
Tatiana Makarova	6	6		Isolde Godfrey	7	6

Danielle Ballard	6 (4)	4
Carol Eaton	7 (7)	6

Eleni Laskoti	7	7 (7)
Ksenia Stepanova	5	6 (5)

Ryen Dixon	6	7
Zezig Korgay	4	5

Isolde Godfrey	6	3	6
Marina Melea	3	6	4

Isolde Godfrey was the favorite this week, but her opposition was not going to make it easy, especially on a surface that was less comfortable for Godfrey. Marina Melea stole the second set in their opening match, but Godfrey eventually got through. The young Ryen Dixon next challenged Godfrey, needing a good week to qualify, but Godfrey won in two tight sets. In the third quarter, a semifinal appearance would have been good enough for Danielle Ballard, Carol Eaton, or Ksenia Stepanova, but it was Eleni Laskoti who emerged and set up the match with Godfrey. Now it was Laskoti who could book her ticket to Catherina with another win, and oh how close she was, up a set and a break. But Godfrey knew that not far away, Mary Chilton was making her claim on the #1 seed, and Godfrey needed to respond. She dug in, fired forehands, and broke four times, winning 11 of the last 14 games to reach the final, unfortunately at the expense of Laskoti's inspired run. In the top half, Tecia Gonzalez won her opening match to sufficiently qualify on points, but could not advance further, eventually succumbing to a feisty Hira Bhullar. Tatiana Makarova won her first match against Rachel Myers and another win would have been enough to qualify, but she fell apart against the unheralded Karolina Duplantis, who was just winning her first matches this week. The possibility of a surprise Duplantis title ended when Bhullar came out barely on top in two tiebreaks. In the end, Bhullar was not the champion, but her run to the final gave her enough points to qualify with Catherina, and forcing Godfrey to two tiebreaks showed that she could hang with the best. As for the top rung of the game, the battle for #1 heats up, as Isolde Godfrey is the Worthington champion.

Qualification

Men
- Timothy Fisher won his third consecutive tournament, capping a perfect 12-0 regular season and clinching the top seed with 30 points.
- Konstantinos Kourelis put the perfect cap on an overall season, automatically qualifying with the Mariana championship and moving into second with 22 points.
- Daniel Cairns and Chris Hart remain tied, down to third place with 18 points. Since Hart beat Cairns in Week 2 in Worthington, Hart takes #3, and Cairns is #4.
- #5: Sergi Argerich with 17 points and the Tomo title for the automatic bid, moving all the way up from 16th.
- #6: Samu Kallur, with 17 points, despite no titles, thanks to his consistent performances, making all three semifinals and one final. He breaks the tie because he holds a head-to-head win in Manchester over...
- #7: Luke England, with the same very solid resume as Kallur. Both Kallur and England will be looking for a more significant breakthrough, but all the makings are there.
- #8: Alexandros Rokas, who climbs from 21st place into an auto-qualifying spot and finishes with 16 points.
- #9: Ari Kocharian, with 15 points and his Stockton title in Week 2.
- #10: Rahil Rice, also with 15 points.
- #11 and #12 - Randy Giles and Karlis Eskandarian. Giles technically holds the edge with his Quinniville title, but they will both be drawn out of Pot 3 in the Finals.
- #13, Pascal Fleurimond with 12 points.
- #14 and #15, Ryder Fessenden and Kyrillos Androu with 10 points off a title. Fessenden gets the higher seed with a murderers' row of Kocharian, Eskandarian, England, and Kourelis to win the Farland title in Week 1. Neither managed to win a match this week, and so have somewhat backed into the Finals, but they've clinched their spot, and all they can do now is get ready.
- Tied for 16th, Nikita Khadaev, Vasla Gusev, Renard Previn, and Lachlan Whitford at 10 points, each with a final as their best performance. The Steering Committee opted to look at two metrics to use as a tiebreaker - strength of wins and strength of losses. The clear winner of both metrics was Khadaev, whose wins included Androu and Fessenden as well as Akna Tolau, also at 10 points; his losses most notably included two tight defeats to Timothy Fisher, including in the Week 1 Salem final. With better draw luck, Khadaev could have perhaps achieved even more. The Committee recognised this and decided that the 16th and last Finals spot goes to Nikita Khadaev. The alternates in order are, Previn (who holds wins over Gusev and Kallur), Whitford, and Gusev.
- Tolau and Beacon Fowler also had 10 points, but were eliminated since their best result was a semifinal. Gusev, Kesnel Desir, Liam Fletcher, Nart Varkazek, and Supyan Avtorkhanov were all in the top 16 (including ties) heading into Week 3 but all except Gusev lost in the first round to fall out of contention. In the end, it was Gusev's loss to Previn that kept Gusev out of the Finals, but Previn could not advance himself.

Women
- Mary Chilton and Isolde Godfrey are the co-#1 seeds, tied at 27 points, two titles, one final, and one head-to-head win apiece. Are you already salivating over this Finals matchup?
- Fang Xinya wraps up her second title and moves up one stop into third with 23 points.
- Dasa Nemcova and Daniela Michniewicz are tied for fourth on 20 points. Michniewicz, by virtue of her two titles and her head-to-head win in the Stockton final over Nemcova, is the #4 seed. Nemcova sits at #5. Interestingly, unlike the men's tour, all four titleists this week had already won titles in the two previous weeks.
- Celia Roger and Anne Friberg are tied for 6th at 15 points and one title. Roger gets the higher 6 seed with strength of schedule (wins over Finley, Stokes, and Kelderman, losses to Godfrey and Fang).
- Gabriela Olizharenko rounds out the top 8 with 13 points and her Corcorran title in Week 1. She won just a single match in the past two weeks, but she still has made it to Catherina.
- Krystal Dawson is 9th with 13 points and a final best performance, and Justina Perez and Natalie Johansen are tied for 10th with 13 points and a semifinal best performance. Johansen gets the higher 10 seed on strength of schedule (wins over Callan and Laskoti, losses to Chilton and Fang). Dawson sat in 18th before her run to the Novick final.
- Valerie Boren, Kellie Finley, and Hira Bhullar are tied for 12th at 12 points and a final best appearance. The Steering Committee awarded the 12th seed and Pot 3 spot to Bhullar, who holds wins over Fang and Tecia Gonzalez, while Boren (win over Gonzalez) is 13th and Finley (loss to Fang) is 14th. Finley and Bhullar both moved up from 23rd before Week 3 into Finals qualification.
- Tecia Gonzalez is 15th with 11 points.
- Marie Louise Valcin and Barbara Stokes are tied for 16th with 10 points and a final best performance. The Steering Committee tried to apply the same tiebreakers of strength of wins and losses, but there was no significant difference between the two women in either metric. The simplest solution thus is to invite both Ms. Valcin and Ms. Stokes to Catherina, where they will open the tournament with a playoff match. The winner will take the last Finals spot.
- Kathleen Egan, Catherine Devane, and Cecily Rice were the three competitors who began the week in 12th place, but could not win a single match in Week 3 and failed to qualify.

Well, there it is! That's your field of 16 men and 16 women heading to the capital of Delaclava, all with the goal of winning the first season championship of the DTA Tour! We'll have a play-in match, group draws, super-tiebreaks, and plenty of drama headed your way very soon!

by **Delaclava** » Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:27 am

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

The Finals
Men and Women - Catherina, Wood

The Finals are here! Can you believe it? After just a matter of weeks, the 16 best men and 16 best women descend upon the capital, upon the National Athletic Complex, to the distinctive wood courts, with the chance to clinch the season Championship and the #1 ranking for the first time!

First, intrigue arose in the tennis community when Table Tennis, the leading tennis website and publication dedicated to tennis data collection and analysis, published the first edition of their Masterscore (OOC: Elo system) ratings. What did they come up with? The top 20 from each tour:

		Men's Rankings				Women's Rankings
MSR	DTA	Name	Rating	MSR	DTA	Name	Rating
1	1	Timothy Fisher	2000.39	1	1	Mary Chilton	1970.25
2	2	Konstantinos Kourelis	1932.38	2	1	Isolde Godfrey	1967.64
3	3	Chris Hart	1903.53	3	3	Fang Xinya	1948.50
4	3	Daniel Cairns	1897.11	4	4	Daniela Michniewicz	1930.53
5	5	Sergi Argerich	1893.33	5	4	Dáša Němcová	1909.52
6	8	Alexandros Rokas	1875.58	6	6	Anne Friberg	1882.10
7	9	Ari Kocharian	1875.49	7	6	Cèlia Roger	1880.74
8	5	Samu Kallur	1875.31	8	8	Gabriela Olizharenko	1860.30
9	5	Luke England	1872.27	9	8	Krystal Dawson	1853.57
10	11	Randy Giles	1863.77	10	12	Hira Bhullar	1848.15
11	9	Rahil Rice	1862.81	11	12	Kellie Finley	1846.66
12	14	Ryder Fessenden	1846.94	12	8	Natalie Johansen	1845.91
13	14	Kyrillos Androu	1846.62	13	12	Valerie Boren	1841.22
14	13	Pascal Fleurimond	1844.87	14	8	Justina Perez	1837.94
15	11	Karlis Eskandarian	1842.62	15	16	Barbara Stokes	1828.23
16	14	Nikita Khadaev	1837.33	16	16	Marie Louise Valcin	1826.10
17	14	Lachlan Whitford	1830.24	17	15	Tecia Gonzalez	1823.79
18	14	Akna Tolau	1828.54	18	21	Jean Callan	1812.03
19	14	Renard Previn	1827.49	19	21	Eleni Laskoti	1810.88
20	14	Beacon Fowler	1825.28	20	18	Margaret Daugherty	1809.04

Some interesting takeaways:
- While not surprising given the small sample of matches taken into consideration, the Masterscore ratings closely match the DTA rankings themselves. On both tours, all qualifying players rank ahead of all non-qualifying players.
- Timothy Fisher is the #1 man by a wide margin, while the women's ratings give Mary Chilton a slight edge over Isolde Godfrey. More on that later...
- On the men's side, the ratings justify Chris Hart being given the #3 seed over Daniel Cairns. Given that the metric used by the Steering Committee was strength of wins and losses, determined by opponents' points in the standings, this is not shocking.
- Looking good in the MSR system are Alexandros Rokas, Ari Kocharian, and Rahil Rice - all with relatively tough schedules - while Karlis Eskandarian - who had a rather easy path to the Novick final in a light draw - falls in comparison to his DTA ranking.
- Most significantly, the MSR rating quantitatively justifies the inclusion of Nikita Khadaev as the 16th and final seed, a numerical manifestation of Khadaev's two losses to top-ranked Timothy Fisher and win over Ryder Fessenden. Vasla Gusev, one of the options for inclusion, is all the way back in 21st, behind even Akna Tolau and Beacon Fowler, who were eliminated on other tiebreakers.
- The women's ratings justify Michniewicz receiving the #4 seed over Nemcova, but hold Anne Friberg, the #7 seed, as sixth in the Elo ratings. They also justify the applied tiebreak for places 8-11, albeit with Johansen and Perez sitting lower on the table. Interestingly, Tecia Gonzalez sits just behind the two #16 seeds in the ratings, but with her guaranteed spot in the Finals, perhaps she'll be able to win some matches and move the needle.

Now we have some business to take care of! It's the group draw for the Finals! Let's see what we've got:

Men's Draw

Group A: Timothy Fisher, Luke England, Karlis Eskandarian, Ryder Fessenden
Group B: Konstantinos Kourelis, Alexandros Rokas, Randy Giles, Pascal Fleurimond
Group C: Daniel Cairns, Samu Kallur, Ari Kocharian, Nikita Khadaev
Group D: Chris Hart, Sergi Argerich, Rahil Rice, Kyrillos Androu

Group D appears to be the most packed, with three title winners plus the tough competitor in Rahil Rice. In Group A, Timothy Fisher appears to have little to trouble with his group, but these will all be new titles for him. In Group B, Konstantinos Kourelis is the form player right now, and Alexandros Rokas is also coming off a title, but Randy Giles needs to find his form somehow. In Group C, none of the players are coming off particularly strong runs of form, so whoever can figure it out the quickest has a nice road into the quarterfinals.

Schedule
Day 1: Men, Group A - Timothy Fisher vs. Karlis Eskandarian
Day 1: Men, Group A - Luke England vs. Ryder Fessenden
Day 1: Men, Group B - Konstantinos Kourelis vs. Randy Giles
Day 1: Men, Group B - Alexandros Rokas vs. Pascal Fleurimond
Day 2: Men, Group C - Daniel Cairns vs. Ari Kocharian
Day 2: Men, Group C - Samu Kallur vs. Nikita Khadaev
Day 2: Men, Group D - Chris Hart vs. Rahil Rice
Day 2: Men, Group D - Sergi Argerich vs. Kyrillos Androu

Women's Draw

Group A: Mary Chilton, Anne Friberg, Krystal Dawson, Marie Louise Valcin/Barbara Stokes
Group B: Isolde Godfrey, Gabriela Olizharenko, Justina Perez, Valerie Boren
Group C: Daniela Michniewicz, Cèlia Roger, Natalie Johansen, Tecia Gonzalez
Group D: Fang Xinya, Dáša Němcová, Hira Bhullar, Kellie Finley

A note here: While Chilton and Godfrey have been declared co-#1 seeds for this tournament, someone needed to be "the" nominal #1 seed to be placed into Group A. After reviewing the schedules and strength of wins - and also backed by the Masterscore - the Steering Committee has decided it is Chilton who gets the nod. That should be a great motivation for both players going forward! Group A is ripe with rematches - Chilton was 2-0 over Dawson and 1-0 over Friberg in the season, while Friberg has a win over Valcin - who may or may not be in the tournament. In Group B, Boren will look to avenge her Corcorran loss to Olizharenko, and the time is ripe given Olizharenko's dip in form. Group C offers a lot of parity, with none of the players having faced off yet, but Michniewicz is on a two-title winning streak and looking in fine condition. In Group D, Fang Xinya is the favorite but has her work cut out with Tomo titleist Dasa Nemcova, Hira Bhullar - Fang's conqueror in Santa Lourdes - and Kellie Finley, who just challenged Fang on the grass at Manchester.

And we have one more course of action - let's find the 16th player in the tournament? Barbara Stokes or Marie Louise Valcin?

Marie Louise Valcin def. Barbara Stokes 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-0

Giles Center Court was packed for this opening match, and the match was a bit short on consistency - and let's be honest, skill - but high on entertainment and drama. The notoriously mercurial Stokes was not necessarily expecting to have this opportunity after her performances, and just didn't seem ready to win the one match with everything on the line. Valcin stayed steady in the first set, blasting balls down the line that Stokes had no response for - except to spray her own strokes. Yet somehow, the tides turned in the second, as it was Valcin's turn to get nervous. Stokes started letting Valcin make the mistakes, and make the mistakes she did. Valcin kept breaking Stokes but would never pull away. Eventually, the tiebreaker came and with fearsome forehands, net cords, and swears, the second set goes to Stokes. But it merely delays the inevitable, as Stokes gets worked up again, Valcin calms down, and after a break, even Valcin is surprised at how quickly Stokes folds. She is defeated and stunned, and Marie Louise Valcin is not only at the Finals, but now in the Finals. Chilton and Friberg and Dawson await, but Valcin's playing on the house now - who knows what she could do!

Schedule
Day 1: Women, Group C - Daniela Michniewicz vs. Natalie Johansen
Day 1: Women, Group C - Cèlia Roger vs. Tecia Gonzalez
Day 1: Women, Group D - Fang Xinya vs. Hira Bhullar
Day 1: Women, Group D - Dáša Němcová vs. Kellie Finley
Day 2: Women, Group A - Mary Chilton vs. Krystal Dawson
Day 2: Women, Group A - Anne Friberg vs. Marie Louise Valcin
Day 2: Women, Group B - Isolde Godfrey vs. Justina Perez
Day 2: Women, Group B - Gabriela Olizharenko vs. Valerie Boren

Triumphs, upsets, and surprises wait at every corner - and at the end, two champions will be crowned! Check in with us next for Day 1 and Day 2 action!

by **Delaclava** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 1:33 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

The Finals
Men and Women - Catherina, Wood

Opening Day of the DTA Finals is upon us! 64 men and 64 women spent three separate weeks jockeying for position, winning titles, and setting themselves up to qualify as one of the top 16 players on the tour. But now that the field's been whittled down, there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The only opponents are the very best; the only option is to play your very best.

Here's how the daily schedule is structured for the group stage: each day will have four men's and four women's matches, and each of two courts - Giles Center Court and Davis Stadium - will hold four matches per day. It keeps the tournament moving, keeps the action centralised and gives fans the option to take in a match or two, or stay for an entire day. Now let's take you through Day 1!

Morning

- Giles Center Court: Natalie Johansen def. Daniela Michniewicz 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1

Even on center court, it's an unenviable position to play at 11 in the morning. Even with action starting early, the official opening ceremonies of the Finals would not come until the evening, so despite the stakes, this was a plain old day match that lacked the expected pomp and circumstance of the first official match of the tournament. The fans that showed up for the weekday match were appreciate of the two players taking the court - just not so many of them in attendance. Players who feed off crowds suddenly feel a bit lonely, a bit thirsty, having lost some of their lifeblood, and finding a way to raise their game without any backing.

Such was the problem today for Daniela Michniewicz. By all measures, she is a star player - the fourth seed, winner of two consecutive titles and eight straight matches, a favorite to make a deep run. But this field is full of star power. The supply for prime time on center court is low, but the demand is high. So 11am it was, and while Michniewicz was the more solid player in the beginning, Natalie Johansen wouldn't let her go away. Michniewicz led 4-2 and Johansen got that break back. Michniewicz broke again to go up 6-5. Johansen wouldn't let her have the set then. Finally, Michniewicz imposed her will through the tiebreak to take the set. But Natalie Johansen is a fighter, and if there's little crowd to fire her up, she'll do it herself - and when Michniewicz found that her opponent wouldn't quit, something in her began to do so. Johansen went up a break in the second. Nerves struck and she gave it back, but she would not be deprived and broke again to win 7-5. Michniewicz's will was now completely broken and she fell apart as Johansen broke three times to win the decider 6-1. For Johansen, it was an emphatic end to a crucial and unexpected victory. For Michniewicz, it's back to the drawing board, finding out what went wrong in time to recover.

- Davis Stadium: Pascal Fleurimond def. Alexandros Rokas 6-3, 6-3

For the first match of the tournament in the stadium named after Rocco Davis, it was fitting that a similarly flamboyant, yet powerful and athletic young star would take charge of the match. Rokas clinched his spot with a convincing title run at the clay tournament in Athens, culminating in an efficient victory over Luke England. But this is not red dirt, and Fleurimond reminded Rokas of their result on the grass in Stockton - where Fleurimond overcame a rough first set to mop the floor with Rokas on slicing, slashing, and penetrating angles. Fleurimond did not need to bludgeon Rokas to death today: he generated easy power better than he has all season, placed serves well, and knew exactly where he was putting shot #2 or #3. Rokas technically won six games but never seemed a threat to even come close to Fleurimond's prowess. It was a breakthrough performance that critics had been expecting - his last two losses were a five-set final defeat on grass to Ari Kocharian, and a tight loss on clay to specialist Sergi Argerich. He'd had signature losses - now it was time for a signature win.

Afternoon

- Giles Center Court: Fang Xinya def. Hira Bhullar 7-5, 7-5

This match popped off the board for critics and fans alike when the Day 1 schedule came out. Fang Xinya is 9-1 on the season with two titles - her only blemish to Bhullar. Perhaps the equalising factor was the carpet surface, while both the finessing Fang and the blasting Bhullar are more comfortable on hard courts. This venture onto the wood would ultimately prove of interest to both players. Fang also had the additional responsibility of being the favorite, the top seed in her group, a burden that had yet to pay off for either Michniewicz or Rokas in the morning matches. It was never certain that Fang would be able to take care of business either. The first set had seven breaks of serve - three each for Fang and Bhullar to get to 5-5. Then when Fang broke to lead 6-5, who really believed in a match like this that she would be able to hold serve and take out the set? Perhaps Fang realised this herself, and thought to just go for broke. If Bhullar was going to break for a fourth time, it would at least be on Fang's terms. So Fang surprised Bhullar with two sliding aces to go up 30-0. Bhullar adjusted her return position but Fang continued on with aggressively placed serves and acute angles to quickly sweep the game and take the first set 7-5. The second set was a near repeat - two breaks each to get to 5-5, Fang broke for 6-5 and then turned on the jets to serve out the match. A player whose game is built more on caution and patience, Fang doesn't get enough credit for her ability to push forward and be aggressive - perhaps that changes now. Bhullar, meanwhile, proved that her victory over Fang was no fluke - she's a tough out for anyone, and her tournament is far from over.

