CricSim Tennis Tournament: Monte Carlo

Cricsim North represent

 

lrn2rally

 

Yeah the boys #restoringnswpride.

 

Doubles semi-final day

Two English teams were looking for a finals berth in the men's doubles draw, with the only question being whether a pair of southern hemisphere duos could stop them.

In the first of the day's semis on Court Central, it was the New Zealanders Jonty Rhodes and Gareth Weaver who looked to stop the run over English pairing Chad Dyer and Jordan Logan. The Dyer/Logan pairing had been involved in a tense five-set affair two days ago, and struggled early against the Kiwis who combined well to snatch a break off the Dyer serve. The 2-0 lead was maintained until 4-2, when Dyer was again broken - this time by a good lob from Rhodes, with the pair caught in no man's land - to allow Weaver to serve out the set 6-2. The second set continued in much the same way, only this time it was Logan who was the first to crack as his flat second serve just sat up and was easily put away deep into the forehand side by Weaver. The Kiwis continued to look professional on service, while creating opportunities in their return game as they charged to a two-set lead. Dyer/Logan had a break point chance early in the third, but some quick work again by Weaver at the net allowed them to avoid their first service break of the match. It was business as usual, though, as Dyer was broken for the fourth time in the match and Logan for the second - Rhodes/Weaver advancing to the final with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win.

Looking to do one better than their compatriots, Bruce Force and Paulson Reframe got off to a good start as they broke the service of Alex O'Driscoll early. He and his partner Morgan Burridge took until the fifth game of the match to break back, before consolidating to be level at 3-3. Young Reframe was looking lively, but made a bad error with whaat should have been an easily winner from the net being placed straight in the path of O'Driscoll who set up a 5-4 lead. The New South Wales pairing took the first set as Burridge served out the tenth game, and they quickly set about taking the initiative in the second set by attacking Reframe's rather lacklustre serving game in particular. In his defence, Force wasn't helping either, as he looked uncharacteristically disinterested in the whole affair as Burridge/O'Driscoll charged to a two-set and a 3-0 lead in the third. Force/Reframe showed barely a whimper after their solid start to the match, and were reduced to mere spectators as Burridge/O'Driscoll ensured that the second of the English pairings would be bundled out 6-4, 6-1, 6-0.

That means that Burridge/O'Driscoll will face Rhodes/Weaver in the final.

 

Singles semi-final day

After some relatively uncompetitive doubles semi-finals, the crowd today returned in the hope that the men's singles would produce some more entertaining matches.

Early in the first match it didn't look like the crowd was going to get it, as Ivan Ryabovol was mauled 1-6 by James McDougal, in a set that lasted just 33 minutes. Ryabovol, coming off a five-set quarterfinal showdown looked to have worked some of the stiffness out of his legs in the second set, as he brought up two break points on the McDougal serve. The Scot saved both of them, though, and, to add insult to the wound, broke in the very next game to shoot ahead to a 4-2 lead. Serving to stay in the set at 3-5, Ryabovol double faulted to hand McDougal three set points - the Scot needing just two of them as he went ahead to a two set lead. Ryabovol needed a solid start to the third, but he didn't get it as the Celtic Provinces' McDougal gave him nothing on serve as he cruised into the Monte Carlo final 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

More was expected from the day's other semi-final, as Ezequiel Ames met Norway's Samuel Vimes, with both players in red hot form during the preliminary rounds. Ames, who had dropped just one set all week, got the better start against his opponent, as he broke service in the sixth game and went on to take the first set 6-3. The failure to win the opener, however, did not make Vimes panic, and he continued to play his patient game as he waited for Ames to pull the trigger too early. While Ames held his first two games to love, he was broken in the sixth game of the set himself, as he went with the big slapping forehand too early to hand Vimes advantage. The Norwegian needed only that chance - his only break point of the set - to level the match at a set each, as he continued to frustrate Ames with his deep top spin and incredible reach to force the Englishman to play that extra shot each time. Ames looked to play slightly more patiently as the match went on, but this was at the same time as Vimes began to hit his stride - his backhand winner to save break point in the third set was a particular highlight, particularly considering Ames tried his own in the very next game to hand Vimes the first break. Serving to stay in the set, Ames faltered by dumping a forehand into the net to put Vimes ahead two-sets-to-one. By this point, the Norwegian star was in his zone, and Ames, for the first time this week, had no answers, as he failed to break Vimes down. The Norwegian wrapped up the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a finals showdown with fellow provincial representative James McDougal.

 

Brutal smackdowns from the North.

Winner gets the Orkneys.