Collapse AllQueen's Park Singles - Round 18 | Thursday 2 July 2020 to Wednesday 26 August 2020 (Midpoint: Wednesday 29 July 2020)
It was great to see friendly, competitive tennis return to the courts of Queen's Park Tennis League and to be able to complete the round this time! Nearly three quarters of all possible matches were played and for many of you this was your first competitive tennis post-lockdown... so well done for dusting off your rackets and hitting the courts again. Judging from the commentaries there were lots of fun and enjoyable contests so we're looking forward to the next round already!
Group Summary:
It was deja vu at the top of Group 1 as Tanmay won 4 matches to retain his title and Martin secured runner up spot again with 3 wins. Martin's only defeat was to Tanmay, a "brutal battle" in which both were "completely exhausted" by the end. Thibault had a strong round too, also winning 3 matches including 2 tough wins against group champ Tanmay and Tom. Martin had to battle it out in 3 sets against Kaladerhan and Stephen held his nerve to defeat Tom in a third set tiebreak.
Final Rankings:
- Tanmay Chetan 8.2 [W4, L1] 11 includes 2 bonus points WINNER
- Martin Halliday 8.1 [W3, L1] 9 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Thibault Racovski 10.1 [W3, L1] 8 includes 2 bonus points
- Kaladerhan Agbontaen [W1, L3] 6 includes 2 bonus points
- Stephen Leeke 8.1 [W1, L5] 5 includes 2 bonus points
- Ignatios Charalampidis 10.1 [W2] 4
- Tom Prentice [L3] 1
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "My game of the season so far! In a brutal battle, we were both completely exhausted by the end of the game and just somehow trying to stay in the match. Thanks Martin!" -- Tanmay
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the match Stephen!" -- Ignatios
Player Comments:
- "Closer match than the score implies - lots of long rallies! Thanks for the game Thibault, it was enjoyable!" -- Martin
Player Comments:
- "Long battle again! This could obviously have gone either way. Tanmay would probably have prevailed had we played a full third set as his game was getting better and mine was declining. Looking forward to the next one." -- Thibault
Player Comments:
- "Great fast game, thanks K! " -- Tanmay
Player Comments:
- "Enjoyable match with plenty of swings in momentum, thanks Kaladerhan!" -- Martin
Player Comments:
- "Tom scored a few aces and many forehand winners but I benefited from his lack of consistency. He's going to be very hard to beat once he really gets his game back." -- Thibault
Player Comments:
- "Long battle as always with Steve!" -- Tanmay
Match of the Group:
Stephen Leeke bt Tom Prentice (Jul 13) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5)Player Comments:
- "Enjoyed the match, some really good rallies there!" -- Ignatios
Player Comments:
- "Always a pleasure playing Steve. Great to be back post lockdown!" -- Kaladerhan
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the game, Steve, enjoyed the run around!" -- Martin
Group Summary:
An impressive performance from Chris saw him top the group with 5 wins undefeated, a single point clear of runner up Matt. Their head to head was a close 3 setter which went all the way to a third set tiebreak once Matt had fully warmed up, while Matt came from a set down to beat Nick and secure second place. Meanwhile Geraint did well to stave off a third set against Valentin who put up a great fight in the second set.
Final Rankings:
- Chris Rouffaert [W5] 10 WINNER
- Matt Fisher 8.2 [W3, L1, UF1] 9 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Nick Stevens 10.2 [W3, L2] 9 includes 2 bonus points
- Geraint Evans 8.2 [W1, L3] 5 includes 2 bonus points
- Mark Frankel [W1, L3] 5 includes 2 bonus points
- Valentin Hristov [L4] 2 includes 2 bonus points
- Tom Davies [UF1] 1
Match Results:
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentChris Rouffaert bt Matt Fisher (Aug 22) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1)Player Comments:
- "Matt is a great player , who takes a while to warm up. The second and third set are a testimony to that. Great game and would love to play again" -- Chris
Player Comments:
- "Great game with two players with very different playing styles. Made for an interesting and fun game" -- Chris
Player Comments:
- "The score belies the intensity of the game. there were multiple deuce and advantages. A great, intense game." -- Chris
Player Comments:
- "Valentin's got all the moves but - by his own admission - he's rusty. I'm sure all that will change. The weather was perfect (not too hot), there were some good rallies and winners - and far too many unforced errors from both sides. " -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Phew. Hard work on a hot afternoon. Thoroughly enjoyed played with Geraint. Tons of rallies. Brilliance and unforcered errors in abundance. The scoreline does not reflect how close the match was. " -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Beautiful sunny morning. A tight first set. In the second, Mark let me off with a few unforced errors. I squandered 3 match points, but just about held on. It could easily have been a very different outcome. As Mark said, 'It was a game of small margins'. Thanks, Mark. Let's play again soon." -- Nick
Player Comments:
- "Valentin is a bit rusty, but clearly has the Game intelligence of a seasoned player. I am sure that, when, he gets rid of the cobwebs, he will be a formidable player" -- Chris
Group Summary:
It was a successful return to Queen's Park for Eric who won all 5 of his matches to secure the title ahead of Adrian who was hot on his heels. The pair met "under the boiling sun" when Eric won in straight sets, and in fact he didn't drop a set all round. Alex battled hard in a "great, competitive match" against Michael that went to a match tiebreak, with the pair "neck and neck up to 5-5" before Alex pulled clear and was rewarded with third place overall.