- Davis Stadium: Kellie Finley def. Dáša Němcová 6-2, 7-6 (15-13)

Another upset as the women's #5 seed - and tied for 4th in the official rankings - goes down. For Nemcova, it was a puzzling performance - she's largely had a great season. Week 1 was a title, Week 3 was a very competitive five-set loss in a final to Michniewicz. But she did throw in a stinker in Week 2 against Emilie Gorogo, losing meekly in straight sets. Three weeks is not a large sample size, so it was hard to know how frequently that would occur, but Nemcova was similarly unimposing today. For Kellie Finley, it was a continuation of a rise that'd been happening through the season. Week 2, a semifinal in Salem before running into Celia Roger. Week 3, a final in Manchester without dropping a set, before she met Fang Xinya. A rather backhanded compliment to say that she was having "impressive losses", but that was the truth - and Finley was looking for an "impressive win". Well, she got it, with eight winners and three unforced errors in the first set, while Nemcova sprayed 17 errors of her own. The second set was tighter not due to any letdown from Finley, but because Nemcova finally cleaned up her act. In the long second-set tiebreak, neither woman built a big lead, but in the "sudden death" phase of the breaker, Nemcova had her share of set points - six, to be exact. Finley remained composed each time, remained in control even after losing a couple of match points of her own, before converting her fourth chance to win the match. It's time to take notice of Kellie Finley - and perhaps it's fair to wonder what version of Dasa Nemcova we're going to see over the coming matches and years.

Evening

- Giles Center Court: Randy Giles def. Konstantinos Kourelis 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Prime-time has arrived. Center Court is now full, and the opening ceremonies for the Finals underway. We introduce the 16 men and 17 women - play-in loser Barbara Stokes gets her recognition too - at this tournament, including the men and women who have already played today. After the ceremony, Giles and Kourelis get to warming up, Celia Roger and Tecia Gonzalez quickly head over to Davis Stadium to begin their own match, and the rest of the players leave - either to watch the matches, get ready for the night matches, or relax and recover. It's monumental pressure for Randy Giles. After winning the Quinniville tournament in Week 1, he's won just one of his past three matches and limped into the Finals as the #11 seed. He's got to take on Konstantinos Kourelis, the #2 player on the Tour who's only gotten better with each week. And he has to do it on Center Court, with everyone watching - oh, and by the way, the Court's been named after his great-grandfather, Darren Giles, and they even called attention to it during the opening ceremonies. Too much pressure for the 20-year old?

Apparently not. Giles and Kourelis got after it quickly, swinging hard off the back foot, flying through the air, flitting around the floor to chase down balls, but in key moments, it was Giles who was superior. He had two chances to break and did it both times, having just a little more power and pop. Kourelis pressed hard in the second set, threw his body into spinning shots to get the lone break of the second set, but the usually durable Kourelis seemed gassed out in the third - the opponent, the quality of the match, the occasion all perhaps playing a role. Randy Giles took hold of the match again, breaking in the fourth game and taking a 4-1 lead that Kourelis could not overcome. After an ace to close the match, Giles fell to his knees, and kissed the court in celebration of his first match and first victory on the court named after his legendary ancestor. In the on-court interview, Giles was asked how he was able to handle the expectation that came with the family name, came with the Center Court. He said: "I've had this pressure from the day I decided to pick up a racquet. I knew someday this tour would come together, I knew someday I'd be playing big matches on this court. I've been getting ready for this moment for 15 years. Of course I was ready." For those who had doubted Giles in his past two events, his performance and post-match attitude should re-instill confidence in his potential to do a lot of winning over the years.

- Davis Stadium: Cèlia Roger def. Tecia Gonzalez 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4)

When you're trying to get through all these group stage matches, some absolutely stunning contests are not going to have all the eyes on them that they deserve. Roger and Gonzalez put on such a match - and while Davis Stadium was just as full, surely most Delaclav TVs were tuned to the Giles-Kourelis battle. But after Giles closed out his victory, those at home had the opportunity to flip over to this contest. They'd missed two sets of high-quality action, chess-like movement and placement, and absolutely stellar athleticism, but it was one set apiece, and Roger and Gonzalez were ready to turn things up for the decider. Neither woman was willing to give way - Gonzalez broke late in the third, Roger broke right back. Roger staved off a break point, Gonzalez survived going down break point - and match point. Then for the first nine points of the tiebreak, both players held serve. Roger leads 5-4 on Gonzalez's serve. But Roger could sniff the finish and wanted it now. She went up 6-4 with a looping inside-out forehand return that Gonzalez couldn't track down, then went down the line with her next forehand return. Roger had taken the opportunity straight out of her opponent's hands - and on a day where the top seeds struggled mightily, Roger taking an expected victory was quite the unexpected outcome.

Night

- Giles Center Court: Karlis Eskandarian def. Timothy Fisher 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5)

Anything can happen in elite tennis. Apparently, that includes this: a player can go undefeated in the regular season, win every title possible, enter the year-end championship as the consensus #1, and still lose to one of the weakest players in the field. To be clear, Timothy Fisher is the headlining act of the DTA Finals. They put him on Center Court for the marquee match of Day 1 so he could win it. Fans bought tickets tonight to see him win - not just tonight, but potentially on the final day of the tournament. But Karlis Eskandarian, ranked just 15th in the MasterScore standings, with arguably the weakest resume in the whole field and not a single win over another qualifying player, thought nothing of these plans. He broke in the opening game of the match, taking advantage of some slow second serves from Fisher and putting Fisher on the defensive. The crowd who had come to see the #1 player roll to victory fell to a confused hush. They were still sure they were going to see a Timothy Fisher victory, but it was not going to be straightforward. Fisher got the break back to get to 3-3 and from there all seemed deadlocked. Until a couple of Fisher unforced errors at 5-5 put him down 15-30, leaving the slightest opening for Eskandarian, who came through after overwhelming Fisher on two straight rallies to get another break. Eskandarian served it out with ease, and the #1 player in the world was down a set at his own coronation.

It was a frustrating second set for Fisher, who pushed on in the second set, dug deep, and swung harder, but just couldn't quite find that ball that he could muscle past Eskandarian and get an edge in the second set. They stayed on serve all the way through the tiebreak. Even as Fisher picked up the mini-break near the end to win the tiebreak 7-5, it was nowhere near decisive. And while the fans had seen Fisher win the second set, they sensed that he'd given it everything he had, and there was no room for him to raise his game further and power past Eskandarian. It was going to take a lull from the challenger, and it never came.

In the third set, the two players almost seemed to come to an early mutual agreement that they'd settle the score in the tiebreaker, much like two boxers who agree to a 12-round title fight and don't do anything for the first six rounds. But then there was a gap immediately when Fisher hit a booming backhand return on the first point to take the immediate mini-break, building from there on his own serve for a 3-0 lead. They continued to hold serve, giving Fisher a 5-2 lead. Eskandarian moved Fisher out wide and opened up the court with ease to take the next point. Then at 5-3, he suddenly threw in an underhand serve which completely baffled Fisher, and drew a mixture of cheers, hisses, and laughter from the crowd. Eskandarian popped the balls over to Fisher with a smirk, and the #1 player now had the match on his racquet. But the unorthodoxy tossed in at the close seem to have shifted the timbre of the match, and to the shock of everyone, Fisher double faulted. 5-5. Fisher cracked an angry first serve down the T which Eskandarian just extended himself to get back. It had distance and dropped in near the baseline, completely neutralising Fisher, who wasn't able to generate pace on the slow ball, but Eskandarian was able to return Fisher's next shot with interest, and within a few shots slid a short-angle backhand out wide for the winner. 6-5. Eskandarian went with the serve and volley, slammed home Fisher's soft return, and roared in jubilation at his triumph. Even the pro-Fisher crowd cheered and applauded the effort of this crafty, witty, and tough talent who had usurped the balance of the tournament. Eskandarian had not only gone up 1-0 in the standings, but had justified his own exclusion in the tournament - and now the top player is already in a must-win situation.

- Davis Stadium: Ryder Fessenden def. Luke England 6-4, 6-2

An intriguing matchup filled with doubts about both players. Fessenden won the Farland carpet title in Week 1, and has not won a tour match since. England has enjoyed consistent results and sits fifth in the point standings, but also did not beat another qualifying player during his season. Fessenden had won their Farland semifinal 6-4, 6-3, and he proved his superiority in this match again with the easy finesse, ball-on-a-string expertise. He'd been criticised for perhaps not applying enough effort, going too easy in the aftermath of his triumph, but he seems to have taken his recent failures to heart, remained focused and limited his unforced errors. It's a game that's fun to watch and gives problems to anybody. The fans were able to tune away from this match within the aisle to catch the Fisher/Eskandarian match on TV's - either at home or at the complex - but the takeaways: Fessenden is back and ready to go, and England - still with no notable wins - has to somehow justify that his success this season was not just luck of the draw.

Recap and Day 2 Schedule

Wow, what an opening day! Just two of eight favorites on seeds won, the #1 and #2 men's players are reeling, and all in spectacular action that gave the fans plenty to look forward to. We'll see them again on Day 3. Winners are matches against winners, and losers against losers. This ensures that no group situation will be settled after just 2 days (i.e. a group with two 2-0 records and two 0-2 records). Before then, time to take in the first action from the remaining 16 players - including Marie Louise Valcin, who starts the tournament 0-0 but must be riding high after her gutsy play-in victory. The top two female players, Mary Chilton and Isolde Godfrey, take center stage, as do powerhouses Daniel Cairns and Chris Hart. It promises to be just as good as Day 1!

Day 2: Men, Group C - Daniel Cairns vs. Ari Kocharian
Day 2: Men, Group C - Samu Kallur vs. Nikita Khadaev
Day 2: Men, Group D - Chris Hart vs. Rahil Rice
Day 2: Men, Group D - Sergi Argerich vs. Kyrillos Androu
Day 2: Women, Group A - Mary Chilton vs. Krystal Dawson
Day 2: Women, Group A - Anne Friberg vs. Marie Louise Valcin
Day 2: Women, Group B - Isolde Godfrey vs. Justina Perez
Day 2: Women, Group B - Gabriela Olizharenko vs. Valerie Boren

Day 3 Schedule

Day 3: Men, Group A - Karlis Eskandarian (1-0) vs. Ryder Fessenden (1-0)
Day 3: Men, Group A - Timothy Fisher (0-1) vs. Luke England (0-1)
Day 3: Men, Group B - Randy Giles (1-0) vs. Pascal Fleurimond (1-0)
Day 3: Men, Group B - Konstantinos Kourelis (0-1) vs. Alexandros Rokas (0-1)
Day 3: Women, Group C - Cèlia Roger (1-0) vs. Natalie Johansen (1-0)
Day 3: Women, Group C - Daniela Michniewicz (0-1) vs. Tecia Gonzalez (0-1)
Day 3: Women, Group D - Fang Xinya (1-0) vs. Kellie Finley (1-0)
Day 3: Women, Group D - Dáša Němcová (0-1) vs. Hira Bhullar (0-1)

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:05 pm

Transfer Tracker: Who's moving, who's staying, and who's waiting
by Jessica Tomei

It's certainly a weird time for the United Football League, the top tier of Delaclav football, as all clubs are effectively under a certain level of jurisdiction from the Delaclava Football Association. This meant that the league was initially put on pause to focus on the national team schedule, with all players being made available for transfer to former clubs to boost the profile of Delaclav football. Then, after a 12-team season was hastily thrown together - and arguably a setup to boost the profile of the top four clubs in Catherina FC, Steckholl United, Manchester, and Cleopatrana SC - all teams were again advised that they did not have control over the players in the upcoming transfer window, and the DFA would be accepting transfers after consultation with the clubs.

"It's been an adjustment trying to figure out what this means for us," admitted Steckholl United caretaker Dallas Prosser, "but once we figure out this new normal and get settled, we think the level of competition will really increase. And having our best players abroad is what's best for the program for now."

Prosser himself took his role following the uncertainty surrounding manager Tim Landers, who recently accepted the assistant manager position with the 36th-ranked Chromatika national team, serving under Krytenian Richard Valens. It effectively rules out a Landers return to the Delaclav national team and will likely restrict his ability to maintain his position at Steckholl United.

With the transfer season in full swing, it's time for a recap of the action that's happened so far, and what more could be coming on the horizon.

The Big Three

The most active discussion and speculation surrounding Delaclav transfers has centered on three players, all U21 players who have been starters and breakout stars on the national team: Dathan Ingram, the league MVP from Catherina FC; Artem Kohut, scorer of 97 goals and half of a dynamic duo with Ingram; and Lukas Meyer, the national team's leading scorer whose talents were wasted on a faltering Savojars Vinge Virkaja, who finished 16th in the Savojar league.

Ingram is the only one who has certainly found a home next season. He did not seem to attract too much attention from other clubs, with only three known bids coming in. One bid came from mid-table Nepharan club Belgrave, a member of the top-ranked league which is also home to Pavel Cicak and Donato Girardi. Even with Ingram's role unknown at this point, the opportunity to play at such a high level, both with teammates and against the competition, was a no-brainer. Ingram is off to Nephara, and it'll be exciting to watch his development during his time there.

While Meyer has attracted much more attention, unfortunately no serious bids came in - all from middling teams in uncompetitive leagues, surely tempted to bring in some star power with no transfer fee requested by SVV. But the DFA philosophy - if a player must settle for a lower-quality league, they might as well be homegrown. That was until Euran club Farrenton Athletic expressed their interest. Meyer was reportedly promised a starting role at the club, which finished 11th of 20 in the top league and will now be seeing new direction from Nepharan Hestia Canaan. Barring a seriously competing offer, Meyer's destination seems determined.

Kohut's fate is, at this point, wholly undetermined. Catherina FC has reportedly seen only two offers for the high-scoring prospect, neither of which are considered serious offers. At this point, it seems highly likely that Kohut will stay in Catherina FC for at least another year. According to Catherina FC and national team manager Johannes Detmer, "It's disappointing for him not to find greener pastures, but he will be fine. We will keep the national team active, and in the meantime, he will be the face of the United Football League. Even with all the other stars gone, the quality of play will be higher, and with another solid season from Kohut, it will be impossible to ignore him."

Pleasant surprises

A handful of national team and pool players were not necessarily thought to leave Delaclava this season, but after attracting unexpected interest, these players will be heading abroad to raise their game:

- Timur Zaitsev is off to Workers Union, a Euran club that is newly promoted into the Golden League after a fourth-place finish in the Silver League, for a transfer fee of 2.2 million. Workers Union will need to, ahem, work hard to ensure that they stay in the top league this season, but they certainly have plans to do so, and the 21-year-old Zaitsev is clearly a part of those plans. Nice come-up for a player who was originally an emergency call-up to the national team and eventually worked his way into a frequent substitute role.

- Although Jesse Bates had a productive season with Catherina FC en route to league title, his suspension from the national team certainly raised questions about the direction of his development. But the 24-year-old utility midfielder found multiple offers on the table, and Bates now heads to Kistina Galaxy in Poafmersia, a league where middling clubs put in multiple bids for the "Big Three". Despite this, the Poafmersian League will not be without Phoenixes after all.

- Sargis Nazaryan was another player who was originally a replacement call-up for the national team, but impressed in the role as well as in his season with runners-up Steckholl United, where he took a more prominent leadership role. The 21-year-old midfielder entertained multiple offers and is headed to the Vilitan League, although his assignment is yet to be determined. This was a sticking point in the attempted transfer of forward Erik Hovhannisyan last year, where the DFA could not finalise the transaction since his destination was not given. Arguably, this transfer also is not sealed, but there is optimism that Nazaryan knows which country he's headed to next.

Good news in bunches

Goalkeeper George Ross and right back Carlos Berrera were an effective defensive pairing en route to Catherina FC's league title, are good friends off the pitch, and promise to lead the Delaclav national team to new heights over the coming year. So those fans who ship "BerreRoss" will be happy to know they are likely headed to the same destination next year - Algolia, who finished ninth in the Superleague of Squornshelan Remnant States. Ross' transfer is already complete - and for a transfer fee of 3 million, the highest fee fetched by a Delaclav. After that transfer was complete, Berrera was an attractive choice for a club looking to patch up defensive holes and capitalise on the skill of their current offense to win now. Berrera still has room to grow, but he's undeniably ready to do so. While that transfer has not been confirmed, reports indicate it is all but a done deal. Ross and Berrera will be in different lands next year, but odds are they'll be trying to do the same thing they did this year - take home a title.

Although they will be rivals and not teammates, two players are also headed to the Q-League, of Atlantian Oceanian rivals Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Promising defensive midfielder Ruben Albert of Manchester is off to Winnipeg United, who is bouncing back from a surprise relegation, earning promotion this past season and looking to be competitive in the league. UFL defensive player of the year Keghart Nazaretian leaves Valhalla Vikings for Zenit Attawapiskat. We look forward to seeing these two square off in the burgeoning Q-League and bringing their game back to the national team.

Other transfers

- After helping Brisara FC of Chromatika to a fourth-place finish, the season after promotion, 19-year-old midfielder Kazuo Martin moves within the league to more traditional power Crossroads.

- Midfielder Michael Rogers leaves Steckholl United for Ko-oren club Miradela GD. The 27-year-old, who was also an emergency national team callup, seems to be peaking at just the right time.

- Zane Davis, the 24-year-old back, heads to Keppal Cosmos of Zwangzug, leaving Manchester. It's a nice, fresh start for a player who was suspended from the national team and is looking to rebuild and give himself further opportunities.

- 19-year-old Mark Stone leaves Cleopatrana SC for FC St. Jakob of Siovanija and Teusland. It's a somewhat unexpected move but will surely jumpstart Stone's career, making him a young star to keep an eye on.

- Rudolf Janicek, 25, of Steckholl United, has signed with Tashkentspor of Timuria. On the outskirts of national team consideration, it may be what Janicek needs to find the next level.

- Khachatur Sargsyan, a 29-year-old forward from Manchester, goes to Mancodas City of the Poafmersian league. Sargsyan has hit his stride in the past few years and is being rewarded with this fresh opportunity.

- Not final, but rumored: 20-year-old midfielder prospect Ben Romeijn will leave AC Espene for the Euran Silver League, as a member of Blackfields. They're a team who are expected to compete for promotion, so Romeijn will hope to become the third Delaclav in the Euran Golden League. It's a remarkable opportunity for a hot prospect, who took an old AC Espene lineup as far as it could go last season - now it's time for him to keep moving on.

Still on the board

Notably, Ryan Keating was not made available for transfer in this window. Given his personal issues that caused him to leave the national team, it is thought that he would be more comfortable remaining at Cleopatrana SC. However, there is thought that the 28-year-old midfielder could be lured to head abroad with the right offer. It would be a promising step for a still-talented player and natural leader with plenty left to accomplish.

- MF Javor Milić, Catherina FC - The breakout midfielder may have been hoping for some offer as he enters the prime of his career, but admittedly there's just not a lot of upside for a 30-year-old with no national team experience. Expect Milic to keep grinding and working over the next couple of seasons for his opportunity.

- DF Kelly Joseph, Steckholl United - This may be one of the bigger surprises left on the board. Joseph has been a national team starter, a leader and captain on Steckholl United, and at 28 clearly has plenty of mileage remaining. Just as Kohut may remain as the face of Catherina FC, Joseph may well end up as the face of Steckholl, which could suit him just fine.

- FW Dashaun Howard, Steckholl United - The tall 19-year-old striker reportedly has seen one offer but did not bite. If he can't find a new home - continuing to develop with Steckholl and going head to head with players like Kohut wouldn't be the worst fate. He fell down the depth chart of the national team over the course of the cycle and could use the opportunity to reset.

