CricSim Tennis: Newport [G] and Bogota [IH]

Newport



Bogota

 

Oh ugh, Howe again. Another first round exit coming up.

 

Newport - Singles

Four first round matches were completed on an entertaining day in Rhode Island, with top seed James McDougal in action.

• In the day's first match, Ritwik Chowdhuri was victorious, as he came back from a very sluggish start to account for Jordan Logan in straight sets. The Englishman, Logan, shot to a 4-2 lead early, but watched on in horror as Chowdhuri whittled away his lead and took the first set 6-4. 21-year old Logan continued to plug away at the Chowdhuri serve, but was looking vulnerable with ball in hand as he gave the Asian representative too many opportunities. Chowdhuri, who also won his first round match in Den Bosch, had little trouble in a one-way second set, as he advanced 6-4, 6-2.

• His opponent will be third seed Alistair Son, who continued his great form from Rosmalen with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Andrew James. James, who qualified for the main draw in straight sets, would have hoped that his match practice in Newport would help him, but he was blown away in the first set by a red-hot Son, who looked keen to go a step further than last week. The volume of tennis he'd played didn't seem to affect him, though he did fade a little in the second set. Nevertheless, he recovered to post a 6-0, 7-5 win, to set up a showdown with for the second straight week in the second round - the last time he won a nailbiter, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4.

• Top seed James McDougal was the main attraction on centre court, where he made light work of Siege Morgan. McDougal made a cracking start to the tournament in Holland last week before falling to Jonty Rhodes in the semis, and started his week in the US in a similar fashion as he took the first set 6-3. Morgan, who was vaguely competitive in the first set, fell off the face of the earth in the second, as McDougal charged into the final eight with a 6-3, 6-1 win.

• His next test is Ginger Furball, who also qualified in straight sets. McDougal and Furball have shared a tense relationship on the doubles court, but will pair together again here in Newport - possibly on the same day they meet in singles action. Furball looked to be sending poor Aby Dforum to another humiliating defeat, as he bossed the opening set to love, but Dforum recovered to put up a fight in the second set. Despite two break points in the ninth game, Dforum never earned a break, and was beaten 6-0, 7-5.

 

Also, Ritchie isn't playing twice - the JA Ritchie vs. J Torres is meant to be JA Chewie.

 

You play Ames, the third seed.

 

Glad you appreciate the system.

 

Gutted not to make the draw.

 

Bogotá - Singles

Over in Colombia, second seed Alex O'Driscoll was back in action in his hard court debut, while fourth seed Ivan Ryabovol met Paulson Reframe in the pick of the action on the first day.

• In the day's opening encounter, England's Chad Dyer made light work of Bostrich Burger, as he surged into the quarter finals for the second consecutive week. Burger played well in qualifying, but it clearly didn't help him indoors here, as Dyer played quality tennis in his straight sets win. Dyer's groundies were working well, and he was able to finish points off well with his service game causing him difficulties. In the end, Dyer's consistency overwhelmed Burger, as he eased into the quarters 6-1, 6-3.

• He will face fourth seed Ivan Ryabovol next, following the Queenslander's redemption against talented Englishman Paulson Reframe. Reframe, who along with Dyer won the doubles title in Hamburg, struggled on his transition to clay, after his 3-1 lead slipped through his grasp against the rapidly improving Ryabovol. After coming back to take the first set, Ryabovol made light work of Reframe in the second set, to secure a 7-5, 6-1 win. Ryabovol and Dyer have met once before - on the clay in Monte Carlo. There, the Queenslander won 7-5, 6-1.

• Second seed Alex O'Driscoll wouldn't have known what to expect when he faced down Hilary Bots in the first round here in Bogotá, with the eccentric New Zealander prone to periods (hehe) of poor form and electric shot-making in equal measure. There was no equal measure in Colombia, though, as Bots struggled to get his game together against the grizzled New South Welshman, who was looking to bounce back from a finals defeat last week in Hamburg. O'Driscoll will know that to win the title in Colombia, he might need to face top seed Samuel Vimes again, and clearly looked to conserve his energy ahead of another testing week. Bots, however, gave the match to O'Driscoll on a platter with a string of unforced errors at key moments, to allow the second seed to advance 6-2, 6-3.

• His opponent in the quarter finals will be J.H. Ridd, who overcame a fighting display against Victorian veteran Matt James. The conditions were always going to play into the hands of Ridd, with the calm indoor conditions allowing him to play his natural game, without worry about wind affecting his strokeplay. The 32-year old Englishman had more weapons than James in the first set, with his first serve and forehand working wonders to cause James a whole lot of headaches. Ridd looked to have a commanding lead in the second set, but quickly James managed to reign in a double break deficit with some great defensive tennis off the baseline. In the ensuing tiebreak, though, he could not keep up his intensity, as Ridd's high ball toss and effortless power won the day, as he set up a showdown with O'Driscoll 6-2, 7-6(2). This will be their first meeting.