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Collapse AllDundee Singles - Round 18 | Thursday 16 July 2020 to Wednesday 9 September 2020 (Midpoint: Wednesday 12 August 2020)

It was great to have an extra group in this round of Dundee Tennis League and to welcome 4 new players to the league, and the league lived up to its usual high standards of competitive tennis with lots of close 3 setters and plenty of entertaining match commentaries. All but one match was played across both groups which is a fantastic effort and shows how enthusiastic you all were to get back on court post-lockdown! With tennis like this we're looking forward to the next round already!

Group Summary:

This was an extremely close group with 3 players each winning 5 matches and Anthony and Darren both earning 13 points so their head to head proved crucial in deciding the final standings. It was Anthony who coped best with the windy conditions on the day to seize top spot on his Leagues debut, while third placed Nathan inflicted Anthony's only defeat. Nathan also won a topsy turvy 3 setter against Gavin after a "a tight first set with 8 breaks of serves I think". This was as nothing compared to Gavin's incredibly close 3 set win over Darren, "another fab battle"... well played!

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Anthony Mordente 6 5 1 2 13 WWWL
2 Darren Pake 6 5 1 2 13 WLWW
3 Nathan Connelly 6 5 1 2 12 LWWW
4 Gavin Nicol 6 3 3 2 9 WWWL
5 Paul Mudie 6 2 4 2 7 LWLW
6 Jordan Russell 6 1 5 2 5 WLLL
7 Mitchell Rologas 6 0 6 2 3 LLLL

Match Results:

Jordan Russell bt Mitchell Rologas (Sep 3) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
Reveal CommentDarren Pake bt Nathan Connelly (Aug 31) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Hard lines today Nathan. One of the best matches we have had and that I've been involved in. We both played well and there was some great tennis. Both had our moments of firing a winner or winning a point from a tough position such as great defence. Nathan was on top first set at 3-0 and I had to dig in and work for every point. Got back in it and edged a tiebreak that could have went either way. Great match mate. Enjoyed the round, well done to all involved. "  -- Darren
  • "Well done mate you played a great match and were extremely solid throughout, with some nice volleys and lobs too! Look forward to the next one!" -- Nathan

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentGavin Nicol bt Paul Mudie (Aug 28) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4)

Player Comments:

  • "Excellent display up and down the baseline, Gav. Great serving, too. Well played!"  -- Paul
  • "Looking forward to the new campaign and the fantastic tennis on offer." -- Paul
  • "Another fab battle with Paul. I trailed this entire match and got lucky to pull through. This could easily have been a straight set win for Paul." -- Gavin
Reveal CommentAnthony Mordente bt Darren Pake (Aug 20) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Great game today Darren. It was very windy which made it tricky for both players at various points. Some very good defensive tennis by Darren at times, very good in long rallies! Enjoyable match that could’ve went either way, good tennis from both! Thanks again mate and good luck with your last match! "  -- Anthony
Gavin Nicol bt Mitchell Rologas (Aug 18) 6-2, 6-3
Gavin Nicol bt Jordan Russell (Aug 17) 0-6, 6-2, 7-5
Reveal CommentNathan Connelly bt Mitchell Rologas (Aug 15) 6-1, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Nice to meet you mitchell! Good luck in your remaining matches! "  -- Nathan
Reveal CommentDarren Pake bt Jordan Russell (Aug 13) 6-3, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "I took a while to settle and my game never really got going today. Jordan's spin on the ball took me by surprise at times and a few times I was just floating the ball back without realising he had charged the net for the put away. I could have played a lot better at times but got the win in the end, thanks for the match Jordan."  -- Darren
Reveal CommentAnthony Mordente bt Gavin Nicol (Aug 12) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Great match. Thanks and welcome to the league!"  -- Gavin
Nathan Connelly bt Jordan Russell (Aug 9) 6-0, 6-0
Reveal CommentPaul Mudie bt Jordan Russell (Aug 8) 6-3, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Welcome to the league Jordan. Some really nice serving second set. You just need to cut back on the unforced errors. A bit of fine tuning and you'll be good to go. Celebrate that wonder shot you played, tonight!"  -- Paul
Reveal CommentAnthony Mordente bt Mitchell Rologas (Aug 8) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Good game with Mitchell today. I didn’t miss much and some unforced errors from mitchell! He attacked confidently but it didn’t pay off today. Glad to get this match played, weather was great for a game! Thanks again Mitchell, nice to meet you! "  -- Anthony
Reveal CommentDarren Pake bt Mitchell Rologas (Aug 6) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Nice solid match from me today where I hit the ball cleanly and made very few mistakes. A mixture of me playing well today and playing regularly and Mitchell getting back into the swing of things made the scoreline look a bit lopsided. But thanks for the match Mitchell and good luck. "  -- Darren
Reveal CommentNathan Connelly bt Anthony Mordente (Aug 3) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Was a good match with Anthony, who hit some really nice shots throughout! Well played mate and good luck with the rest of your matches! "  -- Nathan
Darren Pake bt Paul Mudie (Jul 28) 6-1, 6-0
Reveal CommentAnthony Mordente bt Jordan Russell (Jul 26) 6-2, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Good game with Jordan. We are both newcomers to the league but it was a good match with a good few rallies. Both of us not the most consistent but enjoyable none the less! "  -- Anthony
Reveal CommentPaul Mudie bt Mitchell Rologas (Jul 24) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Welcome to the league Mitchell. Considering you haven't played for a while, you played some good shots! ATB for the rest of your games."  -- Paul
Reveal CommentDarren Pake bt Gavin Nicol (Jul 21) 6-2, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Tough match today in extreme heat which I struggled with a bit to be honest. I managed to play well though and my net play was effective putting shots away or forcing Gav into an error. Lots of deuce games and a few powerful serves from Gav made it tough but was solid enough to get the win. Good luck rest of the round Gavin "  -- Darren
Nathan Connelly bt Paul Mudie (Jul 21) 6-3, 6-3
Reveal CommentNathan Connelly bt Gavin Nicol (Jul 20) 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "We had a tight first set with 8 breaks of serves I think. I eventually came back from down in the tie break to take it. Nathan then baguled me in the 2nd set in what felt like 15 minutes. I managed an early break in the third set and led 3-2 before Nathan took the last 4 games and the match. Well done again! I always enjoy our matches. Good luck in the rest of the tournament!"  -- Gavin
Reveal CommentAnthony Mordente bt Paul Mudie (Jul 18) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Welcome to the league Anton. You played some really good stuff. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Well played. Won't sleep well tonight thinking about my drop shot in the last set at 5-4 (40-30 you)!"  -- Paul

Group Summary:

Congratulations to Aidan who made a winning return to league action with an undefeated run of 5 wins to finish a single point clear at the top of the table. Kenneth secured runner up spot although he received a "tennis masterclass" from Aidan in their head to head and narrowly lost out in a thrilling 3 setter against Daniel, the "most thrilling match I've been involved in". Sadly Daniel was the only player to miss out on midway bonus points else he would have edged runner up spot... and credit to Kris for 2 hard fought 3 set wins.

Final Rankings:

Pos. Name Played P Won W Lost L Bonus BNS Total PTS Form
1 Aidan Brogan 5 5 0 2 12 WWWW
2 Kenneth Lindsay 6 4 2 2 11 LWLW
3 Daniel Macpherson 6 5 1 0 10 WWLW
4 Joshua Swinyard 6 3 3 2 9 LLLW
5 Kris Mordente 6 2 4 2 7 LLLW
6 William Sturrock 5 1 4 2 5 LLLL
7 James Morrison 6 0 6 2 4 LLLL

Match Results:

Reveal CommentDaniel Macpherson bt James Morrison (Sep 9) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Enjoyable match with some long rallies. Cheers James!"  -- Daniel
Reveal CommentDaniel Macpherson bt Kenneth Lindsay (Sep 7) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Matches between Kenny and me are always close-fought affairs but this one really took things to another level. I had the slight upper-hand in the first set but Kenny did well to bounce back and take the second. He continued to ride the momentum into the third and worked his way to two match points with the score at 5-4. I was on the brink but managed to hold my nerve and stay in contention. The momentum then shifted back to me and I soon had a match point of my own at 6-5. Kenny saved it. Another match point. Kenny saves again. Match point. Save. Finally, after seeing seven match points slip away, I managed to break Kenny's resolve and clinch the win. This was easily the most exciting and dramatic match I've ever played. Well played Kenny
  • "Aye, you've summed it up well there Danny. Phew! Most thrilling match I've been involved in. You deserved the victory. Coming to the net in the final game showed a lot of bottle after 2 and a half hours of relentless baseline combat and you made some breath-taking volleys at full stretch in that final game. And picking up my (normally unreturnable) drop shot at 4-5, 0-30 down to win the point. Not sure if we'll ever top this one but we say that after every match we play. Hope we can do it again sometime if you have a spare 3 hours! All the best and good luck with the Glasgow league." -- Kenneth
Reveal CommentAidan Brogan bt Daniel Macpherson (Aug 23) 6-2, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Good match with Danny today. We had some long rallies especially in the second set that had some really good shots. Danny was able to grab a few points with strong net play when playing more aggressively. I was making most of my shots consistently and was happy with how I played overall. Thanks for the match and good luck with your last few matches."  -- Aidan
Reveal CommentKenneth Lindsay bt James Morrison (Aug 22) 6-3, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Was difficult first set. We were both struggling with the wind that seemed to swirl in every direction. Second set we got more in the groove. Some great lob shots from James and some good play all round. Think we did alright with the wild winds. Great day, fabulous tennis."  -- Kenneth
Daniel Macpherson bt William Sturrock (Aug 22) 6-0, 6-2
Reveal CommentDaniel Macpherson bt Kris Mordente (Aug 17) 6-2, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Cheers for the match Kris, you hit some really nice winners."  -- Daniel
Reveal CommentDaniel Macpherson bt Joshua Swinyard (Aug 17) 6-4, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "An enjoyable and high-quality match down at Baxter this morning. The first set was a real back-and-forth slog which hinged on a few key moments. With the score tied at 4-4 I managed to hold serve in a tense game and ride out the momentum to secure the set. I galloped into a 4-0 lead in the second before a mini comeback from Joshua which I just about managed to quell and see put the match. Joshua made life difficult for me with his aggressive return of serve and if he’d managed to win a couple of those close deuce games in the first set then the outcome might well have been very different."  -- Daniel
Reveal CommentAidan Brogan bt James Morrison (Aug 15) 6-0, 6-0

Player Comments:

  • "Good match against James today. Some long rallies and two deuce games in the second set that could have went either way just unlucky with some unforced errors. Nice to see you again after so long and good luck with the rest of the round."  -- Aidan
Reveal CommentAidan Brogan bt Joshua Swinyard (Aug 10) 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Good match with Joshua today was able to stay consistent the whole match and hit some good passing shots. Joshua hit some great down the line winners off my second serve just needs to work on making it at a higher percentage. Joshua main problem was when he came to the net and missed opportunities to put the point away which I know he’s looking to work on and will definitely help take his game to the next level. Thanks for the match good luck with the rest of the round."  -- Aidan
Reveal CommentAidan Brogan bt Kenneth Lindsay (Aug 10) 6-0, 6-1

Player Comments:

  • "Good match today in strong heat. I was able to keep control of the match most of the time making few mistakes and hitting some good lobs and winners when I needed to. Despite the score there were still some long rallies that could have went either way making it an enjoyable match. Good luck with your last few matches Kenny."  -- Aidan
  • ''Was very impressive level of tennis from Aidan. Is this really group 2? Felt a bit off it today. Although, I played well in patches but even so, it seemed to make little difference. Was glad to sneak the 11th game avoid complete annihilation. Well played Aidan, was a tennis masterclass today.'' -- Kenneth
Reveal CommentKenneth Lindsay bt Joshua Swinyard (Aug 9) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Nice warm sunny day at Baxter Park. Great now with the booking system but shame the council haven't the nous to number the courts but we can fix that. Realised very quickly this would be a difficult match as Joshua' s serve much improved so wasn't getting easy points off my returns. Was pretty even all the way and found myself scrambling and was doing well to stay in the points in the 3rd set. Had a lot of good fortune with net cords on big points so I felt a bit fortunate to win through and avoid this potential banana skin. Much improved Joshua and good luck with the rest of the round. Everyone seems close at the top so would say you can still get back in the race Joshua. All the best. Was quite a match that one!"  -- Kenneth
Aidan Brogan bt Kris Mordente (Aug 8) 6-0, 6-0
Reveal CommentJoshua Swinyard bt William Sturrock (Aug 8) 6-2, 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Tough match against William today. I lost the first game but did well to get to 3-1 and then a 5-2 lead which gave me a cushion that helped take the pressure off. I had game point in the first game of the second set but William hit a difficult ball right in the corner and later won the game. In the second game there was some confusion whether the score had been 30-30 or 15-40 but William was kind enough to go with my tally. William got the next point so it was 30-40 rather than game. Then it went to deuce. The game was one of the longest in the set but I eventually took it. Later on I was 5-4 up and serving for the set but I over hit a short ball at deuce letting William back in. At 6-5 I was serving for it again and finally sealed it."  -- Joshua
Reveal CommentKenneth Lindsay bt William Sturrock (Aug 6) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Hot scorching temperatures and bright sun affecting service from the pavilion end. As a result Willie had a bad case of double-faultitis and gifted me too many points so was always going to be be difficult to threaten me in anyway. He played better though second set playing good shots from the baseline. Still was an enjoyable game and good craic as always. Good luck in the your next games and hope get your service going again..."  -- Kenneth
Reveal CommentJoshua Swinyard bt Kris Mordente (Aug 3) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Very up and down match today. I got off to a terrible start in the first game failing to win a single point on Kris' serve. Surprisingly my serve was working quite well today but I guess there is a first time for everything. The first set was characterised by several hindrances which I think combined with my nerves affected my ability to really make the first set competitive. In the second and third sets I think Kris was frustrated by the amount of times I called hindrance due to balls rolling on court and children running in the trams. I think the scores reflects that. I was on the verge of calling a rain delay in the third at 1-1 as the ground had started to get slippery but the shower was brief and the sun came out and dried the court. "  -- Joshua
Reveal CommentKris Mordente bt William Sturrock (Aug 1) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Great match with, William today. Looking forward to playing a few friendlies soon. Thanks again. "  -- Kris
Reveal CommentKenneth Lindsay bt Kris Mordente (Jul 26) 6-3, 6-2

Player Comments:

  • "Was a really enjoyable game with Kris at a windy Baxter Park today. We both struggled in the first set making too many basic errors. Second set was much better in quality and very even at the start. At 3-2 in my favour, Kris was looking favourite to level the score again on his serve (40-0) but I managed just to get my racquet onto his bullet of a 1st serve down the centre line. From there I managed to claw my way back and win that game. Was a big moment and who knows where the match would have gone if Kris had got it back to 3-3 there. Amazing really how things can turn on just a single shot. Well played Kris and good luck with the rest of the league."  -- Kenneth

Match of the Group:

Reveal CommentKris Mordente bt James Morrison (Jul 25) 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5

Player Comments:

  • "Some great back and forth stuff going on. The heat made it a tough game. And no matter where you put it, James always puts it back! Great game mate. Thanks again. Well played!"  -- Kris
Reveal CommentJoshua Swinyard bt James Morrison (Jul 22) 6-2, 6-4

Player Comments:

  • "Good to see James again today. We managed to find a window in the day where we could play tennis with minimal interruption from the rain. In the first set there was an unfortunate moment when a football came on court and we had to replay the game. Fortunately I maintained my composure and took the set. The second set was more complicated. There was a place in the game where I could have gone 5-2 up I think but things got complicated and before I knew it the score was 4-4. I didn't want to have to play a third set and so I focused on trying to make good returns and at least half decent serves in the last game. There are many positives for me to take from the match but there is still much room for improvement in my game. Well played. "  -- Joshua
Reveal CommentWilliam Sturrock bt James Morrison (Jul 18) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Player Comments:

  • "Good game always have a good game with James it showed that James had not played for while but he warmed up in the second set and he will only improve as the games go on good luck with the rest of your games "  -- William