- DF Luke Lemieux, Cleopatrana SC - The big left back performed admirably as a replacement national team player and remained with the team through the remainder of qualifying and the Cup of Harmony. At 28 years old, it's time for him to figure out how he raises his level again and earns a national team spot in a non-crisis situation, but it looks like he may not get that opportunity outside of the UFL. Perhaps he instead takes on a larger role for a depleted Cleopatrana SC squad.

- FW Erik Hovhannisyan, AC Espene - As mentioned above, Hovhannisyan was previously slated to head to Vilita, but logistical confusion got in the way of the move. It was perhaps hoped that the same offer would come this year, but it does not seem that Hovhannisyan will be joining Nazaryan in the Vilitan League.

- DF Brent Ritchie, Manchester - Like players such as Jesse Bates and Zane Davis, Ritchie was on his way up the depth chart, starting as a defensive midfielder on the national team and helping them through a moderately successful streak before his suspension. If he can't make his way to a more promising opportunity, he's looking at a leadership role with Manchester, trying to get them to the top of the table in a deeper, more methodical, more competitive UFL.

- DF Josh Torres, Valhalla Vikings - Another player who is looking to rebound after a benching on the national team, a subsequent suspension, and a middling domestic season. It is thought that there was interest in Torres, but only offers that would have represented a further drop in quality.

- Others:

Goalkeepers Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC; Ross Phelps, Manchester; Tomasz Janaczek, Steckholl United; Tyron Young, Valhalla Vikings.
Defenders Arnau Mata, Cleopatrana SC; Celso Bassanelli, Steckholl United; Chris Lang, Coldwater; Davit Beridze, Ossiana FC; Eimantas Kazlauskas, Valhalla Vikings; Mike Hamill, Cleopatrana SC; Oliver Andreu, Cleopatrana SC; Oliver Koppel, Manchester; Pau Pan, First City; Radko Rácz, Cleopatrana SC; Urho Ruoho, Valhalla Vikings; Wendelin Sorge, Ossiana FC.
Midfielders Cael McBride, Catherina FC; Dietmar Winkler, Catherina FC; Geghard Darbinyan, Ossiana FC; Günter Brinkerhoff, Valhalla Vikings; Haik Panossian, Valhalla Vikings; Jeremy Walsh, Cleopatrana SC; Jüri Ilves, Manchester Wolves; Malcolm Harvey, Catherina FC; Myron Michelakakis, Manchester; Olaf Bachmeier, Valhalla Vikings; Sawyer Rotan, Cleopatrana SC; Zygmunt Soból, Manchester Wolves.
Forwards Alexei Gusev, First City; Eddie Roberts, Coldwater; Euphranor Papadimitriou, Ossiana FC; Fisher Ellery, Manchester Wolves; Griogair Urquhart, Steckholl United; Josèp Palomer, Steckholl United; Kevin Dillon, Cleopatrana SC; Kobe De Vroome, AC Espene; Nevada Wakefield, Catherina FC; Peter Abspoel, Manchester.

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jul 18, 2020 11:14 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

The Finals
Men and Women - Catherina, Wood

Day 2 of the DTA Finals is upon us! The eight men and eight women who didn't play on Day 1 will make their debuts today. A reminder of the daily group stage structure: each day will have four men's and four women's matches, and each of two courts - Giles Center Court and Davis Stadium - will hold four matches per day. Here's what happened on Day 2:

Morning

Giles Center Court: Samu Kallur def. Nikita Khadaev 6-4, 6-4

Kallur puts on another strong performance, proving why he was one of the most consistent players on the tour this season. Meanwhile, Khadaev continues to slide in his performance. The losses have come to tough competition, but at some point, it's no excuse - he barely made it to Catherina and his trip may not last much longer.

Davis Stadium: Kyrillos Androu def. Sergi Argerich 7-5, 5-7, 6-3

A tough yet important win for Androu. With a title in a weak Novick draw and opening round losses to Khadaev and Konstantinos Kourelis in the season, it was hard to know where Androu really stood. Time will continue to tell, but a win with the chips down against all the nation's best is certainly a great start. This isn't the first time Argerich has recovered from a bad situation, but he doesn't have a lot of time to recover - and he may need a win against Chris Hart to survive in this competition.

Afternoon

Giles Center Court: Isolde Godfrey def. Justina Perez 6-4, 6-0

Godfrey was certainly the favorite, but against a tough opponent like Justina Perez, it didn't seem likely to be the one-way traffic that Godfrey created. Godfrey seems to have no intention of giving up her run to #1. A bad day and an even worse ending for Perez, who would have been hoping for at least a more confidence-inspiring performance, but now she must manufacture winning form out of nowhere.

Davis Stadium: Anne Friberg def. Marie Louise Valcin 6-4, 6-2

Valcin was given time to recover from her three-set play-in with Barbara Stokes - whether it wasn't enough, or whether Friberg was too much, it wasn't a great day for Valcin either. They fought for five sets in the Santa Lourdes final, with Friberg victorious, and today Friberg was more prepared for the two-set sprint. Friberg has looked largely unstoppable lately - only by Mary Chilton, in fact - and the more wins she stacks up, the more dangerous she gets.

Evening

Giles Center Court: Chris Hart def. Rahil Rice 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

Well, Rahil Rice is always a tough out - the eighth time he's gone the distance in 10 matches. Or that's the story the scoreline tells - in reality, after a tight first set that went to Rice, it was all Chris Hart, who overcame the minor speed bump to fulfill his top seed with the win. Rice has a habit to get into hard matches he should win easily, without being able to pull out the victories in the big matches. Nevertheless, a great show to open the evening session tonight.

Davis Stadium: Valerie Boren def. Gabriela Olizharenko 6-3, 7-5

A fine performance for Boren, avenging her Corcorran final loss to Olizharenko and putting herself in prime position to continue her upward progress. Meanwhile, Olizharenko loses her third in four matches, and another one will end her season much sooner than anyone expected after her fearless Corcorran title.

Night

Giles Center Court: Mary Chilton def. Krystal Dawson 6-4, 6-3

Who knows if Mary Chilton was aware of Godfrey's performance earlier in the day, but everyone else certainly was, and now they were in attendance to see what statement Chilton could make. While Dawson put up more resistance than Perez, it was still a comprehensive victory for the #1 seed, who did nothing to halt the collision course of a Godfrey-Chilton Finals championship. And commiserations to Dawson - who can't seem to quite figure out Chilton, losing to her for a third time this season. Still, unfortunate draw aside, Dawson needs to take care of business - she looks good to defeat Valcin, but it's very likely that a rubber match against Friberg will be a quarterfinal play-in.

Davis Stadium: Daniel Cairns def. Ari Kocharian 7-5, 2-6, 6-4

Daniel Cairns has designs on the top ranking this season, and his goal is to avenge losses to Timothy Fisher and Chris Hart. 98 minutes into the match, he was just fighting to recover after dropping the second set 2-6 to Ari Kocharian. Cairns ultimately survived, but it was a reminder that the only player you can beat is the one in front of you. Meanwhile, Kocharian's third loss of the season comes to another Finals competitor, but at this point, everyone is a Finals competitor - there's simply no room for error.

Recap and Day 3 Schedule

It was overall a more expected day, as the higher seeds largely won their matches, but it was still an entertaining day in which the two best women amazed fans with their skill and composure, continuing promise of the much anticipated "trilogy match". Tomorrow, Day 1 players will get their second match - winners take on winners, losers take on losers. It all promises to be competitive action, and four competitors will move to 2-0 and begin to stake their claim to the Finals trophy. Stay tuned!

Day 3: Men, Group A - Karlis Eskandarian (1-0) vs. Ryder Fessenden (1-0)
Day 3: Men, Group A - Timothy Fisher (0-1) vs. Luke England (0-1)
Day 3: Men, Group B - Randy Giles (1-0) vs. Pascal Fleurimond (1-0)
Day 3: Men, Group B - Konstantinos Kourelis (0-1) vs. Alexandros Rokas (0-1)
Day 3: Women, Group C - Cèlia Roger (1-0) vs. Natalie Johansen (1-0)
Day 3: Women, Group C - Daniela Michniewicz (0-1) vs. Tecia Gonzalez (0-1)
Day 3: Women, Group D - Fang Xinya (1-0) vs. Kellie Finley (1-0)
Day 3: Women, Group D - Dáša Němcová (0-1) vs. Hira Bhullar (0-1)

Day 4 Schedule

Day 4: Men, Group C - Daniel Cairns (1-0) vs. Samu Kallur (1-0)
Day 4: Men, Group C - Ari Kocharian (0-1) vs. Nikita Khadaev (0-1)
Day 4: Men, Group D - Chris Hart (1-0) vs. Kyrillos Androu (1-0)
Day 4: Men, Group D - Sergi Argerich (0-1) vs. Rahil Rice (0-1)
Day 4: Women, Group A - Mary Chilton (1-0) vs. Anne Friberg (1-0)
Day 4: Women, Group A - Krystal Dawson (0-1) vs. Marie Louise Valcin (0-1)
Day 4: Women, Group B - Isolde Godfrey (1-0) vs. Valerie Boren (1-0)
Day 4: Women, Group B - Gabriela Olizharenko (0-1) vs. Justina Perez (0-1)

by **Delaclava** » Sun Jul 19, 2020 6:19 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

The Finals
Men and Women - Catherina, Wood

Day 3

Morning

Giles Stadium: Hira Bhullar def. Dáša Němcová 7 (7)-6 (4), 6-4

A nice recovery for Bhullar after a tough, close loss to Fang Xinya in her opener, and puts herself at least somewhat in control of her own destiny. Nemcova teeters on the brink of elimination after another match in which she was close, but not close enough.

Davis Stadium: Tecia Gonzalez def. Daniela Michniewicz 7-5, 6-2

The morning matches have not been kind to Michniewicz, who drops her second straight in the 11:00 slot. Gonzalez silences at least some questions about her ability to hang with the top players and notches her biggest win of the season.

Afternoon

Giles Center Court: Karlis Eskandarian def. Ryder Fessenden 7-5, 6-3

No hangover for Eskandarian after his triumph over Timothy Fisher - he looked as sharp as ever against a game Ryder Fessenden, who had beaten Eskandarian all the way back in Week 1, in the Farland carpet tournament. Eskandarian puts himself in prime position to qualify automatically - and will do so tonight if Fisher goes on to beat Luke England.

Davis Stadium: Alexandros Rokas def. Konstantinos Kourelis 6-0, 7-5

Another rough performance for Kourelis, who came into this event as the second seed and with such promise. Rokas' suitcase was halfway packed after an unconvincing straight-sets loss to Pascal Fleurimond - one bagel later, his tournament had taken a new complexion.

Evening

Giles Center Court: Timothy Fisher def. Luke England 4-6, 6-0, 6-2

Fisher rebounds spectacularly from a crushing first loss to Eskandarian and a first set dropped to England, cruising in the final two sets and setting up a do-or-die match with Ryder Fessenden. The loss eliminates England from the tournament and sends Eskandarian through as the first man into the quarterfinals.

Davis Stadium: Fang Xinya def. Kellie Finley 5-7, 7 (7)-6 (4), 6-4

The rematch of Fang's Manchester final over Finley was no easier this time around, but Fang proves her mettle with another tight victory. Because of the Bhullar-Nemcova result earlier, the win allows Fang to advance to the quarterfinals, the first woman to do so. Finley didn't get the result she wanted but can advance as group runner-up with a win over Bhullar.

Night

Giles Center Court: Randy Giles def. Pascal Fleurimond 6-3, 6-3

Giles picks up another win on his great-grandfather's Center Court and does it in style, his big and reliable serves and forehands proving too much for the stylish game of Fleurimond. Giles can do no worse than a supertiebreak stage to advance to the quarterfinals, while Fleurimond is still alive and well in the tournament, win or lose - although one would be preferable.

Davis Stadium: Cèlia Roger def. Natalie Johansen 6-4, 7-5

An easier win for Roger today allows her to book her ticket to the quarterfinals, eliminating her next opponent Michniewicz. Johansen takes on Gonzalez for the other spot in the quarterfinals. Neither play is coming off of remarkable form, but perhaps the win will allow either player to get rolling.

Day 4

Morning

Giles Center Court: Sergi Argerich def. Rahil Rice 2-6, 6-3, 7 (7)-6 (3)

Argerich eventually recovers from a grueling loss to Kyrillos Androu and finds just enough magic in the tiebreak to pull out the win. Rice finds himself in another three-setter he just can't quite pull out, putting his tournament in jeopardy.

Davis Stadium: Nikita Khadaev def. Ari Kocharian 7-5, 6-2

A bit of a surprise win for Nikita Khadaev, who's had no form to speak of heading into this tournament and sets himself up for a path to advance. Kocharian's campaign, by contrast, is on life support, and pending the Cairns-Kallur result later, the plug may be pulled by the end of Day 4.

Afternoon

Giles Center Court: Justina Perez def. Gabriela Olizharenko 6-3, 6-3

It just gets worse and worse for Olizharenko, who has now lost 4 of 5 after her Week 1 title win in Corcorran. For Perez, it's a magnificent rebound after two blowouts to Kellie Finley and Isolde Godfrey, reminding us of the form that took her to consistent results this season and the berth into the finals.

Davis Stadium: Kyrillos Androu def. Chris Hart 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

An even more impressive three-set win for Androu today, who moves to 2-0 after his Day 2 win over Argerich. This gives Androu the group and eliminates Rice, and sets up a deciding match between Chris Hart and Sergi Argerich that must have fans salivating. No one would've expected that the #3 and #5 players would need to fight it out for a quarterfinal spot - but this is the Finals, where anything can happen.

Evening

Giles Center Court: Mary Chilton def. Anne Friberg 7 (7)-6 (4), 6-4

Not an easy win for Chilton but certainly an efficient one. Friberg played well as she did in their Novick semifinal, but instead of locking in a quarterfinal berth, she needs to fight another day to make progress. The ball is back in Godfrey's court as she and Chilton chase the year-end top ranking.

Davis Stadium: Marie Louise Valcin def. Krystal Dawson 7 (7)-6 (5), 3-6, 7 (8)-6 (6)

In one of the matches of the tournament, Valcin wins two tiebreaks and turns the tables on Dawson, who was expected to recover after looking respectable against Chilton on Day 2. Instead, Chilton still has work to do to advance, Valcin is still alive - and Dawson is on the brink of elimination.

Night

Giles Center Court: Samu Kallur def. Daniel Cairns 6-3, 6-3

Kallur scores an impressive win over Cairns, frustrating the big hitter with phenomenal defense and speed, and punching his ticket into the quarterfinals. It also eliminates Kocharian, and Cairns' chances of victory hinge on his next match. He should be able to overmatch Khadaev easily - but we won't know until they take the court on Day 6.

Davis Stadium: Valerie Boren def. Isolde Godfrey 3-6, 7-5, 6-4

The upset of the tournament that has turned the tournament on its head. It all looked business as usual for Godfrey when she took the first set, but she never could quite build the gap on Boren, who hung in every step of the way in the second set before Godfrey blinked in overtime. Boren then broke a rattled Godfrey to open the third and took it home from there. Instead of Godfrey sewing up her quarterfinal spot and continuing onward, it's Boren who has the inside track to advance, and Godfrey must recover quickly to take on Olizharenko, who was a set away from being eliminated but suddenly has a new lease on this competition.

Day 5 Schedule

Day 5: Men, Group A - Timothy Fisher (1-1) vs. Ryder Fessenden (1-1)
Day 5: Men, Group A - Karlis Eskandarian (2-0) vs. Luke England (0-2)
Day 5: Men, Group B - Randy Giles (2-0) vs. Alexandros Rokas (1-1)
Day 5: Men, Group B - Konstantinos Kourelis (0-2) vs. Pascal Fleurimond (1-1)
Day 5: Women, Group C - Daniela Michniewicz (0-2) vs. Cèlia Roger (2-0)
Day 5: Women, Group C - Natalie Johansen (1-1) vs. Tecia Gonzalez (1-1)
Day 5: Women, Group D - Fang Xinya (2-0) vs. Dáša Němcová (0-2)
Day 5: Women, Group D - Kellie Finley (1-1) vs. Hira Bhullar (1-1)

Day 6 Schedule

Day 6: Men, Group C - Daniel Cairns (1-1) vs. Nikita Khadaev (1-1)
Day 6: Men, Group C - Samu Kallur (2-0) vs. Ari Kocharian (0-2)
Day 6: Men, Group D - Chris Hart (1-1) vs. Sergi Argerich (1-1)
Day 6: Men, Group D - Rahil Rice (0-2) vs. Kyrillos Androu (2-0)
Day 6: Women, Group A - Mary Chilton (2-0) vs. Marie Louise Valcin (1-1)
Day 6: Women, Group A - Anne Friberg (1-1) vs. Krystal Dawson (0-2)
Day 6: Women, Group B - Isolde Godfrey (1-1) vs. Gabriela Olizharenko (0-2)
Day 6: Women, Group B - Valerie Boren (2-0) vs. Justina Perez (1-1)

by **Delaclava** » Sat Aug 01, 2020 6:09 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

The Finals
Men and Women - Catherina, Wood

Day 5

Men, Group A - Timothy Fisher def. Ryder Fessenden 6-2, 6-3
Men, Group A - Karlis Eskandarian def. Luke England 7 (7)-6 (1), 6 (2)-7 (7), 6-4
Men, Group B - Alexandros Rokas def. Randy Giles 6-1, 6-3
Men, Group B - Pascal Fleurimond def. Konstantinos Kourelis 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Women, Group C - Cèlia Roger def. Daniela Michniewicz 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Women, Group C - Tecia Gonzalez def. Natalie Johansen 7 (7)-6 (2), 6-4
Women, Group D - Fang Xinya def. Dáša Němcová 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Women, Group D - Hira Bhullar def. Kellie Finley 7 (7)-6 (2), 6-4

Day 6

Men, Group C - Daniel Cairns def. Nikita Khadaev 6-3, 6-3
Men, Group C - Ari Kocharian def. Samu Kallur 7-5, 6-3
Men, Group D - Sergi Argerich def. Chris Hart 6-1, 6-4
Men, Group D - Rahil Rice def. Kyrillos Androu 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Women, Group A - Mary Chilton def. Marie Louise Valcin 6-3, 6-1
Women, Group A - Anne Friberg def. Krystal Dawson 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Women, Group B - Gabriela Olizharenko def. Isolde Godfrey 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
Women, Group B - Valerie Boren def. Justina Perez 7 (9)-6 (7), 1-6, 6-4

Group Standings

clinched quarterfinal spot
entered into Supertiebreaker Series

Men
Group A - Karlis Eskandarian 3-0, Timothy Fisher 2-1, Ryder Fessenden 1-2, Luke England 0-3
Group B - Alexandros Rokas 2-1, Randy Giles 2-1, Pascal Fleurimond 2-1, Konstantinos Kourelis 0-3
Group C - Samu Kallur 2-1, Daniel Cairns 2-1, Nikita Khadaev 1-2, Ari Kocharian 1-2
Group D - Kyrillos Androu 2-1, Sergi Argerich 2-1, Chris Hart 1-2, Rahil Rice 1-2

Kallur over Cairns with win on Day 4, Khadaev over Kocharian with win on Day 4, Androu over Argerich with win on Day 2, Hart over Rice with win on Day 2.

Women
Group A - Mary Chilton 3-0, Anne Friberg 2-1, Marie Louise Valcin 1-2, Krystal Dawson 0-3
Group B - Valerie Boren 3-0, Isolde Godfrey 1-2, Gabriela Olizharenko 1-2, Justina Perez 1-2
Group C - Celia Roger 3-0, Tecia Gonzalez 2-1, Natalie Johansen 1-2, Daniela Michniewicz 0-3
Group D - Fang Xinya 3-0, Hira Bhullar 2-1, Kellie FInley 1-2, Dasa Nemcova 0-3

Supertiebreaker Series

Men, Group B

Round 1
Alexandros Rokas def. Pascal Fleurimond 10-7
Randy Giles def. Pascal Fleurimond 10-7
Randy Giles def. Alexandros Rokas 10-7

Giles (2-0) and Rokas (1-1) advance. Fleurimond (0-2) is eliminated from the Finals.
Rokas defeated Giles on Day 5, so Rokas is the Group B winner and Giles is the Group B runner-up.

Women, Group B
Round 1
Isolde Godfrey def. Gabriela Olizharenko 10-7; Gabriela Olizharenko def. Justina Perez 10-7; Justina Perez def. Isolde Godfrey 10-5

All players finish 1-1, so they move on to Round 2.

