Week 31 - Challenger (€42,500) - Segovia, Spain (Hard)

indiana · Tennis legend

RE: Week 31 - Challenger (€42,500) - Segovia, Spain (Hard)

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

Here is my take on Kyle's match: It was as easy as the 6-2, 6-2 scoreline suggests. He was never a break point down, I don't think he was even taken to deuce on serve.

There is much talk of his scheduling. It is easy to criticise with the benefit of hindsight but to my mind his schedule was not illogical. At the start of the year, his future was uncertain. Was he going to be yet another excellent English junior who was not going to fulfill his potential? Impossible to say, so wasn't it sensible to take the prize money and marketing dollars when they were offered? Things have worked out well, but what would have happened had he sustained a significant injury in the spring and struggled for form after recuperating? I understand from previous posts that he is not going to attempt to qualify for the USO. I think this is because his coach and management know that he will be a top 100 player and maybe much better than that. His long term development is more important than shot term headlines and targets. Russian proverb: Go slowly in order to get further....

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Don't think anyone's reported this yet, but Brydan's only been & gone & done it again!

SF: Brydan Klein & Nikola Mektic (CRO) CR 514 (268+246) defeated (4) Ilija Bozoljac & Goran Tosic (SRB/SRB) by 2-6 6-4 [10-1] biggrin

******

Final: Victor Baluda & Alexander Kudryavstev (RUS/RUS) CR 632 (133+499) vs Brydan Klein & Nikola Mektic (CRO) CR 514 (268+246)

In theory, a good chance of the title...

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Delighted for Kyle

. I had hoped to watch, but got unexpected visitors who have only just left. Fingers firmly crossed for the next round! (And well done Brydan, too, but I'm still a bit apathetic when it comes to supporting him)

Mervatron · Masters Series Champion

So after taking random WC's into events he was more than likely not ready for they are now not making him play US open qualifying which would be the perfect next stepping stone for him as he would be getting in on his own ranking and would have a good chance to come through. If not, he gets experience in a GS qualifying event which, if i'm not mistaken, he doesn't have yet. Very baffling I think.

Does this mean more clay challengers in September then which I would see as the only other good thing for long term development, other than US open that is

indiana · Tennis legend

Well, I have been a ( long term ) criticiser of Kyle's first half of year schedule so in two ways it certainly isn't with the benefit of hindsight :

1) I don't know when I was first discussing it being "messy", but long before any question of hindsight.

2) Actually he is clearly playing about as well as he ever has anyway, so I don't see any sort of proof in hindsight either way, just up for debate whether he would have been doing better, much the same or worse ( now and for the future ) if he had been following a seemingly much more structured schedule of say good 15Ks and challengers rather than the future / challenger / Masters / Slam / Davis Cup backup very mixed up order. I am certainly far from convinced he is doing better so certainly don't share any eulogies about that first half. But also it is very clear that he hasn't been particularly set back, if at all.

And if he ( with or without team input ) has deliberately opted out of US Open qualifying, I too am a bit baffled. He has had the run of challengers I wanted. He now could probably do with a little break. Then moving over to the US, competing in Slam qualifying ( with a decent chance ) looked surely a logical choice. And I think a hell of a lot better experience for the future than a few WCs into ATP tour and Masters events during a few months of not too many matches.

Strange...

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

indiana wrote:
Well, I have been a ( long term ) criticiser of Kyle's first half of year schedule so in two ways it certainly isn't with the benefit of hindsight :

1) I don't know when I was first discussing it being "messy", but long before any question of hindsight.

2) Actually he is clearly playing about as well as he ever has anyway, so I don't see any sort of proof in hindsight either way, just up for debate whether he would have been doing better, much the same or worse ( now and for the future ) if he had been following a seemingly much more structured schedule of say good 15Ks and challengers rather than the future / challenger / Masters / Slam / Davis Cup backup very mixed up order. I am certainly far from convinced he is doing better so certainly don't share any eulogies about that first half. But also it is very clear that he hasn't been particularly set back, if at all.

And if he ( with or without team input ) has deliberately opted out of US Open qualifying, I too am a bit baffled. He has had the run of challengers I wanted. He now could probably do with a little break. Then moving over to the US, competing in Slam qualifying ( with a decent chance ) looked surely a logical choice. And I think a hell of a lot better experience for the future than a few WCs into ATP tour and Masters events during a few months of not too many matches.

Strange...

Without commenting on the first half of Kyle's schedule, I will say that the next month is a particularly strange one to look over. USO qualies look not only deserved, but welcome with a reasonable chance of Kyle qualifying or getting some good experience. I'm all for Kyle playing more challengers but this does seem like a case of missed opportunities. Unless something unlikely has happened, such as the USTA guaranteeing Kyle (and the LTA) a QWC long before his recent challenger success, then I'm stumped.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Perhaps they didn't expect him to do so well, hence why he is entered in (probably weakish) European challengers?

On the plus side the way he's going he might even be seeded in them!

steven · Tennis legend

From the point of view of other players who could have got QWCs, wouldn't it be completely unforgiveable for a player to get a QWC for an event as important as a slam then still use it when they could have got into qualifying on ranking just because they hadn't bothered to enter?

In other words, I doubt that is what has happened.

indiana · Tennis legend

Indeed, Steven, and as for possibly not expecting Kyle to do so well, I would have thought they might have scraped around for whatever the cost of US Open qualifying entry is on the off chance that he might do well enough to get in. He could still be entered into challengers as an alternative as well.

Shhh · Challenger level

From the outside looking in it seems that kyle has concentrated on a run of challengers. There'll be a break and no doubt another block to follow. The US Open has not been part of that and, for now, the thinking has been long term.......he'll face several more slams in his career.

This may be at odds to his calendar in the first 6 months of the year but, if its how things are being run now, I think its a good thing. Certainly no hint of bad scheduling......more a case of what he should have been doing earlier!

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I'm with Beefy, Kyles preferred and probably best surface is clay, I understand arguably it is the best surface on which to develop a young player, I would actually like to see an Autumn of clay challengers as foundation work prior to a period of rest than stamina strength training (ideally hitting with Andy if he will invite him again) aiming for a full on assault on RG qualifying. How Australian fits in for the time being I don't know, but they may invite him back to Chennai given his progress and he has started a relationship with the tournament organisers and then on to Australia.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Really don't see what the problem is with missing the US Open, he's going to play maybe up to 40 grand slams in his career so what's he really missing? Much harder to get points there and lets face it, he doesn't really need the money like others (Dan C, Smethy) do.

I also didn't have a problem with him taking the wildcards, I think it was a bit of a reality check for him if anything. One thing I might do is take one at the end of the year (if he's offered one!) to see how he's progressed.

I think he could go on to win a Challenger in the next couple of months, he might be a DA by the time the French comes round

Mervatron · Masters Series Champion

Well if he does skip the US open i think it would be even more ridiculous to then skip Aus open. Let's face it, it looks like Kyle will be comfortably top 200 very soon, and if he continues with his current sort of results will be looking at being nearer the top 150 by Aus open, maybe even higher.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Brydan has started and is broken in the very first game. Lots of long rallies