SF:  (Q) Stuart Parker WR 636 defeated (JR) Lilian Marmousez (FRA) WR 1190 by 1 & 2

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Final:  (Q) Stuart Parker WR 636 vs (7) Alexis Gautier (FRA) WR 570 (CH = 544 last February)

Bob in Spain wrote:

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I am guessing that Stuart will have played his French opponent in League tennis at some time.

Over to you CD ?

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 They only play about 4 club matches a year. (Although do some money tournaments, too, of course.) But there's actually tons of French players who've never played each other.

The website only goes back 5 years, and I don't keep a record of the years that roll off, but the two didn't play against each other in the past 5 years, so it's all unknown territory. 

Gautier, to me, is properly ranked, a good, solid 500-600 player who, at age 23, will almost certainly make top 500 soon (which is hardly saying much when he's already 570 or so). But he's nothing more. He's not a top-300 player in disguise.   And hasn't been blowing it out of the park recently.

So I reckon it should be very close, in fact, Stuart might be the slight favourite. 

ADD: Just thought to look at the UTR events over summer (they don't show up on the FFT site) - and there he popped up! You're right, Bob !

And I was pretty much spot on 

Back last September, Alexis beat Stuart, 6-4, 4-6, 10-3

So dead close. AND, given Stuart has almost certainly made more progress than Alexis in the past 6 months, I think it's over to you this time, Stuart ! (well, here's hoping......)

Coup Droit wrote:

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Bob in Spain wrote:

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I am guessing that Stuart will have played his French opponent in League tennis at some time.

Over to you CD ?

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 They only play about 4 club matches a year. (Although do some money tournaments, too, of course.) But there's actually tons of French players who've never played each other.

The website only goes back 5 years, and I don't keep a record of the years that roll off, but the two didn't play against each other in the past 5 years, so it's all unknown territory. 

Gautier, to me, is properly ranked, a good, solid 500-600 player who, at age 23, will almost certainly make top 500 soon (which is hardly saying much when he's already 570 or so). But he's nothing more. He's not a top-300 player in disguise.   And hasn't been blowing it out of the park recently.

So I reckon it should be very close, in fact, Stuart might be the slight favourite. 

 

ADD: Just thought to look at the UTR events over summer (they don't show up on the FFT site) - and there he popped up! You're right, Bob !

And I was pretty much spot on 

Back last September, Alexis beat Stuart, 6-4, 4-6, 10-3

So dead close. AND, given Stuart has almost certainly made more progress than Alexis in the past 6 months, I think it's over to you this time, Stuart ! (well, here's hoping......)

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Good insight , thanks CD!