Round 2
Gabriela Olizharenko def. Isolde Godfrey 10-6; Isolde Godfrey def. Justina Perez 10-4; Justina Perez def. Gabriela Olizharenko 10-8

All players finish 1-1, so they move on to Round 3.

Round 3
Gabriela Olizharenko def. Justina Perez 10-4; Justina Perez def. Isolde Godfrey 10-8; Isolde Godfrey def. Gabriela Olizharenko 10-5

All players finish 1-1, so they move on to Round 4.

Round 4
Isolde Godfrey def. Gabriela Olizharenko 10-8; Justina Perez def. Gabriela Olizharenko 10-8; Isolde Godfrey def. Justina Perez 10-4

Godfrey (2-0) advances as the group runner-up. Perez (1-1) and Olizharenko (0-2) are eliminated. Valerie Boren has already advanced as the group winner.

Qualified Players

Men
Group A - Karlis Eskandarian, Timothy Fisher
Group B - Randy Giles, Alexandros Rokas
Group C - Samu Kallur, Daniel Cairns
Group D - Kyrillos Androu, Sergi Argerich

Kallur over Cairns with win on Day 4, Khadaev over Kocharian with win on Day 4, Androu over Argerich with win on Day 2, Hart over Rice with win on Day 2.

Women
Group A - Mary Chilton, Anne Friberg
Group B - Valerie Boren, Isolde Godfrey
Group C - Celia Roger, Tecia Gonzalez
Group D - Fang Xinya, Hira Bhullar

Quarterfinal Fixtures - A1 vs B2, C1 vs D2, B1 vs A2, D1 vs C2

Men
Karlis Eskandarian vs. Alexandros Rokas; Samu Kallur vs. Sergi Argerich
Randy Giles vs. Timothy Fisher; Kyrillos Androu vs. Daniel Cairns

Women
Mary Chilton vs. Isolde Godfrey; Celia Roger vs. Hira Bhullar
Valerie Boren vs. Anne Friberg; Fang Xinya vs. Tecia Gonzalez

Knockout Rounds

Quarterfinals
Karlis Eskandarian def. Alexandros Rokas 4-6, 7-5, 6 (4)-7 (7), 7 (7)-6 (2), 6-1
Samu Kallur def. Sergi Argerich 7 (7)-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Randy Giles def. Timothy Fisher 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Kyrillos Androu def. Daniel Cairns 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5

Mary Chilton def. Isolde Godfrey 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6 (3)-7 (7), 7-5
Cèlia Roger def. Hira Bhullar 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2
Valerie Boren def. Anne Friberg 6-1, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Fang Xinya def. Tecia Gonzalez 6-4, 6-4, 6-4,

Semifinals
Karlis Eskandarian def. Samu Kallur 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Kyrillos Androu def. Randy Giles 6-4, 5-7, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3

Mary Chilton def. Cèlia Roger 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
Fang Xinya def. Valerie Boren 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Women's FInal

Fang Xinya def. Mary Chilton 6-2, 6-2, 6 (5)-7 (7), 6-3

Men's FInal

Karlis Eskandarian def. Kyrillos Androu 6-4, 6-1, 6-4

Congratulations to the inaugural DTA champions, Karlis Eskandarian and Fang Xinya! The year-end rankings as well as the updated MasterScore rankings will be published in the near future.

by **Delaclava** » Sat Aug 01, 2020 10:22 pm

DELACLAVA TENNIS ASSOCIATION
DTA TOUR SEASON 1

A Season in Review

What a season this was for the new Delaclav tour! After three fantastic weeks, in different reasons and on different surfaces, the very best convened in Catherina to battle it out for the crown. Both the men's and women's tournament had awe-inspiring performances, shocking upsets, loads of drama, and in the event, two incredibly worthy champions!

The final rankings are published below, sorted by DTA rankings and with MasterScore ratings also listed. Points for the Finals were weighted so that the champions would be installed as the number-one players. The DTA rankings points are not published since they will eventually be adjusted when the Season 2 format is published.

Look for an announcement soon on the Season 2 schedule, which will feature plenty more high-quality tennis and exciting new stars! See you soon!

Men's Rankings

DTA	MSR	Player
1	2	Karlis Eskandarian
2	1	Timothy Fisher
3	5	Samu Kallur
4	4	Kyrillos Androu
5	7	Randy Giles
6	3	Daniel Cairns
7	6	Sergi Argerich
8	9	Alexandros Rokas
9	10	Konstantinos Kourelis
10	8	Chris Hart

11	12	Ari Kocharian
11	13	Rahil Rice
11	16	Luke England
14	11	Pascal Fleurimond
15	14	Ryder Fessenden
15	19	Nikita Khadaev
17	15	Lachlan Whitford
17	17	Akna Tolau
17	18	Renard Previn
17	20	Beacon Fowler
17	21	Vasla Gusev
22	22	Aiden Clarkson
22	24	Liam Fletcher
22	25	Connor Stuart
22	26	Nart Varkazek
22	27	Linus Demkers
22	28	Dontrall Holt
22	29	Kesnel Desir
22	30	Eryk Kuna
30	23	Supyan Avtorkhanov
31	31	Jesse Lewis
31	33	Jonathan Plank
31	34	Aidan Williams
31	35	Masas Gabaran
31	36	Christos Michelakakis
31	37	Jason Dickey
37	32	Tedrick Cole
37	38	CeeCee Barrett
39	39	Ryan Ferron
39	40	Dominick Morgan
39	41	Chase Eaton
39	42	Jacob Dorvil
39	43	Alex Teymur
39	44	Aston Copeland
39	45	Jimar Young
39	46	Tinder George
39	47	Hugo Pinot
39	48	Emilio Pugliesi
39	49	Leo Thomas
39	50	Philip Groce
39	51	Roko Uchimura
39	52	John Kidman
39	52	Billy Randall
39	54	Roddy Baxley
55	55	Darryon Pierre
55	56	Adan Muratian
55	57	Kuka Qori
55	58	Radik Yanbayev
55	59	Serafin Pérez
55	60	Kent Paulsen
55	61	Ferdynand Obara
55	62	Saratos Saran
55	63	Chuqi Soncco
55	64	Montego Diaz

Women's Rankings

DTA	MSR	Player
1	1	Fang Xinya
2	2	Mary Chilton
3	4	Isolde Godfrey
4	3	Cèlia Roger
5	5	Valerie Boren
6	6	Anne Friberg
7	9	Hira Bhullar
8	11	Tecia Gonzalez
9	7	Daniela Michniewicz
9	8	Dáša Němcová

11	10	Gabriela Olizharenko
11	14	Natalie Johansen
11	15	Justina Perez
14	12	Kellie Finley
15	19	Krystal Dawson
16	13	Marie Louise Valcin
17	18	Barbara Stokes
18	20	Margaret Daugherty
18	26	Mieke Kelderman
18	27	Tatiana Makarova
21	16	Jean Callan
21	17	Eleni Laskoti
21	21	Emilie Gorogo
21	25	Carol Eaton
21	28	Kathryn Riggs
21	29	Elsi Wallin
27	22	Catherine Devane
27	23	Cecily Rice
27	24	Kathleen Egan
30	33	Ryen Dixon
30	34	Claudia Whitaker
30	36	Ilse Lange
30	38	Meghan McCullough
34	30	Elle Garcia
34	31	Paula Barrios
34	32	Helen Lorenzen
34	35	Karolina Duplantis
34	37	Danielle Ballard
34	39	Ksenia Stepanova
34	40	Zezig Korgay
34	41	Marietta Lukomska
42	42	Marina Melea
42	43	Mila Pavlova
42	44	Elda Romain
42	45	Janet Navarro
42	46	Marion Fleming
42	47	Madelien van Dijk
42	48	Siske Haberman
42	49	Saba Abidi
42	50	Kathy Kim
42	51	Michelle Bradley
42	52	Rachel Myers
42	53	Valentina Havel
42	54	Anežka Machová
42	55	Deanna Knox
56	56	Dagmar Matthiesen
56	57	Aline Toussaint
56	58	Ester Sandrini
56	59	Brandi Clay
56	60	Serena Morillo
56	61	Cheyanne Natera
56	62	Cornelia Aberg
56	63	Daniela Hajkova
56	64	Maya Hough

by **Delaclava** » Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:49 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE
SEASON PREVIEW

Welcome to the second internationally promoted season of the United Football League! It's a much different setup this year - we've added eight teams for a total of 20, lost many of Delaclava's finest talents to overseas teams, only to fill out the league with a greater depth of talent than ever. Players from the ages of 15 to 38 will take the field this season, and with the reduction of team size from 23 to 17, each team is stronger than ever. Let's get a look at all our suitors - new teams with asterisks:

Team	City	Province	Manager	Captain
AC Espene	Espene	Grote Vrede	Pieter Bergsma	Tychon Stefanidis
Athens*	Athens	Rextaria	Ivica Perica	Anthony Kim
Catherina FC	Catherina	Catherina	Johannes Detmer	Javor Milic
Cavalry*	Cacalecher	Le Pays de la Douche	Matt Stronk	Joel Ross
Cleopatrana SC	Cleopatrana	Rextaria	Baghdasar Parsamyan	Ryan Keating
Coldwater	Kalinin	Valhalla	Boris Ishutin	Robin Johnston
First City	Corcorran	Rextaria	Ernie Davis	Joshua Ward
Jasmine Island Peacocks*	Jasmine Island	Agrivova*	James Hochstetler	Myron Barnes
Manchester	Manchester	Brentaria	Martin Walker	Peter Abspoel
Manchester Wolves	Manchester	Firinsymnia	Jos Haarhuis	Jüri Ilves
Metro Tirana*	Tirana	Catherina	Budzimir Ulicionak	Glen Henry
Ossiana FC	Ossiana	Firinsymnia	Roland Verwoold	Euphranor Papadimitriou
Parakeet FC*	Portarubea	Laslisque	Dolfo Villamarin	Ronaldo Carvalho
Sands of the Flowers	Mariana	Ojstiz	Donnel Cartier	Wayne Osborne
Sindsyge FC	Sindsyge	Verceola	Joseph Peters	Ricardo Powell
South Harbor*	Ojstiz	Ojstiz	Dhiego Vera	Jimmy McBride
Steckholl United	Quinniville	Stenrick	Edward Ekdal	Kelly Joseph
Three Cities*	Cleopatrana, Christiana, Corcorran	Rextaria	Cardinal Merek	Mark Urban
Tigers*	Laurelum	?	Heleel Turabi	Amadi Babatunde
Valhalla Vikings	Valhalla	Valhalla	Kimi Rautavaara	Eimantas Kazlauskas

Now let's meet the teams!

AC ESPENE
Overview: After finishing in the top half of the league last season, AC Espene had perhaps the most eventful offseason of anyone in the UFL. Despite losing national team stars Erik Hovhannisyan, Kobe de Vroome, and Erik Hovhannisyan, AC Espene saw fit to look inward and pluck up several players from their youth program, headlined by Steffan Mikines, Kent Lindblad, and John Vandaele, as well as getting a valuable purchase in Verceolan back Frank Kidham. While they weren't in the position to sign any marquee players, they also avoided getting cleaned out by foreign clubs like the more prestigious UFL teams (more on that later). AC Espene was then selected to travel to Taeshan for the Islands Invitational. They looked strong despite failing to win a game in the group stage - opening with a 3-3 draw against Marinos Metropolis (Valladares), following with a 1-1 tie with Real Gardaresso (Tequilo), before losing to home team Atlantea Hurricanes 1-0. AC Espene finished on a high note with a 1-0 win over Equestrian club Royal Canterlot HC, on a goal by Hannes Assink, finishing in fifth place. It was valuable experience for a very young but promising team. In all honesty, they are probably a star player away from a serious run at the title, but they're putting their ducks in a row to make things interesting.
Starters: GK Vazha Gelashvili (35); DF Tychon Stefanidis (38), Frank Kidham (24), Luca Pontecorvo (38); MF Steffan Mikines (18), Kent Lindblad (17), Geghard Nazarian (20), Derek Swanson (29), Dan Armstrong (28); FW Hannes Assink (29), John Vandaele (20)
Bench: GK Luke Clark (21); DF Phillip Boone (31), Antonio Terry (29); MF Benjamin Catteau (19), Hans Peeters (19); FW Samuel Jokela (24)
Last Season: 6th (of 12)
Prediction: 3rd (of 20)

ATHENS
Overview: The southeastern staple of the Delaclav Premier League is welcomed into the UFL - and likely, rudely so. They didn't exactly win out in the transfer/expansion window, with the best acquisition in Anthony Kim. Coming from Sindsyge FC, Kim is an incredibly capable keeper - and Athens is going to need it. They also picked up defender Victor Barker, who has championship experience with Cleopatrana SC, and have a bench with the likes of Dominik Tesar, Declan Barrett, Harjap Tokas, and Christian Fischer - all either 16 or 17. This team has good years in front of them, but they're going to be a bit hard to see right now.
Starters: GK Anthony Kim (29); DF Victor Barker (31), Eddy Baldwin (23), Matan Alibabić (25); MF Elia Carter (26), Noel Martinez (22), Robin De Wolf (28), Dávur Viderø (23); FW Rodney Stevens (27), Bartolomej Čížik (20), Simon Sulc (20)
Bench: GK Christian Fischer (16); DF Harjap Tokas (16), Ryan Fisher (19); MF Declan Barrett (17), Owein Gough (17); FW Dominik Tesár (17)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 16th

CATHERINA FC
Overview: Oh, how the mighty shall fall. The defending champions, through no fault of their own - look at the DFA for that - got absolutely slammed in the transfer window, losing 97-goal scorer Artem Kohut, league MVP Dathan Ingram, George Ross, Carlos Berrera, and Jesse Bates. That's half a national team right there - gone. Even those much of the core remains, it looks a bit bleak: goalkeeper Clint Frazier is no Ross; the defensive corps is bolstered by Josh Torres but looks weak without their backbone in Berrera; Javor Milic has fewer options for distribution; and Nevada Wakefield has to figure out how to score without Kohut and Ingram. There's a reason this program finishes at or near the top year after year - they have a winning culture, carried on by tactical genius Johannes Detmer. But they're really up against it this year.
Starters: GK Clint Frazier (29); DF Josh Torres (25), Wilbert Delgado (26), Eddie Hunt (32), Eldon Packer (23); MF Javor Milić (30), Varlam Kovalev (20), Darren Holt (26), Danny Sandoval (20); FW Nevada Wakefield (29), Malcolm Bowen (23)
Bench: GK Tommy Roberson (32); DF Mitchell Dennis (19), Justin Pearson (25); MF Marion Perry (31), Brad Cruz (20); FW Phil Chavez (22)
Last Season: Champions
Prediction: 6th

CAVALRY
Overview: Another returning and expansion team who've already lost their first match - on the market. Sure, there are bright spots, like defender Derrick Ward, cousin of national team captain Keaton Durbridge, young Manchester prospect Terry Andrews, and 17-year-old forward Odhran O'Glissane. It's a fine start for them, but with just one player older than 27, they're going to have some growing pains.
Starters: GK Genadi Bolkvadze (25); DF Derrick Ward (23), David Lawrence (27), Krcun Bunić (21), Joel Ross (27); MF Conrad Gregory (26), Terry Andrews (20), Timothy Swanson (26), Milan Andreasen (17), Kane MacNeil (38); FW Odhrán O'Glissane (17)
Bench: GK Ufa Issa (21); DF Ruphael Daniel (17), Albert Aigel (27); MF Slavomír Prusík (15), Aslanbeg Gæzzaty (19); FW Bobby Davis (21)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 17th

CLEOPATRANA SC
Overview: The boys are back in (Boys)town - the champions of two seasons ago have managed to maintain an impressive core for another title run. Striker Baghdasar Parsamyan has retired to take the reins from the disgraced manager Dhiego Vera. Unsurprisingly, stars like Timur Zaitsev, Luke Lemieux, and Arnau Mata have found greener pastures, but a very strong squad remains - the best keeper prospect in Donat Soler, longtime defensive mainstays Oliver Andreu, Mike Hamill, Radko Rácz - and they hugely benefited from getting to hang onto their captain and comeback player of the year Ryan Keating. The handful of acquisitions were brilliant - forward Eddie Roberts returns home from Coldwater, and a handful of depth midfielders led by Alessio Gagliardi. Soler and the backline have simply been too good for too long; all they need is a goal or two and they're set. And in a league that's lost its top end, Cleopatrana has manged to preserve quality and set themselves up for another title.
Starters: GK Donat Soler (21); DF Oliver Andreu (32), Mike Hamill (31), Radko Rácz (29), Erick Rodriguez (31); MF Ryan Keating (28), Jeremy Walsh (24), Alessio Gagliardi (26), Rigoberto Colon (33); FW Eddie Roberts (27), John Freeman (27)
Bench: GK Nereo Alfero (31); DF Ferruccio Fabris (24), Lourenço Cruz (27); MF Geoffrey Pena (35), Troy Marsh (38); FW Paolo Zino (20)
Last Season: 4th
Prediction: Champions

COLDWATER
Overview: The Valhalla-based team is hoping to play a little bit hotter than their climate this year, and it won’t be easy with some of the talent they lost - former national center back Chris Lang, entertaining veteran Ronaldo Carvalho, and most prominent goal-scoring hope Eddie Roberts are gone. But they’ve brought in a solid crop of players from their lower levels, such as goalkeeper Mikolaj Ostrowski, striker Aleks Yakovlev, and midfielder Motya Lagounov; and 31-year-old backs Theodor Pedersen and Robin Johnston have really started to come into their own. They won’t have enough star power to compete with the best teams, but their core is still on the right side of their peak and could be looking strong by the end of the year.
Starters: GK Mikołaj Ostrowski (19); DF Theodor Pedersen (31), Robin Johnston (31), Veso Ivović (24); MF Vincas Petrauskas (26), Juuso Martikainen (28), Viltautas Astrauskas (22), Nazaret Hakobyan (20), Motya Lagounov (22); FW Aleks Yakovlev (20), Nazar Kasabian (20)
Bench: GK Plamen Branković (21); DF Nurlan Karabaev (23), Durgali Baxayev (15); MF Avedis Darbinian (33), Merle Ward (27); FW Zdravko Bogdanović (32)
Last Season: 9th
Prediction: 10th

FIRST CITY
Overview:
Starters: GK Marty Jenkins (23); DF Thucer Sceva (22), Tim Fleming (33), George Mann (29), Brian Smythe (30); MF Joksim Kapisoda (22), Sanson Eisen (16), Brian Newman (35), Malcolm Castillo (26); FW Joshua Ward (29), Gregg Sanchez (28)
Bench: GK Radoš Kopecký (24); DF Nicholas Dennis (34); MF Gerard Munoz (28), Ernesto Richards (29); FW Corey Hamilton (30), Andre Thornton (33)
Last Season: 11th
Prediction: 13th

JASMINE ISLAND PEACOCKS
Overview:
Starters: GK Karl Manning (32); DF Cody Klein (29), Myron Barnes (32), Glanmor Dewey (25); MF Hayden Fisher (25), Drystan Tudor (16), Max Reid (24),, Alexander Harper (20), Nathan Sheahan (20); FW Senen Woolf (18), Alex Gilroy (22)
Bench: GK Leon Goodwin (33); DF Albin Sanddahl (15), Amhar Cattell (15); MF Kerry Dean (30), Percy Stewart (34); FW Paul Graves (21)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 18th

MANCHESTER
Overview:
Starters: GK Alex Morton (35); DF Davit Beridze (31), Svend Storstrand (23), Stewart Phillips (32); MF Branek Stiedry (24), Myron Michelakakis (20), Virgilijus Paulauskas (29), Thomas Pierson (19), George Cunningham (29); FW Kobe De Vroome (24), Peter Abspoel (31)
Bench: GK Hamlet Matevosyan (29); DF Nemo Payne (20), Wade Payne (36); MF Brandon Ingram (36), Scottie McIver (35), Kurtis Stephens (27)
Last Season: 3rd
Prediction: 4th

MANCHESTER WOLVES
Overview:
Starters: GK Toby Curry (19); DF Nurzhan Novikov (33), Nazar Pavlovsky (32), Eliáš Pulkrábek (24); MF Jüri Ilves (34), Arnold Gomułka (27), Nazaret Vartanian (23), Jalo Virtanen (26), Linas Adomaitis (36); FW Sjors Van Achthoven (30), Boban Milovanović (31)
Bench: GK Karl Grant (27); DF Kirk Mann (22), Adolf Nowak (22); MF Kalle Jokinen (22), Sjef Houben (38); FW Norman Ray (31)
Last Season: 8th
Prediction: 7th

METRO TIRANA
Overview:
Starters: GK Glen Henry (34); DF Pèire Pan (25), Askarbek Abdurakhmanov (22), Sadegh Dilazak (24), Boldo Hilding (23); MF Tibor Holič (18), Jan Wagner (33), Josef Charvát (23), Gojislav Huseinović (24); FW Roman Tesarik (19), Aset Panova (20)
Bench: GK Ruslan Yuriev (23); DF Archie Lamb (29); MF Jumabek Umarov (16), Taalaybek Turesbekov (19); FW Meder Abdurakhmanov (17), Joel Hart (24)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 15th

OSSIANA FC
Overview:
Starters: GK Darrel Hardy (27); DF Wendelin Sorge (27), Olivier De Ven (20), Nikodem Woźniak (33); MF Carl Martinez (26), Rein Tamm (20), Robert Hubbard (34), Helge Andreassen (24); FW Euphranor Papadimitriou (36), Bartłomiej Starek (21), Casey Flores (27)
Bench: GK Brendan Brewer (32); DF Jan Phelps (29), Lawrence Waters (29); MF Chester Cross (20), Rinaldo Abatangelo (36); FW Ignacio Hawkins (26)
Last Season: 5th
Prediction: 9th

PARAKEET FC
Overview:
Starters: GK Gahiji Nader (18); DF Pau Pan (21), Aníbal Pinho (25), Minotauro Meñica (18), Shane Guerrero (21); MF Ronaldo Carvalho (36), Jayden Hathaway (35), Akin Qalat (19), Emil Mišalko (15); FW Dee Masters (27), Alfeo Tivoli (27)
Bench: GK Vicente Correa (19); DF Guillermo Gill (23); MF Jamarion Colon (16), Tages Marcna (23), Edouard Renard (22), Victor Delgado (33)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 8th

SANDS OF THE FLOWERS
Overview:
Starters: GK Eindride Abramsen (24); DF Baldassare Locatelli (26), Arilova Razafy (20), Mehyar Bukhari (22), Rahmonberdi Zhusupov (18); MF Wayne Osborne (28), Simon Demirjian (15), Lýður Reinert (27), Meseret Debebe (28), Oliwier Chmiel (25), James Summers (20)
Bench: GK Jaime Black (30); DF Israel Barker (31); MF Axel Weber (23); FW Alejandro Black (24), Jean White (25), Laurence Higgins (32)
Last Season: Last (12th)
Prediction: Last (20th)

SINDSYGE FC
Overview:
Starters: GK Robert Peters (21); DF Dallas Harrison (33), Frankie Roy (34), Royston Riley (20), Isaac Baker (18); MF Ricardo Powell (28), Israel Medina (20), Doyle Hansen (32), Jeffery Arnold (22); FW Rhys Lewis (22), Jason Williams (23)
Bench: GK Guy Curtis (30); DF Harman Thompson (30); MF George Boyd (35), Ladin Hoadley (19), Chad Wallace (24); FW Eduardo Norris (29)
Last Season: 10th
Prediction: 14th

SOUTH HARBOR
Overview:
Starters: GK Aleks Rudawski (34); DF Oscar Hawkins (18), Steven Bishop (36), Abram Cobb (24), Wen West (17); MF Mikota Sundečić (16), Nahom Ahungena (26), Jimmy McBride (29), Oliver Stewart (20); FW Selwyn Powe (27), Stig Hagelin (18)
Bench: GK Eric Peters (21); DF Johnny Barnes (24), Christian Lee (32); MF Mate Heilbron (25), Jordan Gardner (27); FW Dana Doyle (31)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 11th

STECKHOLL UNITED
Overview:
Starters: GK Tyron Young (21); DF Kelly Joseph (28), Oliver Koppel (26), Ruadh Jardine (33), Celso Bassanelli (30); MF Martin Bartoš (17), Geghard Darbinyan (29), Dietmar Winkler (25), Ranko Filipović (34), Günter Brinkerhoff (30); FW Erik Hovhannisyan (19)
Bench: GK Mack Douglas (19); DF Everett Greene (19); MF Dave Keller (19), Lester Taylor (26); FW Luther Rogers (30), Jason Mendez (32)
Last Season: Runner-up
Prediction: Runner-up

THREE CITIES
Overview:
Starters: GK Mark Urban (27); DF Evan Fisher (20), Simon Buss (19), Timmy Drake (35), Josh Hughes (36); MF Kagir Dimayev (15), Arek Ohanyan (23), Johan Bussler (17), Yves Claes (17), Leo Danjalsson (15); FW Petr Zeman (19)
Bench: GK Kliment Daskalov (30); DF John Mason (28), Cybi Kendrick (22); MF Senay Abenet (22), Billy Barnes (25); FW Austin Lang (22)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 12th

TIGERS
Overview:
Starters: GK Luis Hicks (23); DF Gurgen Ghasabyan (21), Aurel Suchý (20), Sahar Langah (18), Kalei Menorath (17); MF Amadi Babatunde (29), Kye Khanthavong (26), Mesfin Maren (22), Lar Helzu (23); FW Tadeáš Slaný (20), Damian Soto (19)
Bench: GK Chinweuba Chononso (19); DF Jelani Uche (27), Anja Mafilaza (26); MF Kale Seeha (17), Khetag Koloity (28); FW Kamari Bowen (15)
Last Season: New
Prediction: 19th

VALHALLA VIKINGS
Overview:
Starters: GK Launo Pajari (34); DF Eimantas Kazlauskas (32), Grigor Mooshian (33), Aatto Martikainen (24), Karam Ahuja (24); MF Avetis Kasabian (24), Haik Panossian (30), Dzankhot Alborov (20); FW Denys Havrylyuk (35), Aron Hanssen (25), Stuart Porter (23)
Bench: GK Joord Van der Beek (22); DF Řehoř Čížek (20), Salvador Cooper (20); MF Gary Chapman (34), Israel Byrd (21), Karl Trent (35); FW Calvin Holt (35)
Last Season: 7th
Prediction: 5th

by **Delaclava** » Wed Jan 20, 2021 6:46 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE - SEASON 2

This season corresponds to the preview above, following Transfer Window 28.

    Team                          P   W   D   L  For   Ag  +/-  Pts
  1 Cleopatrana SC               76  43  17  16  129   78  +51  146
  2 Manchester                   76  40  13  23  175  134  +41  133
  3 Catherina FC                 76  39   9  28  146  109  +37  126
  4 Valhalla Vikings             76  34  21  21   62   48  +14  123
  5 Steckholl United             76  34  18  24  153  115  +38  120
  6 South Harbor                 76  32  22  22  123  110  +13  118
  7 Ossiana FC                   76  35  12  29  140  128  +12  117
  8 Three Cities                 76  34  13  29  136  128   +8  115
  9 Coldwater                    76  28  21  27   97  103   -6  105
 10 Manchester Wolves            76  29  17  30  111  113   -2  104
 11 Parakeet FC                  76  29  14  33   93   89   +4  101
 12 First City                   76  29  14  33   85  105  -20  101
 13 AC Espene                    76  28  17  31  129  111  +18  101
 14 Sindsyge FC                  76  28  16  32  126  133   -7  100
 15 Cavalry                      76  27  14  35  145  151   -6   95
 16 Metro Tirana                 76  27  12  37  111  122  -11   93
 17 Athens                       76  25  17  34  108  140  -32   92
 18 Sands of the Flowers         76  22  19  35   71   99  -28   85
 19 Jasmine Island Peacocks      76  23  12  41  102  145  -43   81
 20 Tigers                       76  16  18  42   99  180  -81   66

Golden Ball (MVP) — Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
Golden Boot (Most Goals) — Peter Abspoel, Manchester - 68
Golden Flick (Most Assists) — Javor Milić, Catherina FC - 53
Golden Glove (Fewest Goals) — Launo Pajari/Joord Van Der Beek, Valhalla Vikings - 48
Offensive POY* — Peter Abspoel, Manchester
Defensive POY* — Oliver Andreu, Cleopatrana SC
Best GK* — Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
U20 POY* — Martin Bartoš, Steckholl United
U23 POY* — Donat Soler, Cleopatra SC
Masters POY — Alex Morton, Manchester
Most Improved — Joord Van Der Beek, Valhalla Vikings
Fair Play (Individual) — Ronaldo Carvalho, Parakeet FC
Fair Play (Team) — Three Cities

* MVP not eligible for awards

Best XI
GK - Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
DF - Oliver Andreu, Cleopatrana SC
DF - Eimantas Kazlauskas, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Minotauro Meñica, Parakeet FC
MF - Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
MF - Javor Milic, Catherina FC
MF - Martin Bartoš, Steckholl United
MF - Jeremy Walsh, Cleopatrana SC
FW - Peter Abspoel, Manchester
FW - Erik Hovhannisyan, Steckholl United
FW - Kobe de Vroome, Manchester

Next XI
GK - Gahiji Nader, Parakeet FC
DF - Kelly Joseph, Steckholl United
DF - Josh Torres, Catherina FC
DF - Grigor Mooshian, Valhalla Vikings
MF - Varlam Kovalev, Catherina FC
MF - Geghard Darbinyan, Steckholl United
MF - Branek Stiedry, Manchester
MF - Thomas Pierson, Manchester
FW - Nevada Wakefield, Catherina FC
FW - Bartlomiej Starek, Ossiana FC
FW - Odhrán O'Glissane, Cavalry

by **Delaclava** » Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:26 am

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE - SEASON 3

This season follows Transfer Window 29. Because the DFA was inactive at the time, all transfer activity was frozen and the rosters remained the same as UFL Season 2.

    Team                          P   W   D   L  For   Ag  +/-  Pts
  1 Cleopatrana SC               76  42  14  20   98   48  +50  140
  2 Ossiana FC                   76  38  18  20  139  110  +29  132
  3 Steckholl United             76  39  12  25  146  113  +33  129
  4 AC Espene                    76  33  22  21  121   95  +26  121
  5 Catherina FC                 76  34  16  26  125  102  +23  118
  6 Coldwater                    76  32  16  28  103  101   +2  112
  7 Sindsyge FC                  76  32  16  28  135  118  +17  112
  8 Manchester                   76  30  16  30  126  116  +10  106
  9 Valhalla Vikings             76  27  23  26   70   57  +13  104
 10 Sands of the Flowers         76  30  13  33   85   92   -7  103
 11 Manchester Wolves            76  26  23  27  108  115   -7  101
 12 Parakeet FC                  76  26  21  29   91  103  -12   99
 13 South Harbor                 76  26  20  30  107  138  -31   98
 14 Tigers                       76  25  23  28  126  149  -23   98
 15 Three Cities                 76  24  23  29  113  124  -11   95
 16 First City                   76  25  17  34   75   85  -10   92
 17 Jasmine Island Peacocks      76  24  18  34  110  124  -14   90
 18 Athens                       76  20  24  32   99  109  -10   84
 19 Cavalry                      76  19  24  33  107  141  -34   81
 20 Metro Tirana                 76  18  21  37  103  147  -44   75

Golden Ball (MVP) — Kent Lindblad, AC Espene
Golden Boot (Most Goals) — Rhys Lewis, Sindsyge FC - 48
Golden Flick (Most Assists) — Martin Bartoš, Steckholl United - 82
Golden Glove (Fewest Goals) — Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
Offensive POY* — Martin Bartoš, Steckholl United
Defensive POY* — Sanson Eisen, First City
Best GK* — Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
U20 POY*^— Simon Demirjian (16), Sands of the Flowers
U23 POY*^ — Martin Bartoš (18), Steckholl United
Masters POY — Euphranor Papadimitrou (37), Ossiana FC
Most Improved — Simon Demirjian, Sands of the Flowers
Fair Play (Individual) — Cael McBride, Catherina FC
Fair Play (Team) — Sands of the Flowers

* MVP not eligible for awards
^ The finalists considered for these two awards were all under the age of 20, including Lindblad, Bartoš, Demirjian, Eisen, and Minotauro Meñica. After Lindblad as MVP was ineligible to win, Bartoš and Demirjian were selected as the two most outstanding U23 players, with Demirjian given the U20 POY award as the younger of the two.

Best XI
GK - Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
DF - Minotauro Meñica, Parakeet FC
DF - Ferruccio Fabris, Cleopatrana SC
DF - Durgali Baxayev, Coldwater
MF - Kent Lindblad, AC Espene
MF - Martin Bartoš, Steckholl United
MF - Sanson Eisen, First City
MF - Simon Demirjian, Sands of the Flowers
FW - Rhys Lewis, Sindsyge FC
FW - Damian Soto, Tigers
FW - Euphranor Papadimitrou, Ossiana FC

Next XI
GK - Joord van der Beek, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Thucer Sceva, First City
DF - Aatto Martikainen, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Josh Torres, Catherina FC
MF - Varlam Kovalev, Catherina FC
MF - Steffan Mikines, AC Espene
MF - Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
MF - Emil Mišalko, Parakeet FC
FW - Erik Hovhannisyan, Steckholl United
FW - Austin Lang, Three Cities
FW - Bartłomiej Starek, Ossiana FC

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:35 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE
SEASON PREVIEW

The UFL is back for its fourth season, and for the first time in three years, IFCF berths are on the line! The heat has been turned up once again - the Youth Invasion took the league by storm last year, with the majority of the Best XI under the age of 20, and the young guns look to build on their dominance of the league. This is also the last season with the UFL at 20 teams, as the bottom four teams will enter playoffs to hang onto two spots, reducing the top tier to 18 for Season 5. While the bottom dwellers try their best to stay alive, the best squads will be hunting down Cleopatrana SC, winners of two consecutive league titles.

Team	City	Province	Manager	Captain
AC Espene	Espene	Grote Vrede	Pieter Bergsma	Geghard Nazarian
Athens	Athens	Rextaria	Craig Xanthis	Alex Morton
Catherina FC	Catherina	Catherina	Johannes Detmer	Cael McBride
Cavalry	Cacalecher	Le Pays de la Douche	Rene le Jeune	Henri Boisclair
Cleopatrana SC	Cleopatrana	Rextaria	Baghdasar Parsamyan	Ryan Keating
Coldwater	Kalinin	Valhalla	Boris Ishutin	Aleks Yakovlev
First City	Corcorran	Rextaria	Ernie Davis	Joshua Ward
Jasmine Island Peacocks	Jasmine Island	Agrivova	James Hochstetler	Frank Kidham
Manchester	Manchester	Brentaria	Martin Walker	Peter Abspoel
Manchester Wolves	Manchester	Firinsymnia	Jack Fuller	Jüri Ilves
Metro Tirana	Tirana	Catherina	Ivica Perica	Roman Tesarik
Ossiana FC	Ossiana	Firinsymnia	Roland Verwoold	Euphranor Papadimitriou
Parakeet FC	Portarubea	Laslisque	Dolfo Villamarin	Pau Pan
Sands of the Flowers	Mariana	Ojstiz	Donnel Cartier	Wayne Osborne
Sindsyge FC	Sindsyge	Verceola	Joseph Peters	Hannes Assink
South Harbor	Ojstiz	Ojstiz	Steven Bishop	Abram Cobb
Steckholl United	Quinniville	Stenrick	Edward Ekdal	Kelly Joseph
Three Cities	Cleopatrana, Christiana, Corcorran	Rextaria	Cardinal Merek	Mark Urban
Tigers	Laurelum	?	Selemon Chebet	Alessio Gagliardi
Valhalla Vikings	Valhalla	Valhalla	Kimi Rautavaara	Aron Hanssen

ATHENS
Seeking to stay out of the bottom of the standings this year, Athens have a new look this year, with Verceolan national Craig Xanthis at the helm and former Manchester keeper Alex Morton wearing the captain band, presumably as his career winds down. But promising prospects such as GK Christian Fischer (Catherina FC) and Simon Sulc (Tigers) are gone, and young strikers Bartolomej Čížik and Dominik Tesár have yet to prove they are ready to pick up the slack. Even the thought of incoming veterans Eimantas Kazlauskas (Valhalla Vikings) and Hamlet Matevosyan (Manchester) lacks the appeal when considering their sharp declines. Unless they can put their pieces together better than the competition, it's looking like another lean year for Athens.
Last Season: 18th
Prediction: 20th

JASMINE ISLAND PEACOCKS
The Peacocks retain much of their core but were unable to make an offer to retain Drystan Tudor; the 18-year-old midfielder, who would be a lock for the national team if not for the glut of Delaclav talent at center midfield, understandably left for greener pastures in Steckholl United. They've picked up valuable experience in the form of DF Frank Kidham (AC Espene) and ST Malcolm Bowen (Catherina FC), but no pieces that would suggest this team is skilled enough to hang with even of the middle of the pack. The league has evolved so that the skill is fairly well-distributed, but this just hadn't made it as far down as where the Peacocks stand.
Last Season: 17th
Prediction: 19th

METRO TIRANA
With the threat of relegation quite literally on the table this year, Metro Tirana is on their last chance to prove themselves to the league. Like Jasmine Island, they suffered the loss of a massive prospect who likely would have helped their journey, in MF Tibor Holic (Catherina FC). ST Roman Tesarik remains as the newly appointed captain and it will be interesting to see how he can handle the additional responsibility, having yet to meet expectations for his development in the past few years. He will be joined up top again by Aset Panova, and newly by John Vandaele (AC Espene). They represent three prospects who seemingly have not quite panned out, but it's possible they could scrape just enough talent and scoring to reserve their spot in the UFL next year.
Last Season: Last (20th)
Prediction: 18th

CAVALRY
We're anticipating the bottom four this year will remain the same; of them, it seems possible that Cavalry may go above and (just barely) beyond this year. The loss of MF Milan Andreasen (Valhalla Vikings) is a significant one, but Cavalry have made moves in obtaining manager Rene le Jeune, ST Henri Boisclair (free agent) and a big upgrade at goalkeeper in Eric Peters (South Harbor). With MF Aslanbeg Gæzzaty and Slavomír Prusík, and ST Odhrán O'Glissane returning, this team may be just well-rounded enough to put it all together for a respectable season - we just haven't seen anything that indicates they will.
Last Season: 19th
Prediction: 17th

SINDSYGE FC
Is this a harsh grade? Sure. Was it fun to watch them go on an inspiring run last year, with Verceola's Robert Peters holding down the fort and Rhys Lewis somehow leading the league in goals, on their way to a seventh-place finish? You bet. But it's hard to ignore that this team was one in decline, particularly in the second half of the season, and especially regarding now-outbound defenders Frankie Roy (Good Liz Walsh) and Dallas Harrison (Juegas), both headed to B-league sides. It's simply too much to ask of Peters and Lewis to repeat that sort of magic on their own, and new additions ST Hannes Assink (AC Espene) and returning DF Tommie Hines (Club ESF, Valanora) are likely not enough. We can't explain how they accomplished what they did last year, but we can certainly predict it won't happen again.
Last Season: 7th
Prediction: 16th

TIGERS
An undeniably solid team who made great strides in improving from last place to 14th last year, but unfortunately they struck out on the transfer market this year, not particularly adding anything that would help their continued progress. Their biggest offseason story was the loss of Best XI striker Damian Soto, who's off to help Cleopatrana SC chase a third league title. With DF Sahar Langah and ST Tadeáš Slaný returning, the biggest signings were free agents, and thus unproven quantities in GK Dan Collins and MF Artem Chaban. There's a lot of promise but unfortunately little data to suggest this team can whet the growing optimism of their fanbase.
Last Season: 14th
Prediction: 15th

FIRST CITY
The Corcorran-based team failed to improve on a 12th-placed finish, instead falling to 16th. Their defense showed great strength and toughness in allowing just 85 goals in 76 games, third-best in the league, an effort spearheaded by Defensive POY, MF Sanson Eisen and Next XI DF Thucer Sceva, but the offense never got going, one of just two offenses who failed to average a goal per game. And predictably, the 18-year-old Eisen is gone, off to bolster last year's runners-up in Ossiana FC. Sceva returns, forming the defensive backbone with GK Marty Jenkins and the championship experience of DF Radko Rácz (Cleopatrana SC). With the signing of free agent ST Samuel Phillips, this squad has made definite upgrades, and that should be good for at least a slight improvement from last year's performance.
Last Season: 16th
Prediction: 14th

