Week 44 - Challenger ($50,000+H) - Milo Open, Bogotá, Colombia (clay)

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

RE: Week 44 - Challenger ($50,000+H) - Milo Open, Bogotá, Colombia (clay)

paulisi · Tennis legend

Alex 5-4 up - on serve

indiana · Tennis legend

Alex lost the first set on the TB.

6-7 1-1*

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

And the rain postpones what would seem to be the inevitable: match suspended with Alex trailing by 6-7(4) 2-4 30-30*. hmm

indiana · Tennis legend

At least he's well in that return game at 2-4* and it's a rather awkward time to disrupt Struvay's service game when victory looked close.

Still odds against, of course, but I'd call that 'good' rain.

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 5th of November 2015 08:42:17 PM

Spectator · All-time great

Agreed! I like that rain. Troicki (I think it was Troicki) came back from a far worse situation earlier this week. Vamos, Mr Ward!

Etienne · Club Coach

Well it didn't work. 3-6 in the second.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

For the record:

L16: Eduardo Struvay (COL) WR 274 defeated Alex Ward WR 337 by 7-6(4) 6-3 cry

thejester · Satellite level

Gutted for Alex, but we see it all the time at all levels. Somebody plays out of their skin to get a huge result, but the next match is a new match. Still, I'd hope he'd take a lot of heart from that first match and fingers crossed it helps him push on

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, super first match and not as if the second one looks bad either in isolation. Pity he couldn't eke out another win though.

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

An unfortunate part of the ranking system, I suppose, that Alex beats a top-50 player and leaves with the same points as if he'd beaten an unranked local WC. But then swings and roundabouts when great draws produce big points.

indiana · Tennis legend

BeefyDeedz wrote:
An unfortunate part of the ranking system, I suppose, that Alex beats a top-50 player and leaves with the same points as if he'd beaten an unranked local WC. But then swings and roundabouts when great draws produce big points.

Indeed, and I won't repeat my dissertation as to why I'd leave that ranking system basically as it is

Spectator · All-time great

And there's the confidence of knowing that one can beat a top-100 player on clay. That's worth as much as the points (though I'd agree it's frustrating!)

Think there's also got to be something about feeling that one belongs - and if you start a tournament by beating the top seed and then have a close second round, it says "belonging" much more clearly than if you beat someone whom you might have met in the futures somewhere anyway.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I agree half the battle of stepping up a level is belief. Having something concrete on which to hang that belief is the first step to belonging.

indiana · Tennis legend

Alex's R2 conquerer in a fairly close match ( 7-6(4) 6-3 ), Eduardo Struvay, has preceded to beat seeds 6 and 4 in the QF and SF to now be in the final.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 8th of November 2015 02:36:16 PM