Sir Andy? Pah! God Emperor Andy, more like. That is proper recognition, like...
And on that mildly hyperbolic note, let’s start a new Tennis thread for the new era.
Baring exhibitions, even if they were exhibitions in name-only such as in Abu Dhabi (the intensity of some of those matches was startling), the season kicks off this coming week.
There are three ATP250s this week, but one with a much more substantial prize pot (nearly treble) than the other two, and that event is in Qatar. That has attracted the titular World No.1 Andy Murray, and some also-rans such as Novak Djokovic. World No.s 10, 11 and 12 Berdych, Goffin and Tsonga are also in attendance. Murray starts with an interesting looking match against Jeremy Chardy, and has Berdych and Tsonga in his half of the draw.
Murray is also playing the Doubles as he looks for court time early in the season. His partner in the gulf is Fyrstenberg. If they win in R1 they could well face the top seeds second up... J.Murray/Soares. Again, fascinating match, if it happens. The fourth seeds for the Doubles event are Inglot/Mergea, who are also in the top half of the draw.
Aljaz Bedene is off to his favourite tournament in Chennai, and travels with the good news that he will be directly into the Aussie Open first round following the withdrawals from that of Juan Martin del Potro and Juan Moncao. Bedene was runner-up in India two years ago (l to Wawrinka) and reached the Semis last year (l to Coric, who l to Wawrinka in the final). First up this year for Aljaz is Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. No Wawrinka in the draw, either...
The other British Man playing ATP stuff this week is Kyle Edmund. He is in Brisbane, where he will face Ernesto Escobedo first up.
Brisbane is a combined ATP and WTA event, though with the Women’s version being at a higher grade of a Premier. Despite that is hasn’t attracted any British entries, with Jo Konta electing to play her usual event in Shenzhen, China instead. That is ‘just’ an International, but one paying treble the prize money of normal. It has therefore attracted a strong field, with Konta seeded #3 behind Aga Radwanska and Simona Halep. Konta’s R1 opponent is Cagla Buyukakcay.
Konta was also in the Shenzhen Doubles with Swiss player Bacsinszky (like Konta, a member of the Hungarian diaspora), but they went out in R1 to Jankovic/Siniakova.
The other WTA event is in Auckland. That has a few Brits in attendance, with Naomi Broady being the pick. Broady has significant points on the line having reached the QFs last year as a qualifier, beating Ana Ivanovic along the way (which gives a convenient opportunity to note that Ivanovic has retired). Her defence of those begins against Danka Kovinic.
Broady wasn’t the only Brit to play singles in New Zealand though, as Laura Robson also entered. She lost in the first round of qualifying, but only after three sets and a 10-8 deciding breaker against a decent (though hardly exceptional) young player in Tereza Martincova. Robson is also going to play the Doubles w/ Erakovic after they were granted a wild card (opponents are Rosolska/Townsend), as are Rae/Smith who got in by right to face #4 seeds Dabrowski/Yang.
Two names are notably missing from the above: Dan Evans and Heather Watson. That is because they are in Perth to represent Britain in the Hopman Cup. Their first match looks testing:- a Swiss team of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic! The other sides in their group are France (Richard Gasquet and Kiki Mladenovic) and Germany (Sascha Zverev and Andrea Petkovic). If Evans and Watson make any kind of progress in that company they will have been doing exceptionally well. The Australian team for this event is Nick Kyrgios and Dasa Gavrilova, btw. Fiesty.
Down a Division to the Challengers and Women’s equivalent, where we find a scattering of action. Cameron Norrie has reached an interesting place for a Tennis tournament – Noumea, New Caledonia. He plays Duck-hee Lee in R1 of the singles, and w/ Statham against Falla/Hernandez in the Doubles.
Lloyd Glasspool is attempting to qualify for Bangkok, two wins taking him to a final qualifier against Egor Gerasimov. Glasspool is unusually only playing the singles here, which makes Marray/Shamasdin the only British-tinged pairing in the Doubles, where they are the top seeds.
Just the one Women’s event at $25k or above on the ITF, in Hong Kong. That has attracted a solitary British entrant, the one it always will as long as she is eligible; Hong Kong-born Tara Moore. Moore is top seed for the singles (she plays Akiko Omae in R1) and also #4 seed for the Doubles alongside fiancée Conny Perrin.