THREE CITIES
Two years ago, Three Cities was all the rage as they re-debuted to the tune of an 8th-place finish, but a midfield of prospects Leo Danjalsson, Johan Bussler, and Kagir Dimayev which should have worked like a charm, instead did nothing but harm; the midfield corps frequently floundered and fell to a fifteenth-placed finish. Cardinal Merek's answer was to tear down and start over, shipping out all three midfielders and trying anew with numerous free agent signings like ST Jack Sanders, MF Joss Rosenfeld, and ST Alen Gradišnik. The lone bright spot from last year, Next XI ST Austin Lang, returns and hopes to provide stability to a squad that never got going. It's truly baffling that last year's squad couldn't figure out their problems, and a shame that young egos prevailed, but Merek has wisely chosen not to dwell on the past, and the core he has chosen to retain should be capable of some rebound.
Last Season: 15th
Prediction: 13th

SOUTH HARBOR
Like Three Cities, South Harbor had a wonderful debut in UFL Season 2, in sixth place, but the league simply figured out South Harbor and its porous defense last year. One factor of that problem, DF Steven Bishop, has wisely traded his kit for a manager's suit, and his presence should help the chemistry and morale of a team who knows how to win but simply lost sight of it. Bishop and the front office are investing in the future with signings like 18-year-old MF Yusupjan Borhan and 16-year-old GK Carlos Rodriguez, while young DF Wen West and ST Stig Hagelin promise to continue their steady progress. The loss of MF Mikota Sundečić (Manchester) hurts a bit, but this is a squad not far removed from better days, so it looks more likely that they might stick around in the middle of the table.
Last Season: 13th
Prediction: 12th

COLDWATER
The higher up the table you get, the more unforgiving the environment, and Coldwater is a good example of this. They finished sixth last year despite a goal differential of just +2 over 76 games, which suggests that they may have perhaps been luckier than good. They suffered no great losses and return a strong core, led by Best XI DF Durgali Baxayev, GK Mikolaj Ostrowski, MF Nazaret Hakobyan, and ST Aleks Yakovlev; and MF Gregg Simmons (free agent) is a solid addition to the midfield. This is a very good team, no doubt - just not sixth place good, and with no significant upgrades, it is more likely they will regress to the mean than back up last year's performance.
Last Season: 6th
Prediction: 11th

MANCHESTER WOLVES
We start our top 10 not with a story of promise and hope, but a tale of complacency and stubbornness. The Manchester (FIR) squad has dropped just a little bit each of the past three seasons, never making a move to evolve or change, and this year seems little different. To their credit, the front office has shipped out Jos Haarhuis and put Jack Fuller at the helm, which suggests that they think they have the players to make a good run if they have the right chef to put together the ingredients. But unless Fuller has tricks up his sleeve that no one has seen before - and that's doubtful - this is just the same team that the rest of the league has seen four times a year for three years. It's solid yet unspectacular, with little eye-catching individual talent or innovative tactics. GK Toby Curry is solid, ST Fisher Ellery can put the ball in the net, and MF Jüri Ilves and Kalle Jokinen can control the ball well. We know this, everyone knows this. They're not going to have a disastrous year, but for the love of Margaret, would they like to try something new here?
Last Season: 11th
Prediction: 10th

SANDS OF THE FLOWERS
They were absolutely the joke of the league in Season 1, a largely semipro team who was constantly overwhelmed by far superior competition, and gave up 271 (not a typo) goals in 44 games, including an 18-0 drubbing at the hands of Catherina FC. Thankfully, they put the pieces together in Season 2, finishing 18th but at least with a 22-19-35 record that didn't immediately elicit gasps and giggles from casual onlookers. A repeat of that performance in Season 3 would have been enough of a victory, but then-16-year-old MF Simon Demirjian had other plans; Demirjian anchored a defense with defenders Rahmonberdi Zhusupov and Baldassare Locatelli that was surprisingly stingy, allowing just 92 goals on the way to 30 wins, which is almost as many as the goals they scored in that ill-fated Season 1. Not content to rely on the magic he generated, Donnel Cartier pulled in intriguing prospects such as striker Henri Magny and 15-year-old keeper Nicolas Mercier. Even at his tender age, Mercier is an improvement at backstop, and Magny may well be enough firepower to boost what was still a largely anemic (although, less so) offense. Furthermore, the acquisitions from Cleopatrana SC, ST Paolo Zino and DF Lourenço Cruz, were genius moves by Cartier; they're on-field mentors who can guide the undeniable hunger this team has. It would be thrilling to see Sands of the Flowers take an even bigger leap, but it is a credit to their newfound culture that we think they meet the surprising new bar they set last year.
Last Season: 10th
Prediction: 9th

PARAKEET FC
Dolfo Villamarin has done a fantastic job in putting together a competitive squad in the relative football wasteland of Las Lisque, and Parakeet FC stands out in this league for priding itself on strong defense. We've seen them struggle to get their footing at times in this league, but it has been a pleasure to see them come into their own over the past two years while still achieving mid-table finishes. While they have now lost two-time Best XI defender Minotauro Meñica (Loxthorpe Rovers, Flavovespia) and Next XI midfielder Emil Mišalko (AC Espene), they have also shed some dead skin in the form of some veterans - MF Ronaldo Carvalho (Portarubea FC, B League), Jayden Hathaway (retired), and ST Victor Delgado (Triniteras Pride, B League). This is still on paper one of the strongest defenses in the league, consisting of Pau Pan, Aníbal Pinho, and Shane Guerrero, and they're backstopped by the athletic Gahiji Nader. 18-year-old Jamarion Colon may on his own be the offensive weapon this team needs, especially if they keep balls out the net the way it seems they can.
Last Season: 12th
Prediction: 8th

VALHALLA VIKINGS
The ultra-defensive oddity of the UFL never ceases to fascinate with their style uncharacteristic to Delaclava football, and in Season 2 it took them to a strong showing, in fourth place with just 48 goals allowed in 76 games. Last year they appeared just as good on paper, yet didn't have enough margin for error in the close, low-scoring games, and the rest of the league figured out the Vikings to an extent that the famed "Frozen Four" backline could only must ninth place. But to get to this year, they have shed plenty of aging weight in defenders Eimantas Kazlauskas and Grigor Mooshian, and midfielder Haik Panossian, as well as letting go DOA prospect Dzankhot Alborov. The elder goalie Launo Pajari is gone, fully giving way to truly elite keeper Joord van der Beek, who surely will look to knock Donat Soler off his Best GK perch. The new Frozen Four sees Urho Ruoho return from Club ESF of Valanora, and he joins staple Aatto Martikainen as well as rising acolytes Karam Ahuja and Řehoř Čížek. Significantly, it's a new-look midfield of Milan Andreasen (Cavalry), Yves Claes (Three Cities), and Leontij Kornijchuk (free agent) which may see the offense thaw out a bit. It's a new Valhalla, and it's probably not the same as the old Valhalla, and that might be a good thing.
Last Season: 9th
Prediction: 7th

OSSIANA FC
Ossiana's run to 2nd in the league last year was truly a feel-good story, but this year we must face the fact that they were punching well above their weight. It was a solid team for sure, one headed up by ageless wonder and Masters POY Euphranor Papadimitrou; aided in offense by Bartłomiej Starek, Helge Andreassen, and Rein Tamm; and backed surprisingly effectively by defenders Olivier De Ven and Wendelin Sorge. But none of that screams "elite football team", and while chemistry and teamwork has gone far the past few years, the young talent of this league has simply gotten too good too fast, and we think this is the year that represents a passing of the torch. But we won't write the obituary on the era of Papadimitrou, not with so much of the core riding high on last year's efforts, and not with the invaluable addition of Defensive POY, MF Sanson Eisen (First City). Enjoy this miracle team while it lasts.
Last Season: Runners-up
Prediction: 6th

MANCHESTER
We turn now to the fairly well-established "Big Five" of the UFL, and we haven't predicted any surprises or breaks from that tier this year, but we must acknowledge the weak link. Manchester was runners-up two years ago, but were hit hardest by the transfer freeze, stuck with numerous pieces on the wrong side of 30. This was a team in disarray last year, and their level of play did not match the bright lights of their home city, stumbling to eight and well out of contention. While this is a prediction for a return to normalcy in the upper echelon of the UFL, it must be admitted that Manchester is getting the benefit of the doubt as a team with a winning pedigree. Yet at the front, Kobe de Vroome has considerably flattened out and Peter Abspoel's best days are behind him; Myron Michelakakis and Branek Stiedry showed at times uninspiring play in the midfield; and this team is sorely lacking for defensive depth, needing to start decrepit Davit Beridze. Manchester does have some X-factors in young midfielder Mikota Sundečić (South Harbor), defender Mavricij Rus (free agent), and GK Vâčeslav Šklovskij (free agent), and maybe that's enough of a boost to put this team on the right track. Just don't be surprised if Manchester gets left behind in the title race early.
Last Season: 8th
Prediction: 5th

STECKHOLL UNITED
Steckholl United did well last year to rebound from an unexpected fifth place finish to a more respectable third, but this feels like a story of a team that has found a winning formula, and one of stale complacency. This team appears to sit at a sort of inflection point, where a large majority of the core players are on the verge of a decline, and this may be the last year to wring a great year out of them. Rudolf Janicek and Dietmar Winkler have considerably flattened over the past few years, and defensive stalwarts Kelly Joseph - fair to consider him a club legend, truly - and Oliver Koppel are noticeably in decline. Erik Hovhannisyan deserves so much credit for the offense he has almost single-handedly generated in the past few years, but can he continue to carry his team's scoring, or has he been asked to do too much for too long? The team has essentially traded out prospects, as Martin Bartoš heads off to Dhun Lagarr FC (Tikariot) and Drystan Tudor arrives from Jasmine Island Peacocks. Bartoš was a proven quantity with two Best XI selections, a U20 POY award two years ago, and a U23 POY award last year - despite being only 18 - as well as a Golden Flick award for most assists and the Offensive POY award. Can Tudor fill those shoes? And will underwhelming keeper Tyron Young find greatness this year, or will he be simply good? This is a club with a winning history, and Edward Ekdal has managed to create a culture that seeks to carry on that tradition, but with this iteration of Steckholl, we're left with too many questions and not enough answers, too much apprehension and too little excitement, to believe this team is capable of a championship run.
Last Season: 3rd
Prediction: 4th

CATHERINA FC
"Delaclava's team" had some growing pains throughout a slight anomaly of a year last season, and first, all credit to Johannes Detmer and captain Javor Milić in leading them through it. Despite not quite getting results, the squad never stopped trying to find the answers. Veteran defenders Eddie Hunt and Wilbert Delgado - both now gone - were liabilities, but Josh Torres truly matured and came into his own, as did midfielders Varlam Kovalev and Cael McBride. This team undoubtedly has felt the effects of losing the likes of George Ross, Carlos Berrera, Dathan Ingram, and Artem Kohut from their championship season, but they have done everything to make the most of this situation. And this version of Catherina FC looks truly intriguing. Clint Frazier is out and a goalkeeper battle brews between teenagers Christian Fischer (Athens) and Earl James (free agent), and the midfield is getting serious reinforcements in Johan Bussler (Three Cities) and Tibor Holič (Metro Tirana). What's truly fascinating is how strong defensively this team has now been built, and a more defensive Catherina FC may result in a more defensive league overall. It's a more modern team, indicative of Delaclav football that has been exposed to the trends of the outside world, and it very well could be a team that sits atop the throne once again.
Last Season: 5th
Prediction: 3rd

CLEOPATRANA SC
The city of Cleopatrana always has fun, but perhaps never more than this squad that has found new life under the managership of former striker Baghdasar Parsamyan. The two-time defending champion Pharaohs are armed with two-time reigning Best GK Donat Soler, who outdid himself with 48 goals allowed last year. Former MVP Ryan Keating has found new motivation in the captainship, embracing the target on his team's back, and defender Ferruccio Fabris stepped up en route to a Best XI selection. Moreover, this team has unloaded many of the defensive veterans - Radko Rácz, Lourenço Cruz, Mike Hamill, Erick Rodriguez - at the right time, refreshing the lineup with Aras Samra (free agent) and midfield phenoms Kagir Dimayev (Three Cities) and Mino Cabarcos (free agent) to join Keating, Jeremy Walsh, and veteran back Oliver Andreu. The more conservative offense has a bit more octane this year in Damian Soto (Tigers) and Fred Patterson (free agent) to join veteran Eddie Roberts. This team is solid across the board, and seems perfectly suited to go ahead and achieve that three-peat everyone's raving about. Except...
Last Season: Champions
Prediction: Runners-up

AC ESPENE
Some may find it idiotic to be this bullish on such a young, unproven team. Especially one that had similarly high expectations just two years ago, only to falter to 13th place. But it's almost beyond comprehension how talented this team is. The midfield consists of reigning MVP Kent Lindblad, returning midfielders Steffan Mikines and Geghard Nazarian, and signings Leo Danjalsson (Three Cities) and Emil Mišalko (Parakeet FC). That midfield on its own could start for Delaclava (and watch out in a few years, it might). The front line of Amaury Racette, Sergej Gregorèiè, Petr Zeman, all new acquisitions who are at worst sub-elite yet productive forwards in each their own right - and together, a passable line that could challenge some world-best defenses. Veteran goalkeeper Vazha Gelashvili returns, with 21-year-old Vladimir Balakirev ready to keep him on his toes. Sure, questions remain: can Pieter Bergsma put all these new pieces together in the right order, and soon enough to get them going in the title race? Can all these young players meet such high expectations, especially with a history of failing to do so? And can this offense overcome what is without a doubt a vulnerable defense? But in some sense, the last question is nearly irrelevant - this is Delaclav football, and AC Espene is a fully evolved, offensively-minded side. At worst, it may be frustrating watching this team try to put this puzzle together and realise their potential. At best, this team on paper is a truly scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Last Season: 4th
Prediction: Champions

UFL LEAGUE B
SEASON PREVIEW

Twenty new teams restart this year in Delaclava's second-tier league. No teams are at risk of relegation this year, allowing everyone to get their footing, but the top four teams will have an opportunity to play off for spots in the United Football League next year.

Team	City	Province	Manager	Captain
Acertao	Acertao	Straka	Heleel Turabi	Nazar Pavlovsky
Borrson	Gothenberg	Sveydan	Maksim Moroshkin	Doyle Hansen
Brunswick	Brunswick	Hess	Matt Stronk	Derek Swanson
Eryseos	Eryseos	Rextaria	Declan Mullins	Haik Panossian
Filbertiens	Justina	Filbertiana	Alessandro Conti	Joel Hart
Geneticists National	Catherina	Catherina	Hector Hovhannisyan	George Diaz
Glotónes	Encenadora	Salvencedor	Dhiego Vera	Theodor Pederson
Good Liz Walsh	Elizabetha	Bane	Frankie Roy	Frankie Roy
Juegas	Santa Lourdes	Straka	Ana Alejandro	Ranko Filipovic
Kings Club	Corcorran	Rextaria	Jesse Boyle	Kye Khanthavong
Luton FC	Luton	Verceola	Jeff Becker	Antonio Terry
Mersatha Beach	Mersatha	Rextaria	Tiki Tolku	Dana Doyle
Oxford	Oxford	Farland	Luther Rogers	Luther Rogers
Portarubea FC	Portarubea	Senzymnia	Ronaldo Carvalho	Ronaldo Carvalho
Rhodes	Rhodes	Rextaria	Budzimir Ulicionak	Boban Milovanovic
South Catherina	Catherina	Catherina	David Dell	Erick Rodriguez
Southwest Meredith	North Quinniville	Stenrick	Cale Robbins	Launo Pajari
Stockton	Stockton	Firinsymnia	Jos Haarhuis	Samuel Jokela
Triniteras Pride	Triniteras	Triniteras	Grigor Mooshian	Grigor Mooshian
Wynnville Warriors	Wynnville	Verceola	Jared Thompson	Myron Barnes

Going for the Gold: Filbertiens, Southwest Meredith, Wynnville Warriors, Juegas, Eryseos
Settling for Satisfactory: Rhodes, Acertao, Luton FC, Glotónes, Kings Club
Preserving their Pride: Portarubea FC, Triniteras Pride, Stockton, Borrson, Mersatha Beach
Battling Out of the Bottom: South Catherina, Geneticists National, Oxford, Brunswick, Good Liz Walsh

by **Delaclava** » Wed Jan 27, 2021 12:28 am

As a season without the Phoenixes winds down, what's next on the horizon?
by Daniil Fesenko

The qualifying swing for the 87th World Cup is in full force. Scenarios are shaping up and contenders are jostling for position in their bid to make it to Taeshan and Ethane. Football fans across Delaclava are watching, as has once again become the norm - yet Delaclava is not one of those contenders. In fact, they were never in the running at all.

How did we get here?

Four years ago, Delaclava's national football team introduced itself back to the world, entering the 60th AOCAF Cup in Farfadillis and Krytenia. Although the Phoenixes went winless there, this reincarnation kicked off a wild international season in which they continued their slump at the Wonder Cup in Qasden, before catching fire to win the consolation bracket; expanding outside the region, they found themselves truly in the thick of the qualification picture, before a teamwide sex scandal and WCC corruption derailed Delaclava's best-laid plans. It was a cycle that exceeded all reasonable pre-competition expectations and captured the attention of their home faithful, yet still carrying a profound disappointment that left the ashes of the World Cup 85 team hungry for more.

For the upcoming season, the Delaclav Football Association threw all the funding and planning it could into building a better national team, developing the domestic leagues, shipping the top prospects off to more prestigious systems. For all the enthusiastic, if not slightly ludicrous hopes, the season was a flop: the Phoenixes, marred by yet another scandal, a refusal to play an illegitimate team in their group, limped out of AOCAF 61 in Equestria despite a hot start; then they limped to a sixth-place finish in their World Cup 86 qualifying group. Not a horrible or even unreasonable performance, but certainly not one that met the enthusiasm or attention that was gifted to the team, who often looked disengaged during qualifying matches and were even booed after a lackluster performance in the finale, a 1-0 home loss to Euran Oceania Territories at Golden Phoenix Field.

What's next, as the Delaclav national team is currently on ice, is unclear. Rumors suggest that this team will be re-assembled in time for the next go-round, but that recruitment, training, and travel budgets will be slashed; the team will be cast to the fringes of the Delaclav Olympic Committee agenda. No training camps of the best and brightest prospects, no qualifying matches at the NAC, just a group of 23 players and a coaching staff scrapping as best as they can.

The road forwards looks quite a bit tougher, and to remind you, it hasn't been a picnic to begin with. For starters, think of the regulars - Keaton Durbridge, Lukas Meyer, George Ross, and Dathan Ingram, to name an important few. They've spent the past four years working to lead this team, to build a new culture. They took some expected lickings at the hands of the competition, but then were saddled with teammates who were not as invested in the Phoenixes' success, forced to adapt to a revolving door of teammates in their first campaign, only for the DFA to shove the same orgygoers back onto the team for the next campaign, without helping to smooth over the anger and betrayal that reportedly festered in the second campaign.

All the while, their domestic careers - as well as those of every top player in the United Football League system - laid entirely in the hands of the DFA. Players had to be prepared for shipment to any given destination, separated for months out of the year from their families with no control over their own career paths.

How about some of the fringe players? The past few years have not been kind to the likes of Chris Lang, Dashaun Howard, Tyron Young, Alexei Gusev, Kazuo Martin, and Erik Hovhannisyan, who seemingly got called up and demoted so many times it'd make anyone's head spin. The latter four are still young and growing into their games, but the DFA was always more interested in pushing a rough draft of a squad onto the field than truly investing in long-term development, and it couldn't have been more clear than when the team was canned for World Cup 87 after disappointing results in just their second try.

How does that help send the right message to these players? Are they really expected to "get it done" while still learning on the job?

And for the young prospects - such as Kohut, Ben Romeijn, Kent Lindblad, Simon Demirjian, Martin Bartoš - unless the DFA chooses a more patient long-term approach to the program, their best years will surely be wasted. First, the DFA tried to rush the team into the right results; now, it seems they'll wait for those results to come before providing even adequate support, despite the team truly needing the financial and moral backing to succeed in the first place. Are these teenagers simply supposed to take their improvements into their own hands, without the guidance that other national programs would have?

To their credit, many of these players have done well left to their own devices, as well as to their current club placements. Campbell, Durbridge, Ross, Romeijn, Kohut, Gusev, Arnau Mata, Zane Davis - they've all come back with personal and team accolades, and very promising scouting reports. Back home, Lindblad was a league MVP at just 18, Bartoš is off to Tikariot after two spectacular seasons at Steckholl United, Donat Soler continues to be a dominant domestic force and an apt understudy to Ross, to name a few standouts. Despite the ups and downs, there is a very talented crop of young Delaclavs - especially at midfield - who have taken their destiny into their own hands despite this awkward situation they have been given.

Which makes it even more of a shame that the DFA will not yet commit to putting their unconditional support behind this next iteration of the Delaclava national football team. I believe in the group of 23 who will be selected to take on the challenge, I do, but talent, development, experience, technical prowess - the aspects that make a successful national team, the Phoenixes will look at a significant disadvantage in every area as they try to resume their climb.

The best players in Delaclava are destined for great careers. They will travel the world, play for some of the finest clubs, continue to win titles and accolades, and be recognised for their skill and greatness both at home and worldwide. But they only get one national team to represent - and unless the current circumstances change, it seems likely they will retire with a gaping hole in their resumes, a hauntingly echoing "what if?"

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 9:57 pm

For perhaps the first time since he was a very small child, Artem Kohut had not touched a football in a week.

World Cup qualifying was in full swing. The world world was watching. It was already a fantastic and exciting time for a young stud to show off his skill and mettle - unless that young stud had, say, capped off a fine season at Unamaꞌkik Inverness 1877, and was looking to build on his momentum, only to be cursed with the backing of a nation whose governing bodies had been so indifferent as to entirely neglect the paperwork needed to put his national team in play...

Artem had made a commitment to his club that he would at least stay sharp, do the best he could. His team was counting on him as part of their future, and the rest of his teammates in that position were actually getting match practice now, so Artem had to make up some ground. But he figured he would at least make a bit of a vacation out of it - tour around Delaclava, hit some of his favorite cities that he had missed, all the while hitting the pitch and the gym and the track.

And at first, it was really quite nice. Coming from Quebec, he'd started in north Delaclava, where he preferred the cooler weather and smaller towns this time of year. Artem was a rather shy and quiet personality, but he did sincerely appreciate the fans who'd recognise him, remember how he had put on such thrilling performances on the youth circuit and with Catherina FC, and come up to ask about his career and wish him well - in small numbers and not large crowds. But as he started to move further south, and visit larger cities like Orton City and Valeina, people started to notice him more, and also were now paying attention to how the international football was shaping up. The questions started coming, and while nearly everyone was quite pleasant, Artem increasingly felt the burden to somehow defend the Delaclava Football Association, even the government himself. How was Artem supposed to know why President Urso, famously an avid football fan, wasn't paying enough attention or care to register the Phoenixes?

He became more withdrawn and sullen in his travels, more irritated in his training. At some point, he stopped entirely - sat around the hotel suite, leaving for food or occasionally for a bit of a walk, watching documentaries, horror movies, children's cartoons - seriously, anything that wasn't a football match. He was starting to have panic attacks from the thought of continuing on through Catherina, to the point that he extended his stay in Tirana, just a bit north and down the mountains, for several days. Fortunately, he was able to clear his head a bit, enough so he could bring himself to at least check in on his Catherina apartment - when, out of the blue, he got a call from Wassa Faye, Director of Scouting for the national team of Busoga Islands, requesting the courtesy of a meeting. Artem knew what the deal was even before Faye spelled it out for him.

Artem was hesitant, but intrigued. It lifted his spirits enough that he decided, while he was in the nation's capital, to at least squeeze in a training session at the National Athletic Complex. However, he wasn't quite expecting that his brief kick-around on Practice Field #1 would make him feel just a bit more attached to his perceived homeland; by the time he got to the meeting, he was feeling quite a bit more apprehensive about the suggestions. But Wassa Faye was warm yet insistent, laying out his case well enough that Artem - perhaps with an assist from his best meal in a while and some fine wine - agreed to further consideration of the matter, and to a sit-down with Busogan manager Bethany Donnell.

Artem thought he'd at least stay a bit longer in Catherina after his meeting. His apartment was in a somewhat more upscale part of the city, near where Faye had taken him days previously, and whether he was out and about the suburb or making a trip back to the DNAC, anyone he ran into was thankfully rather more interested in the tennis season than in him. So he was back at his apartment, and tuned in to his first qualifying match in weeks - opting for the Banija-Jeruselem match, which was quickly getting out of hand, so it didn't really demand too much of his attention.

His phone dinged - a message from Dathan Ingram, his old teammate and setup man at Catherina FC. "Looks like we're back," it read. "MSMT. You in?"

Artem nodded somewhat absentmindedly, then his brain started to turn a bit harder. No message, email, letter, no notice from the DFA or even from his former coach, Johannes Detmer? If this was the comeback he'd been thinking was in the works, it certainly was a bit informal.

He thought another moment. His mind wasn't made up yet either way, but he didn't have to play this one, surely? It was an exhibition. He was sure he could make it back for AOCAF if necessary.

He replied, "I'm out. Still working out a calf injury." Well, that wasn't false, anyway.

Dathan replied: "Damn. Get better! Hopefully see you soon."

Artem shot back, "Thanks!" Then, after a pause, added, "Who's in?"

"Don't know yet... Keaton and I are starting to track guys down."

"You guys? Who's coaching? Detmer?"

"Don't know yet. Think Keaton's got to do the papers himself. We'll see how it goes."

Artem sighed and tossed his phone to the side. Some revival this was, he thought as Faye's words called back to him: "They won't invest in your team, in your chances." Surely it would be worth it to play for a flag that had his back.

Artem watched the Banija game a little more, but discomfort began to set in. "Memories" was the wrong word - but certainly vague ghosts of duress from his distant past, with the gaps filled in by information his parents had told him. He hadn't spoken to them about this meeting yet, but had it in mind that he'd go back to Athens for a visit. But now, with a nation that was beginning to abandon him, the sense of homeland that he had adopted, practiced and acted out for most of his life was starting to slip away...

Artem shook his head, turned off the television, and went into his bedroom. He looked carefully in the mirror - blue eyes with a tinge almost of a dark yellow or amber, straight blonde hair that seemed to have its own inclination towards a slightly browner curl. He reached down into a drawer and took out a small wooden chest where he kept some of his papers and identifications - tax information, school transcripts, passports. He opened the box, riffled through the sheets until he found his birth certificate. Name: "Artem Bohdanovych Kohut". Father: "Bohdan Arturovych Kohut". Mother: "Nina Leonidivna Makar". Birthplace: "Athens-South Beach Community Hospital, Athens, Rextaria".

Artem looked at this paper, back at the mirror, then took an almost instinctive look over his shoulder. He crouched down and felt under the dresser, his fingers catching an envelope taped to the bottom. This contained another birth certificate, his real certificate, the one that no one could ever see. He read this one now, his hands trembling slightly, from nerves and from the weight of this family secret. Name: "Artem Serhat Kohut". Mother: "Nurhan Dongacay". Birthplace: "Lakiska, Busoga Islands".

This second and true document did not particularly matter. His maternal grandmother, Halime Cakir, had moved from the Busoga Islands as an infant just before the Russonian isolation policies were put in place. She grew up, met Leonid Makar, and they had Nina. Nina and Bohdan met in Athens and started their family there, beginning with Artem. So he was Delaclav but still with a claim to Busogan citizenship. That was what the government and the DFA knew, and needed to know.

Actually, Halime Cakir had never been outside Busoga Islands. Artem's maternal grandfather was named Erdin Dongacay, and had never left the country either.

But the point was, Artem didn't need to reveal this dark truth to anyone to switch his footballing allegiance. The story on record was good enough. But when he had met with Wassa Faye for a business dinner at Telemachus, Artem thought that Faye had presented him with an appealing option, one that represented a logical step in mapping out a potentially great career. Then, he sensed opportunity.

Now, he also felt obligation.

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:09 pm

REMINDER: Please do not post in this thread without explicit permission.
If you are interested in participating or otherwise collaborating, please send me a TG first.
Thank you!

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 4
Matchdays 1-10

Two-time defending champions Cleopatrana SC take the early table league in their quest for the three-peat, impressively winning their first nine games and Donat Soler putting together two separate streaks of four clean sheets. The Pharaohs appeared on track to make it a complete tenner in the win column with a home fixture against Steckholl United, but Steckholl's midfielder Drystan Tudor had given the defense fits all game, and finally broke through in the 86th minute. A defensive collapse saw the backs converge on Tudor, who found Erik Hovhannisyan alone to beat Soler on a tap-in. Nevertheless, this defense is stronger than ever with just two goals allowed through ten matches, and Damian Soto has proven to be a valuable addition on the front lines with eight goals on the season. Despite the oddsmakers largely predicting a new champion this year, Cleopatrana SC is yet to go anywhere.

Hot on the Pharaoh's heels are AC Espene. Listed as the favorites for this year's championship despite a recent history of underperforming expectations, this young team has shown the requisite strength to at least validate pundits' faith in them. They lead the league by a wide margin with 28 goals, already 11 clear of any other team, including two 5-0 victories in their first three matches. They subsequently suffered a loss - also to Steckholl United - but currently ride a six-game winning streak and aren't giving the defending champions any permission to breathe. Kent Lindblad makes his case to repeat as league MVP with 13 goals thus far, including a hat-trick to take home a comeback victory 4-3 over Metro Tirana last week. Aside from that match, the defense has largely held firmer than anticipated, partially on the back of Vladimir Balakirev's four shutouts.

Catherina FC stand in third, losing early ground in the title race with a 1-2-1 start, but they too are separating from the pack with a currently six-game win streak. From last season, this team has turned a corner under Cael McBride's leadership and looked totally dialed in. Teenagers Earl James and Christian Fischer continue to fight for the starting keeper job, but between them have not allowed a goal in the past 665 minutes, with the team tying Soler's eight clean sheets. Regardless of coach Detmer's choice of netminder, Josh Torres has picked up where he left off, already making his case for post-season accolades and even a second chance at national team selection.

Steckholl United has an identical table line to Catherina FC, but with perhaps opposite fortunes. They started off the season with seven straight victories, right alongside Cleopatrana SC, and including a win over AC Espene, but have scrapped just two points in the past three rounds. They are the team that has taken points off the two league leaders, and the draw to Manchester and loss to First City are hardly damning results just yet. But these are the four teams that have separated from the pack in the title race, and Steckholl may not have room for error when it comes to facing the teams they should regularly beat.

In the top echelon of five teams, Manchester has predictably settled into the fifth position... First City outperforming expectations in sixth place, atop a tightly packed pile from sixth to 17th...Metro Tirana another team outperforming expectations in 12th. They nearly had it against AC Espene last week, but regardless, John Vandaele has broken his multi-year slump with seven goals thus far...Sindsyge FC suffering their predicted downtown thus far thanks to an anemic offense...Tigers hurting badly with the loss of Damian Soto, not scoring for the first 414 minutes of the season and with just one goal so far...Sands of the Flowers not getting what they may have hoped out of Simon Demirjian yet. But the season is young for all of these teams. The top four may already be decided - but after that, there is plenty of time to get matches and wins on the books.

Offensive Player of the Month: Kent Lindblad, AC Espene
Defensive Player of the Month: Josh Torres, Catherina FC
Goalkeeper of the Month: Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
Manager of the Month: Ernie Davis, First City
Goal of the Month: Austin Lang (3-3), Week 1 @ Catherina FC (W 4-3)

    Team                         P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Cleopatrana SC              10  9  1  0  16   2  +14  28
  2 AC Espene                   10  9  0  1  28   8  +20  27
  3 Catherina FC                10  7  2  1  17   5  +12  23
  4 Steckholl United            10  7  2  1  17   5  +12  23
  5 Manchester                  10  5  3  2  12   9   +3  18
  6 First City                  10  4  3  3   7   6   +1  15
  7 Coldwater                   10  4  2  4   9   8   +1  14
  8 Ossiana FC                  10  3  4  3  10  10   +0  13
  9 Three Cities                10  4  1  5  13  22   -9  13
 10 Valhalla Vikings            10  3  4  3  10   8   +2  13
 11 Manchester Wolves           10  3  3  4   9  10   -1  12
 12 Metro Tirana                10  3  3  4  12  16   -4  12
 13 Parakeet FC                 10  3  3  4   6   8   -2  12
 14 Sands of the Flowers        10  3  3  4  10   9   +1  12
 15 Sindsyge FC                 10  3  2  5   5   9   -4  11
 16 Athens                      10  3  1  6   9  16   -7  10
 17 South Harbor                10  2  3  5   7  11   -4   9
 18 Jasmine Island Peacocks     10  1  4  5   9  14   -5   7
 19 Cavalry                     10  1  1  8   5  18  -13   4
 20 Tigers                      10  0  1  9   1  18  -17   1

UFL B SEASON ONE
Matchdays 1-10

Highlights

The race is tighter across the board in this league: everyone's got a win, everyone's got a loss. Glotónes have overcome an ugly opening home loss to Portarubea FC 5-0, and proven themselves to be a thrilling addition to the Delaclav club system. Filbertiens carry just one loss but have failed to break open a few games, leaving them in second with one fewer win.
Luton FC sets the early league record for goals in a game and margin - 10-0 over Good Liz Walsh. 15-year-old Gheni Nasyrov himself tallied five of those goals, setting pace for both the league lead and for the individual single-game record. The Luton FC has otherwise largely failed to fire, but have shown their capability in the right situation. Meanwhile, Good Liz Walsh has taken some other bad lickings - 5-2 to Filbertiens, 6-3 to Wynnville Warriors, 6-0 to Stockton - but they have won their past two games in clean sheets, and captain and defender Frankie Roy is perhaps starting to bring this team together. Lot of games to be played...
Southwest Meredith, considered a pre-season candidate for the promotion playoffs, shockingly dropped three of their first four games, but have somewhat righted the ship lately, with three games undefeated and a draw last week at Filbertiens.
Conversely, Geneticists National were thought to be destined for a rough ride, but these semi-pro scientists surprisingly are positioned just two points outside the promotion playoffs, having won three of their last four, including a "Catherina Derby" of sorts last week. They were perhaps not the likelier candidate to land another Catherina team in the top tier, but they'll certainly be a sentimental favorite while the possibility is still on the table.
Acertao sits in third, just one point off the league lead, and the only mainland team in the top four. Ufa Issa leads the league with eight cleen sheets, including the first four and last four games, and is certainly making his own case for a UFL A job next year.

Offensive Player of the Month: Haik Panossian, Eryseos
Defensive Player of the Month: Dallas Harrison, Juegas
Goalkeeper of the Month: Ufa Issa, Acertao
Manager of the Month: Dhiego Vera, Glotónes
Goal of the Month: Gheni Nasyrov (7-0), Week 2 vs. Good Liz Walsh (W 10-0)

    Team                      P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Glotónes                 10  7  0  3  17  14   +3  21
  2 Filbertiens              10  6  3  1  14   4  +10  21
  3 Acertao                  10  6  2  2  11   3   +8  20
  4 Luton FC                 10  5  3  2  21   8  +13  18
  5 Rhodes                   10  5  3  2  14   9   +5  18
  6 Portarubea FC            10  5  3  2  16   7   +9  18
  7 Geneticists National     10  6  0  4  14  12   +2  18
  8 Eryseos                  10  4  4  2  17   8   +9  16
  9 Juegas                   10  4  4  2   9   4   +5  16
 10 Wynnville Warriors       10  4  3  3  12   8   +4  15
 11 Kings Club               10  4  2  4   6  10   -4  14
 12 Triniteras Pride         10  4  1  5   7  10   -3  13
 13 South Catherina          10  4  0  6  14  11   +3  12
 14 Southwest Meredith       10  3  3  4  10  10   +0  12
 15 Stockton                 10  3  3  4  12  12   +0  12
 16 Borrson                  10  3  1  6  11  15   -4  10
 17 Good Liz Walsh           10  2  2  6  12  33  -21   8
 18 Mersatha Beach           10  2  1  7   8  19  -11   7
 19 Brunswick                10  1  2  7  14  26  -12   5
 20 Oxford                   10  1  2  7  13  29  -16   5

by **Delaclava** » Sun Feb 07, 2021 2:24 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 4
Matchdays 11-25

The youth invasion of AC Espene is in full effect; after a draw in Round 11, AC Espene is now on a 14-match winning streak, outscoring opponents 45-11 in the process and taking a commanding lead, ten points clear of second place. Their offense has still been setting the tone, with the team averaging just over three goals per game - and otherwise, only Catherina FC averages even two goals. While Kent Lindblad and Emil Mišalko have continued how they started, Amaury Racette has been a revelation at striker; he has scored seven goals in the past four games, and adds yet another dimension at striker to a team that few have been able to slow down. While the equivalent of roughly three wins is not much of a gap to close with 51 games remaining, and teams will start to get their second, third, and fourth cracks at AC Espene, no team has shown signs of being able to cope with the level of talent.

In the past fifteen games, Catherina FC has suffered draws to Steckholl United and losses to AC Espene and Cleopatrana SC - which doesn't seem quite like a recipe for success. But their consistency against all other opponents has been crucial: they ride a seven-game winning streak and have not dropped any other points in this span, and this run of form puts them in second place. Varlam Kovalev is coming into his own, and so is the Catherina FC defense - Edward Anderson has benefited from the influence of Josh Torres, and Tibor Holic has converted into an effective center back, following the Detmer mold of center defensive midfielders who can parlay their skills onto the back line. This development may well see Holic considered for national team selection at his new position.

Cleopatrana SC... this is what happens when you play to draw, when you don't have the offensive firepower to win when necessary. In the past fifteen games, the Pharaohs have only lost once - their undefeated streak to start the season ended at fifteen games - but they have won less often than not, and it has cost them dearly. Their anemic offense that has scored 18 goals in the past 15 games - and that's just too much pressure to put on Donat Soler and an aging defense. They sit in third, going from one point ahead of AC Espene to fourteen points adrift, and the alarm bells should be going off now.

Manchester looked dead to rights in the IFCF berth race to start out, but with an 11-1-3 run of form, including a nine-game winning streak, they have squeezed into fourth place and look to pounce on Cleopatrana SC, who are just four points ahead - not a wide margin given the current form of each team. Mavricij Rus and Nemo Payne have stepped up in a big way to provide support for keeper Vâčeslav Šklovskij, and Kobe de Vroome has had a bit of a renaissance with ten goals in the past twelve games. So now of the top five, Steckholl United is the odd team out for international berths. They have been solid enough to clearly establish the upper echelon of the UFL - they are twelve points clear of sixth place - but now it is the turn of Erik Hovhannisyan and Drystan Tudor to fight back.

Parakeet FC have leapt from 13th to sixth with a 7-5-3 run. With just seven goals allowed in that time, Gahiji Nader is announcing himself as yet another young goalkeeping hope...First City have fallen off the pace, dropping from sixth to 10th, as have Three Cities, down to 15th from ninth, and Metro Tirana, from 12th to 17th...Sindsyge FC are finding their footing, rising from 15th to 11th. Just six points separate sixth from twelfth, so there is plenty of room to navigate there. And some credit is due to the bottom three of Tigers, Cavalry, and Jasmine Island Peacocks, who each have won a handful of games, ensuring that the cellar-dwellers at least remain competitive instead of finding themselves truly embarrassed.