Final Rankings:
- Eric Sermage 9.2 [W5] 10 WINNER
- Adrian Mucalov 10.2 [W4, L1] 10 includes 2 bonus points RUNNER UP
- Alex Routledge [W3, L2] 9 includes 2 bonus points
- Theo Knowles [L3] 1
- Michael O'Doherty [L3] 1
- Jon Edwards [L3]
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Alex had an amazing serve on first set and some great passing shots which kept me at the back of the court. I was a very tight game. Thanks" -- Eric
Player Comments:
- "Some good lobs from Theo! Thanks for the game. " -- Eric
Match of the Group:
Reveal CommentAlex Routledge bt Michael O'Doherty (Aug 16) 4-2, 2-4, [10-6]Player Comments:
- "Great, competitive match which could have gone either way. There were some good rallies and tight games in each set, and the deciding tie break was neck and neck up to 5-5 before I opened up the decisive lead. Great sportsmanship from Michael too, as he gave me the benefit of the doubt on two or three tight line calls on my serve." -- Alex
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the match and for braving the scorching afternoon sun!" -- Adrian
Player Comments:
- "Some amazing backhand passing shots from Mike! Thanks for the game." -- Eric
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the match, which was closer than the score implies!" -- Adrian
Player Comments:
- "Good game under the heat, thanks Jon" -- Eric
Player Comments:
- "Thanks for the full three set match!!" -- Adrian
Player Comments:
- "Theo got off to a flying start and took the first set quickly as I produced a string of double faults and unforced errors. I started to find my range from the baseline in the second set, but we both still struggled to hold serve. By the end, on a warm afternoon, we were both feeling the lack of match fitness and glad we were playing the short format!" -- Alex
Player Comments:
- "Thanks Adrian, very good game under the boiling sun!" -- Eric
Player Comments:
- "Great to be back in league action! Jon and I were both showing the lack of match practice and my serving was very inconsistent. The quality improved in the second set, which included some good rallies and tight games. " -- Alex
Player Comments:
- "Great to have the league back in action! My first time playing at 730am before work, great way to start the day! Thanks for the match " -- Adrian
Group Summary:
This was a fairly quiet group unfortunately with one player not getting out the starting blocks and several matches left unplayed, however returning Leaguer Mohit made the most of his chances by winning 4 matches to top the group. Although Christina lost their head to head she was the only player to take Mohit to 3 sets and she did well to recover from dropping the second set to win "a real marathon of a match" against Alex... well played!
Final Rankings:
- Mohit Midha [W4] 8 WINNER
- Christina Zoubir [W3, L1] 7 RUNNER UP
- Juliette Duthie 9.2 [W2, L2] 4
- Alex Bninski [W1, L3] 3
- Adrien Pinsard [L4]
- Adam Strang
Match Results:
Player Comments:
- "Really enjoyed the game. Had some good rallies. Was just too hot. " -- Mohit
Match of the Group:
Mohit Midha bt Christina Zoubir (Aug 6) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2Player Comments:
- "Really fun game. The wind and our lobs made for some comical rallies. Very enjoyable . Thank you Juliette " -- Christina
Player Comments:
- "Lots of deuces . Great game." -- Mohit
Player Comments:
- "Great game! " -- Mohit
Player Comments:
- "Enjoyable game." -- Alex
Player Comments:
- "Another fun game with Adrien. Lots of great rallies. Thanks v much : )" -- Christina
Player Comments:
- "A real marathon of a match and great start (belated) to the season. Thank you Alex! Look forward to playing again" -- Christina
Player Comments: