Cardiff Challenger - 2007 Week 16.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Cardiff Challenger - 2007 Week 16.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Smethurst gets a wild card at last!!!!

Main draw:

http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/1/posting/2007/3409/mds.pdf

Count Zero · Tennis legend

thats a tough opener match for boggo v Vacek (even if he is on the decline)

he wont be getting back to the uk till sometime monday, i hope he gets a delayed start to get a chance to recover and get used to the faster surafce, otehrwise it could be an early exit but if he can get past it i can see him making the semis here.

this is a very early relase for the lta, bravo.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Who is Dmitri Winderickx and why has the lta given him a qualies wildcard? And (probably a question for our resident linguist Steven) how do you pronouce his name?

Count Zero · Tennis legend

he was probably just around at the club and they needed another player?

Salmon · Tennis legend

They gave him a wild card because no one else wanted to play and either he didn't sign in on time or isn't rated good enough to play Challenger qualies.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

According to the ATP site he is an unranked, 21-yr-old Belgian. Who doesn't seem ever to have played anywhere!

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yeah, he plays qualies across Europe. Did well to qualify for one last month, I see! He beat Sessagesimi on clay and he's a decent player in the making (defeated Junior world number one Thiemo De Bakker on clay last year).

john · Top national player

Very dubious wildcard for Lee Childs there. Hope he can prove me wrong

Salmon · Tennis legend

I wanted that wild card to go to Marcus Willis.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

And Pim Van Mele?

Odd qualies draw that!

I'd like Rushby to bt Bloomers coz Bloomers will get lots more chances at this level. Rushby needs chances at this level.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Van Mele seems to be of the same class, although he was ranked a decent 1261 back in 2004.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Qualifying Draw is incredibly uninspiring, and I don't see us getting anyone into the main draw from it

On the main draw... Corrie and Smethurst have okay draws... don't see them winning myself, but Corrie could get a set off Baccanello

Tough luck for Rushby, as he is in form at the moment, but Bloomers should win the match with ease. Not a great draw on the whole for him, as Ryderstadt and his big lefty serve in round 2, and then Tsonga in the Qf's will be tough matches, and I don't see him winning both of them

If Goodall plays well, then we should get to the QF's, but the form he has been in this year makes me think another round 1 exit could happen. Would love to see him get to the QF's though, but Boggo will take him out there. Vacek in round 1 could be tough though, as the guy has a pretty decent serve. Honestly though, Boggo should make the semi's without much difficulty though

Childs has a winnable match, but he'll lose...

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Just a comment on the doubles... I presume Auckland will be playing here, as it would be an easy chance for the guy to pick up 50 points, although I guess he may go for one of the clay challengers instead

Salmon · Tennis legend

Wonder if Delgado will be here or in Marrakesh.

Nick Jones got the wild card because he's from Cardiff and his father (Howard Jones) is a top coach. I doubt that he is anywhere near the class of the top players of his age, but this is a good experience for a 14 year old.

I always wanted Smethurst to get a wild card, but I thought that they would try him out at a few Futures first. Don't think that he'll do much against Oudesma, but you never know.

-- Edited by The Panda Bear at 00:23, 2007-04-15