Offensive Player of the Month: Amaury Racette, AC Espene
Defensive Player of the Month: Josh Torres, Catherina FC
Goalkeeper of the Month: Gahiji Nader, Parakeet FC
Manager of the Month: Joseph Peters, Sindsyge FC
Goal of the Month: Amaury Racette (2-1), Round 20 @ Valhalla Vikings (W 2-1)

    Team                         P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 AC Espene                    25  23  1   1  76  22  +54  70
  2 Catherina FC                 25  19  3   3  50  13  +37  60
  3 Cleopatrana SC               25  16  8   1  34  12  +22  56
  4 Manchester                   25  16  4   5  39  18  +21  52
  5 Steckholl United             25  15  5   5  44  16  +28  50
  6 Parakeet FC                  25  10  8   7  17  15   +2  38
  7 Coldwater                    25   9  8   8  23  21   +2  35
  8 Ossiana FC                   25   9  7   9  30  28   +2  34
  9 Manchester Wolves            25   8 10   7  26  22   +4  34
 10 First City                   25   9  6  10  22  20   +2  33
 11 Sindsyge FC                  25   9  6  10  15  19   -4  33
 12 Valhalla Vikings             25   9  5  11  21  23   -2  32
 13 Sands of the Flowers         25   8  5  12  25  34   -9  29
 14 Athens                       25   8  3  14  24  41  -17  27
 15 Three Cities                 25   7  4  14  31  56  -25  25
 16 South Harbor                 25   6  5  14  15  32  -17  23
 17 Metro Tirana                 25   5  6  14  27  50  -23  21
 18 Tigers                       25   5  2  18  11  34  -23  17
 19 Cavalry                      25   3  5  17  18  45  -27  14
 20 Jasmine Island Peacocks      25   3  5  17  15  42  -27  14

UFL B SEASON ONE
Matchdays 11-25

Highlights

Filbertiens has pulled ahead in the title race, nine points clear of second place. Of late, Joel Hart has been the story of this team, now leading the team with 24 of his team's 44 goals.
Glotónes sit in second place, with their distinctive record of no draws. Their balanced scoring attack of James Nelson, 34-year-old Zdravko Bogdanović, and 15-year-old Harold Gonzales leads the league in offense generated. Perhaps fittingly, they are tied on points with third-placed Juegas, one of the league's stingiest defenses, whose consistency has paid off with their rise from ninth place.
All tied up at 44 points are fading Acertao, Rhodes, and the surging Eryseos, who have improved from eighth to third. They were already one of the league's hotter offenses, but have tightened up some of their wilder defense tendencies to put themselves in the promotion race.
Southwest Meredith are beginning to recover, rising from 14th to ninth, but Luton FC have bombed from fourth to 11th, and Geneticists National from seventh to 15th.
Some attention must be given to the wacky scorelines we keep pulling in this league - and we couldn't do it without the league's two worst defenses, Brunswick and Good Liz Walsh. In Round 19, Brunswick took an 8-1 loss to Wynnville Warriors. It's not the 10-0 drubbing that GLW suffered against Luton FC, but that's the only good thing to say about it... then Brunswick and GLW "battled" to a "thrilling" 7-7 draw just last round. There really were no winners - not the teams, and certainly not the fans either.

Offensive Player of the Month: James Nelson, Glotónes
Defensive Player of the Month: Dallas Harrison, Juegas
Goalkeeper of the Month: Julius Simpson, Juegas
Manager of the Month: Declan Mullins, Eryseos
Goal of the Month: Rabban Akhmadieva (1-1), Round 25 vs. Glotónes (W 2-1)

    Team                      P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Filbertiens               25  17  6   2  44  15  +29  57
  2 Glotónes                  25  16  0   9  50  31  +19  48
  3 Juegas                    25  14  6   5  29  11  +18  48
  4 Eryseos                   25  12  8   5  35  18  +17  44
  5 Rhodes                    25  13  5   7  36  22  +14  44
  6 Acertao                   25  12  8   5  26  11  +15  44
  7 Portarubea FC             25  12  7   6  33  21  +12  43
  8 Wynnville Warriors        25  12  6   7  40  19  +21  42
  9 Southwest Meredith        25  11  8   6  28  16  +12  41
 10 Kings Club                25  11  5   9  17  20   -3  38
 11 Luton FC                  25  11  5   9  42  27  +15  38
 12 Triniteras Pride          25   8  9   8  17  19   -2  33
 13 Borrson                   25   8  6  11  25  26   -1  30
 14 South Catherina           25   8  4  13  40  38   +2  28
 15 Geneticists National      25   7  4  14  25  45  -20  25
 16 Stockton                  25   6  6  13  27  38  -11  24
 17 Mersatha Beach            25   6  4  15  27  44  -17  22
 18 Good Liz Walsh            25   4  5  16  33  76  -43  17
 19 Oxford                    25   3  6  16  28  66  -38  15
 20 Brunswick                 25   3  4  18  37  76  -39  13

by **Delaclava** » Sun Feb 14, 2021 5:39 pm

Hybrid Combat Championship

Original Press Release:

Delaclava wrote:DSGN.com

New national fight promotion is founded, announces plans for first champions

A new mixed martial arts promotion, named Action Combat League (ACL), announced its inception today, with the intent of fulfilling demand for an all-encompassing national MMA organization.

The ACL, led by president Brian Burchess and run by commissioner Charlie Downey, will place an emphasis on champions and top contenders of various regional promotions, while becoming the first promotion to explicitly market itself as a true elite fight promotion. "This is an incredibly exciting time for our sport," Burchess said in a televised press conference. "There has long been a history and culture of our sport through many pockets of the country, and we are privileged to partner with DSGN to televise events and bring mixed martial arts to a wider audience."

Mixed martial arts, as well as various combat sports, have long been fringe sports, well outside the mainstream, but a solid foundation remained in sports like boxing, wrestling, and judo thanks to strong performances by various Delaclav athletes at the Olympic Games. In isolation-era Delaclava, the sport became increasingly more popular due to its simplicity of rules and logistics, a greater emphasis on the individual, and a culture that was overall better-suited to communal development and regionalism. Various sporting regulations were also relaxed during that era, allowing combat events to be legitimately organised and commissioned.

The organisation will crown champions in six weight classes in its first year: men's champions at middleweight (185 pounds), welterweight (170), lightweight (155), and featherweight (140), and women's champions at bantamweight (130) and flyweight (115). Each weight class will feature between 32 and 64 fighters in a single-elimination bracket, where fighters will need fight roughly every two months at various events. The season finale will feature the six championship bouts, as well as a handful of other bouts between outstanding fighters of the season. At the end of the season, contender rankings will be created for the purposes of matchmaking for future events.

Further announcements about competition format, promotion and sport rules, and featured athletes will be made in the coming days.

Welcome to the Hybrid Combat Championship! Originally announced at the Action Combat League, Hybrid CC will aim to unify the largely regionalised sport of mixed martial arts in Delaclava, and bring it to a wider audience, both domestic and international. The operation will be led by president Brian Burchess, who will oversee the financial and promotional aspects of the organization, and commissioner Charlie Downey, who will oversee the competitive aspect and be responsible for matchmaking, the creation and enforcement of rules, and ensuring the fairness and safety of all fighters.

The general rules of the promotion are as follows:
- Fights will currently be contested in the men's divisions of middleweight (up to 185 pounds), welterweight (170), lightweight (155), and featherweight (140), and women's divisions of bantamweight (130) and flyweight (115). Hybrid CC plans to add further weight classes in both genders and at both heavier and lighter weights.
- Fighters will be thoroughly medically examined and hydration tested in the days leading up to the weigh-ins, which will take place the day before fights, and on fight night itself. If a fighter demonstrates significant variations in hydration levels, they will be asked to change weight class for their next contest. If a fighter demonstrates extreme or dangerous variations in hydration levels, or shows any other medical abnormalities, the fight will be cancelled and the fighter will only be allowed to compete once they are medically cleared, and at what is deemed to be the appropriate weight class.
- Fighters will be drug tested both in and out of competition. A fighter may at no time use a performance-enhancing substance which poses a significant risk to the user or their opponents, such as steroids or blood manipulation. A fighter may not use a substance which may compromise their health or in-fight safety, such as recreational drugs, in close proximity to the fight, but may use these substances while "out of competition".
- Actions which are prohibited in fights include: biting, eye-gouging or poking, head-butting, inserting fingers into the opponent's ear, nose, or mouth, hair pulling, slams/spikes with the intent of landing the opponent on their head/neck, small joint manipulation, grabbing the opponent's gloves or shorts, holding the cage, and unsportsmanlike conduct including but not limited to timidity, passivity, ignoring referee instructions, and attacking the opponent before or after the round/fight, or during any break in the action as called by the referee. Such fouls are punishable by point deductions, disqualification, and even suspension.

Fights will be contested across five five-minute rounds, unless stopped sooner by the referee in case of knockout, technical knockout, submission, technical submission, disqualification, withdrawal, or technical superiority. If all five rounds are completed, the winner will be determined by the scorecards of three judges. Each judge will award points to the winner of each round based on the following guidelines (only one fighter will receive points in each round from each judge):

No points = A low-action, passive round, with no obvious winner
1 = A low-action but decisive round, or a close, high-action round. May be decided if one fighter attempted to initiate action more frequently
2 = A high-quality round for both fighters, but with one fighter clearly superior in striking, wrestling, and grappling
3 = Dominant round victory, demonstrating clear superiority in damage by strikes, grappling
4 = Dominant round victory, particularly with fight-altering strikes or threatening submission attempts
5 = Near-finish (or the judge believes the fight should have been stopped) with no response or opposite action

The Hybrid Combat Championship will begin with Grands Prix in the weight classes of men's welterweight and men's featherweight. The quarterfinals will be as follows:

Hybrid Welterweight Grand Prix
Lars Lassen vs. Bruno Ferreira
Matthias Toussaint vs. Hector Arroyo
Manuel Degas vs. Ghougas Kassarjian
Sirvan Asadi vs. Diego Gusman

Hybrid Featherweight Grand Prix
Steven Dominguez vs. Mike Bell
Hunter Dye vs. Sebastien Mossé
Wil Wells vs. Thomas Maynard
Leonardo Medici vs. Spyridon Gerelis

The first Hybrid event will take place at the Colosseum in Athens, and will feature all Grands Prix quarterfinals, with the possibility of adding other fights as more fighters are signed to the rosters in the coming days and weeks.

by **Delaclava** » Sun Feb 14, 2021 6:28 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 4
Matchdays 26-40

Headlines and Highlights

AC Espene have hit a bit of a cold snap. The boots were hot in an 11-0 victory over Metro Tirana, but they have lost five of their past seven, ceding control of the table to Cleopatrana SC, whose ability to simply pick up points has served them well. In the past month, the Pharaohs are 12-2-1 with 28 goals scored and four allowed.
Catherina FC has held relatively steady, drawing within five points of AC Espene, but they are still ten points adrift of the league lead due to Cleopatrana's hot streak. AC Espene still managed to light them up for four goals a few rounds ago, and the time to jump out of third place is running short.
Manchester and Steckholl United continue to run clear of the rest of the pack and have drawn a little bit closer to the top of the table. Most likely, they are gearing up for a thrilling battle for the final Challengers' Cup spot.
Ossiana FC has come from eighth to sixth and are within striking distance of IFCF competition if they can find a run in them, or a collapse from one or two of the Big Five. Valhalla Vikings have also turned around their fortunes, rising from 12th to 7th, and Simon Demirjian has found his stride this season in bringing Sands of the Flowers to the bottom of the top half.

Offensive Player of the Month: Kent Lindblad, AC Espene
Defensive Player of the Month: Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
Goalkeeper of the Month: Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
Manager of the Month: Baghdasar Parsamyan, Cleopatrana SC
Goal of the Month: Damian Soto (1-0), Game 35 @ AC Espene (W 2-0)

    Team                          P   W   D   L  For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Cleopatrana SC               40  28  10   2   62  16  +46  94
  2 AC Espene                    40  29   2   9  111  45  +66  89
  3 Catherina FC                 40  26   6   8   71  29  +42  84
  4 Manchester                   40  23   9   8   60  31  +29  78
  5 Steckholl United             40  23   9   8   75  37  +38  78
  6 Ossiana FC                   40  18  12  10   60  37  +23  66
  7 Valhalla Vikings             40  18  11  11   44  31  +13  65
  8 Coldwater                    40  17  12  11   41  30  +11  63
  9 Parakeet FC                  40  15  11  14   28  28   +0  56
 10 Sands of the Flowers         40  16   7  17   46  53   -7  55
 11 Sindsyge FC                  40  15   9  16   28  31   -3  54
 12 Manchester Wolves            40  12  18  10   39  33   +6  54
 13 First City                   40  11  10  19   30  44  -14  43
 14 Athens                       40  12   5  23   37  70  -33  41
 15 Three Cities                 40  12   5  23   52  83  -31  41
 16 South Harbor                 40   9   9  22   25  53  -28  36
 17 Tigers                       40   9   7  24   23  53  -30  34
 18 Metro Tirana                 40   7  10  23   39  88  -49  31
 19 Cavalry                      40   6   7  27   32  72  -40  25
 20 Jasmine Island Peacocks      40   4  11  25   26  65  -39  23

UFL B SEASON ONE
Matchdays 26-40

Highlights

Filbertiens remains at the top of the table, but Glotónes has closed the lead to just three points.
Eryseos, Rhodes, and Juegas have shifted slightly in spots 3-5, but Southwest Meredith is steadily making up ground. After a shocking start to the season, the stand in sixth.

Offensive Player of the Month: Boban Milovanović, Rhodes
Defensive Player of the Month: Nurzhan Novikov, Southwest Meredith
Goalkeeper of the Month: Genadi Bolkvadze, Southwest Meredith
Manager of the Month: Dhiego Vera, Glotónes
Goal of the Month: Vlastislav Přibyl (5-0), Game 30 @ Good Liz Walsh (W 7-0)

    Team                       P   W   D   L For   Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Filbertiens               40  24  12   4  67   24  +43  84
  2 Glotónes                  40  26   3  11  79   50  +29  81
  3 Eryseos                   40  21  13   6  57   29  +28  76
  4 Rhodes                    40  23   6  11  68   35  +33  75
  5 Juegas                    40  21  11   8  42   21  +21  74
  6 Southwest Meredith        40  21  10   9  46   22  +24  73
  7 Wynnville Warriors        40  19  12   9  55   28  +27  69
  8 Acertao                   40  19  11  10  44   24  +20  68
  9 Portarubea FC             40  16  11  13  49   36  +13  59
 10 Kings Club                40  16   9  15  32   35   -3  57
 11 Luton FC                  40  17   6  17  55   46   +9  57
 12 South Catherina           40  15   9  16  66   54  +12  54
 13 Mersatha Beach            40  13   7  20  53   59   -6  46
 14 Stockton                  40  12   7  21  48   61  -13  43
 15 Triniteras Pride          40  10  12  18  22   38  -16  42
 16 Borrson                   40  11   9  20  37   44   -7  42
 17 Geneticists National      40  11   7  22  47   70  -23  40
 18 Good Liz Walsh            40   8   5  27  55  121  -66  29
 19 Oxford                    40   5   8  27  48  112  -64  23
 20 Brunswick                 40   5   6  29  51  112  -61  21

by **Delaclava** » Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:56 pm

UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 4
Matchdays 41-76

    Team                          P   W   D   L  For   Ag   +/-  Pts
  1 AC Espene                    76  56   9  11  208   67  +141  177 Champions' League
  2 Cleopatrana SC               76  51  17   8  116   31   +85  170 Challengers' Cup
  3 Manchester                   76  46  18  12  122   62   +60  156 Challengers' Cup
  4 Catherina FC                 76  48  11  17  134   62   +72  155 Challengers' Cup
  5 Steckholl United             76  38  21  17  130   76   +54  135
  6 Valhalla Vikings             76  34  21  21   81   52   +29  123
  7 Ossiana FC                   76  33  22  21  111   72   +39  121
  8 Coldwater                    76  31  25  20   75   58   +17  118
  9 Manchester Wolves            76  26  27  23   69   67    +2  105
 10 Parakeet FC                  76  26  24  26   54   52    +2  102
 11 Sands of the Flowers         76  25  17  34   81  108   -27   92
 12 Sindsyge FC                  76  21  23  32   43   62   -19   86
 13 Three Cities                 76  21  16  39   88  138   -50   79
 14 Athens                       76  19  18  39   74  134   -60   75
 15 Tigers                       76  19  14  43   42   85   -43   71
 16 South Harbor                 76  16  23  37   60  108   -48   71
 17 First City                   76  17  19  40   52   99   -47   70 Relegation Playoff
 18 Metro Tirana                 76  15  21  40   75  150   -75   66 Relegation Playoff
 19 Cavalry                      76  15  15  46   60  124   -64   60 Relegation Playoff
 20 Jasmine Island Peacocks      76  12  21  43   60  128   -68   57 Relegation Playoff

Golden Ball (MVP) — Kent Lindblad, AC Espene
Golden Boot (Most Goals) — Kent Lindblad, AC Espene - 52
Golden Flick (Most Assists) — Emil Mišalko, AC Espene - 59
Golden Glove (Fewest Goals) — Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
Offensive POY* — Emil Mišalko, AC Espene
Defensive POY* — Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
Best GK* — Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
U20 POY*— Emil Mišalko (17), AC Espene
U23 POY* — Jamarion Colon (18), Parakeet FC
Masters POY — Euphranor Papadimitrou (38), Ossiana FC
Most Improved — Mikota Sundečić, Manchester
Manager of the Year — Martin Walker, Manchester
Fair Play (Individual) — Austin Lang, Three Cities
Fair Play (Team) — Metro Tirana

Best XI
GK - Donat Soler, Cleopatrana SC
DF - Durgali Baxayev, Coldwater
DF - Aras Samra, Cleopatrana SC
DF - Urho Ruoho, Valhalla Vikings
MF - Kent Lindblad, AC Espene
MF - Emil Mišalko, AC Espene
MF - Ryan Keating, Cleopatrana SC
MF - Varlam Kovalev, Catherina FC
FW - Damian Soto, Cleopatrana SC
FW - Kobe de Vroome, Manchester
FW - Amaury Racette, AC Espene

Next XI
GK - Joord van der Beek, Valhalla Vikings
DF - Olivier de Ven, Ossiana FC
DF - Pau Pan, Parakeet FC
DF - Josh Torres, Catherina FC
MF - Jamarion Colon, Parakeet FC
MF - Drystan Tudor, Steckholl United
MF - Steffan Mikines, AC Espene
MF - Kagir Dimayev, Cleopatrana SC
FW - Sergej Steklov, Catherina FC
FW - Erik Hovhannisyan, Steckholl United
FW - Euphranor Papadimitrou, Ossiana FC

UFL B SEASON ONE
Matchdays 41-76

    Team                       P   W   D   L  For   Ag   +/-  Pts
  1 Southwest Meredith        76  46  19  11   94   32   +62  157 Champions, LBCT, Promotion Playoff
  2 Filbertiens               76  44  22  10  123   43   +80  154 LBCT, Promotion Playoff
  3 Juegas                    76  38  24  14   88   44   +44  138 LBCT, Promotion Playoff
  4 Wynnville Warriors        76  38  22  16  115   54   +61  136 Promotion Playoff
  5 Glotónes                  76  42   8  26  139  109   +30  134
  6 Eryseos                   76  37  23  16  101   56   +45  134
  7 Rhodes                    76  37  22  17  119   69   +50  133
  8 Acertao                   76  37  19  20   99   52   +47  130
  9 Kings Club                76  31  24  21   67   59    +8  117
 10 Luton FC                  76  30  20  26  107   82   +25  110
 11 Portarubea FC             76  28  19  29   91   76   +15  103
 12 Stockton                  76  26  13  37   91  108   -17   91
 13 South Catherina           76  23  21  32   97  110   -13   90
 14 Mersatha Beach            76  23  17  36  102  116   -14   86
 15 Borrson                   76  20  21  35   69   84   -15   81
 16 Triniteras Pride          76  17  25  34   45   77   -32   76
 17 Geneticists National      76  18  14  44   89  136   -47   68
 18 Brunswick                 76  16  10  50   98  192   -94   58
 19 Good Liz Walsh            76  14   9  53   94  217  -123   51
 20 Oxford                    76  11  16  49   95  207  -112   49

Golden Ball (MVP) — Genadi Bolkvadze, GK, Southwest Meredith
Golden Boot (Most Goals) — James Nelson, Glotónes, 44
Golden Flick (Most Assists) — Axel Weber, Filbertiens, 42
Golden Glove (Fewest Goals) — Genadi Bolkvadze, Southwest Meredith
Offensive POY* — Axel Weber, Filbertiens
Defensive POY* — Nurzhan Novikov, Southwest Meredith
Best GK* — Plamen Branković, Filbertiens
Manager of the Year — Jared Thompson, Wynnville Warriors

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