And on that mildly hyperbolic note, let’s start a new Tennis thread for the new era.
Baring exhibitions, even if they were exhibitions in name-only such as in Abu Dhabi (the intensity of some of those matches was startling), the season kicks off this coming week.
There are three ATP250s this week, but one with a much more substantial prize pot (nearly treble) than the other two, and that event is in Qatar. That has attracted the titular World No.1 Andy Murray, and some also-rans such as Novak Djokovic. World No.s 10, 11 and 12 Berdych, Goffin and Tsonga are also in attendance. Murray starts with an interesting looking match against Jeremy Chardy, and has Berdych and Tsonga in his half of the draw.
Murray is also playing the Doubles as he looks for court time early in the season. His partner in the gulf is Fyrstenberg. If they win in R1 they could well face the top seeds second up... J.Murray/Soares. Again, fascinating match, if it happens. The fourth seeds for the Doubles event are Inglot/Mergea, who are also in the top half of the draw.
Aljaz Bedene is off to his favourite tournament in Chennai, and travels with the good news that he will be directly into the Aussie Open first round following the withdrawals from that of Juan Martin del Potro and Juan Moncao. Bedene was runner-up in India two years ago (l to Wawrinka) and reached the Semis last year (l to Coric, who l to Wawrinka in the final). First up this year for Aljaz is Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. No Wawrinka in the draw, either...
The other British Man playing ATP stuff this week is Kyle Edmund. He is in Brisbane, where he will face Ernesto Escobedo first up.
Brisbane is a combined ATP and WTA event, though with the Women’s version being at a higher grade of a Premier. Despite that is hasn’t attracted any British entries, with Jo Konta electing to play her usual event in Shenzhen, China instead. That is ‘just’ an International, but one paying treble the prize money of normal. It has therefore attracted a strong field, with Konta seeded #3 behind Aga Radwanska and Simona Halep. Konta’s R1 opponent is Cagla Buyukakcay.
Konta was also in the Shenzhen Doubles with Swiss player Bacsinszky (like Konta, a member of the Hungarian diaspora), but they went out in R1 to Jankovic/Siniakova.
The other WTA event is in Auckland. That has a few Brits in attendance, with Naomi Broady being the pick. Broady has significant points on the line having reached the QFs last year as a qualifier, beating Ana Ivanovic along the way (which gives a convenient opportunity to note that Ivanovic has retired). Her defence of those begins against Danka Kovinic.
Broady wasn’t the only Brit to play singles in New Zealand though, as Laura Robson also entered. She lost in the first round of qualifying, but only after three sets and a 10-8 deciding breaker against a decent (though hardly exceptional) young player in Tereza Martincova. Robson is also going to play the Doubles w/ Erakovic after they were granted a wild card (opponents are Rosolska/Townsend), as are Rae/Smith who got in by right to face #4 seeds Dabrowski/Yang.
Two names are notably missing from the above: Dan Evans and Heather Watson. That is because they are in Perth to represent Britain in the Hopman Cup. Their first match looks testing:- a Swiss team of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic! The other sides in their group are France (Richard Gasquet and Kiki Mladenovic) and Germany (Sascha Zverev and Andrea Petkovic). If Evans and Watson make any kind of progress in that company they will have been doing exceptionally well. The Australian team for this event is Nick Kyrgios and Dasa Gavrilova, btw. Fiesty.
Down a Division to the Challengers and Women’s equivalent, where we find a scattering of action. Cameron Norrie has reached an interesting place for a Tennis tournament – Noumea, New Caledonia. He plays Duck-hee Lee in R1 of the singles, and w/ Statham against Falla/Hernandez in the Doubles.
Lloyd Glasspool is attempting to qualify for Bangkok, two wins taking him to a final qualifier against Egor Gerasimov. Glasspool is unusually only playing the singles here, which makes Marray/Shamasdin the only British-tinged pairing in the Doubles, where they are the top seeds.
Just the one Women’s event at $25k or above on the ITF, in Hong Kong. That has attracted a solitary British entrant, the one it always will as long as she is eligible; Hong Kong-born Tara Moore. Moore is top seed for the singles (she plays Akiko Omae in R1) and also #4 seed for the Doubles alongside fiancée Conny Perrin.
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