27th July, 2021

UK Pro League 2020 champion Liam Broady scores biggest win of his career at the olympics

Last minute replacement Liam Broady beat World No.12 Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to secure his place in the third round of the Olympics. It stands as the 27-year-old’s biggest win in his career as he defeated the Wimbledon semi-finalist in three sets. It has continued Broady’s shock run at the Olympics after the lowest ranked player in the draw was drafted in as a replacement for Dan Evans.

 

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Broady has found a new lease of life since the pandemic began, he has risen to a career high ranking of 137. Last year he was the champion of the inaugural UK Pro League after 42 days of elite British tennis. It showcases the value of the innovative new format of the UKPL in developing British talent with Emma Raducanu already breaking into the mainstream with her fairytale run at Wimbledon.

Read Also: Emma Raducanu’s fairytale run at Wimbledon

Broady will now face Jeremy Chardy in the third round as he looks to continue his remarkable run. He remains the only Team GB player in the singles competition after Andy Murray pulled out to focus on the doubles competition.

Written by Angus Wright
27th July, 2021

Week 5 Recap: Kartal and Broom win in Aldershot

The UK Pro League returned after a break for the fifth week of elite tennis competition with seven days of action. Sonay Kartal and Charles Broom were crowned the winners at the Aldershot Tennis club.

The innovative season-long competition consists of 10 weeks of qualifying rounds, where players compete for league points in the hope of qualifying for the finals week.

The two finals of week 5 saw two new winners crowned. Sonay Kartal beat league leader Emily Appleton in the final of the women’s competition. Appleton has featured in the final of all five weeks of the UKPL this year and was a favourite to extend her lead at the top of the table. A comprehensive performance earned the Kartal a 6-4, 6-4 win over her fellow 19-year-old. It was her first action since returning from a layoff due to injury and she impressed all week. Her league ranking has been boosted by the 18 points earned in week 5 have seen her shoot up the table to fifth place.

After her win in the final Sonay Kartal said:

“I think that from having three months out, I’m very pleased to come here and win four matches,”

“I went out in front in both sets and she almost came back. I dipped slightly at times, but on the big points I managed to keep my concentration high.”

On the men’s side of the draw it was two first-time finalists in Julian Cash and Charles Broom. Cash was the highest ranked player in the men’s draw but failed to win his first week as Broom won a thriller. In a third set tiebreak, Broom saved to match points to give the 23-year-old a 7-4(4), 4-6, 12-10 win.

“Those last five, ten points were really high level from both of us. He played really well and I think I’m very lucky just to have got through. It was a really high level match all around and I’m just thankful,” he said

“It’s been a really good week all around. Obviously reaching the final is great, I think I played a really good tiebreak, but throughout the week I felt like my level was getting better and better.

“I’m really happy with how everything progressed and I’m just looking to carry it on into the next few weeks when I’m playing tournaments.”

Outside of the final two debutants in the women’s draw stood out. 16-year-old Jasmine Conway had a great week with a win over second placed Eliz Maloney impressing. The teenager showed composure throughout the week to gain her first five UKPL ranking points. Fellow debutant Grace Piper also impressed, reaching the semi-finals in her first week, only losing out to eventual winner Sonay Kartal. The 12 points she earned have put her up to 12th place after only one week of playing. The 18-year-old looked at home against some really tough opponents throughout her run to finish in third place.

 

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Week 6 of the UK Pro League will take place at The Harbour Club in London from the 23-29th August.
Written by Angus Wright
18th July, 2021

Day 7 Recap: Kartal and Broom win finals!

On the final day of week 5 Sonay Kartal and won their finals to be crowned winners of week 5 and take maximum points from the week.

The first final of the day was the women’s which saw Emily Appleton play Sonay Kartal. Appleton has been in the final every week so far this year but today she wasn’t able to make it a fourth win. Kartal was quicker out the blocks and won the first set 6-4. An early break in the second set gave her the confidence and lead to take the second set 6-4.

After the match Kartal said:

“I went up in both sets and she almost came back, on the big points I managed to keep my concentration high. Having had 3 months out to be able to come here and play 4 matches, I’m very pleased. I’m just going to try and use this momentum.”

Appleton, who has been in every final this year said:

“I’m very happy with how I played, I think it was my best match all week. Despite the result I’m pretty pleased. I’m really happy to make the final again.”

In the men’s final Julian Cash and Charles Broom fought out a three set match. In the end it was debutant Broom who won the final!

Broom had the best of the first set but couldn’t force a break of serve. It meant a tiebreak which Broom came through as winner. In the second set the roles were reversed and Cash grew into the game to force a third-set tiebreak. In a thrilling tiebreak, Broom saved two match points before grabbing the win!

In the other games, Grace Piper secured a 3rd place finish in her first UKPL week. A great performance against Millie Bissett rounded off a impressive debut week.

Grace Piper after the match:

“Very happy with how I have done this week, I’ve played some of my best tennis, even when I have lost matches it’s been close and I have been happy with my performance.”

 

17th July, 2021

Day 6 recap: Appleton, Cash, Broom and into the final!

On day 6 the finalists of week 5 were decided. The semi-finals took place on court 1 throughout the day.

First up was Julian Cash vs Max Basing. Cash pulled of a miraculous comeback after being down 1-5 in the first set. He dominated the tiebreak that followed before finishing of the game with a double break in the second set. The top ranked men’s player made it into the final 7-6 6-3.

He said after the match:

“I had a slow start today, but did well to dig in and find a few scrappy points. I got a long break at 5-2 down to stay in it and my level got slightly better. I managed to finish on a positive note at the end.”

Next up was Emily Appleton who was playing in her fifth straight semi-final at the UKPL. In a brilliant first set, Appleton and Millie Bissett thrashed out some stunning rallies, but in the end Appleton’s consistent power got her through the match.

After the match she spoke to us:

“It’s been pretty good, I’m in the final so very happy about that. I’m looking forward to playing tomorrow. It’s always amazing to get five matches in one week so I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”

The third semi-final of the day saw Charles Broom (Below) brush off the challenge of Lui Maxted easily. Broom hadn’t dropped a set all week and he continued that form by defeating Maxted 6-1, 6-1. Maxted did not turn up to court 1 but Broom impressed throughout to set up a final with Julian Cash.

 

“I felt like I played pretty well, Lui (Maxted) is a very talented player so I knew I had to be on top of my game. Thankfully, I came out firing and when the new balls came out in the second set I upped my game.”

 

 

Sonay Kartal set up her final with Emily Appleton in a win over Grace Piper. The match featured a number of long rallies but Kartal was able to outlast Piper to secure her place in the final tomorrow.

 

Full results: 

Men’s Semi-finals 

Julian Cash vs Max Basing 7-6(1), 6-3

Charles Broom vs Lui Maxted 6-1, 6-1

Women’s Semi-finals

Emily Appleton vs Amelia Bissett 7-6(4), 6-3 

Grace Piper vs Sonay Kartal 3-6, 6-7

Men’s 9th/12th playoff

Micheal Shaw vs Llewelyn Bevan 6-3, 6-4

Tom Hands vs Patrick Foley 6-3, 6-4

Women’s 9th/12th playoff

Nadia Rawson vs Holly Hutchinson 2-0, (Hutchinson Retired)

Emma Wilson vs Danielle Daley 6-1, 6-3

17th July, 2021

Day 5 recap: Playoff’s take shape!

Whilst there were no semi-finals today, some great tennis was played on day 5 of the UKPL Week 5.

Oscar Weightman forced his way to a win in a brutal match against debutant Liam Higgnet 7-6, 6-4. Both players slogged it out in a mammoth match that went on for over two hours despite only being two sets. Some games went on for a long time, but Weightman kept his cool to get into the 5th place playoff.

In the other side of the draw, a serving masterclass was put on by Jack Gibbens who finished with 14 aces in his game. Sean Hodkin could not cope with the heat coming at him and due to some marginal calls, he lost his composure in the tie break to lose in three.

On the women’s side, Freya Christie swept aside newcomer Jojo Bach in straight sets to get to the 5th place playoff.

Full Results

Oscar Weightman vs Liam Hignett 7-6(6), 6-4

Patrick Foley vs Michael Shaw 6-3, 6(5)-7, 10-8

Freya Christie vs Jojo Bach 6-1, 6-4

Nadia Rawson vs Danielle Daley 6-3, 6-4

Jack Gibbens vs Sean Hodkin 6-4, 6-7, 10-3

Tom Hands vs Llewelyn Bevan 6-1, 6-2

Anna Brogan vs Eliz Maloney

Holly Hutchinson vs Emma Wilson 3-6, 4-6

16th July, 2021

Day 3 Recap: Super Thursday!

The quarter-final stage kicked of on Thursday with some superb games played out!

First up was Julian Cash, the highest ranked player in the men’s draw, he impressed as he defeated Jack Gibbens in straight sets. He dominated throughout as he won 6-2, 6-0 to qualify for the semi-final.

Emily Appleton made her fifth straight semi-final at the UKPL 2021 as she beat Freya Christie in a brilliant match. It ended 6-2, 3-6, 10-6, but in reality it was a tightly fought contest of the highest quality. Appleton’s big hitting was countered by Christie’s stern defence. Appleton will face Millie Bissett who defeated Jasmine Conway in the other stand out game of the day.

16-year-old Conway has impressed this week but Millie Bissett proved one step too far on her debut. Bissett ended up winning a up and down match 7-6, 4-6, 10-2 to set up a mouth watering match against Emily Appleton.

 

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Sonay Kartal overcame Eliz Maloney in a straight set victory, Maloney fell away in the second set after being broken late on in the first. She will be disappointed but Kartal will face debutant Grace Piper in her semi-final.

Piper looked confident as she swept Anna Brogan aside 6-0, 6-3. In particular the first set was where she impressed with some clinical tennis, making all three of her break points count.

Lui Maxted set up a match with the in-form Charles Broom as he beat the fiery Oscar Weightman 6-3, 6-3. Maxted has looked good all week with some impressive results featuring great winners and confident net play. His opponent Charles Broom disposed of Josh Paris in a similar fashion. The semi-final promises to be a cracker.

Full Results

Julian Cash vs Jack Gibbens 6-2, 6-0 

Holly Hutchinson vs Danielle Daley 6-3, 6-3 

Amelia Bissett vs Jasmine Conway 7-6, 4-6, 10-2

Eliz Maloney vs Sonay Kartal 5-7, 0-6

Charles Broom vs Josh Paris 6-2, 6-2

Lui Maxted vs Oscar Weightman 6-3, 6-3

Emily Appleton vs Freya Christie 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 

Nadia Rawson vs Emma Wilson 6-3, 4-6, 10-4

Anna Brogan vs Grace Piper 0-6, 3-6

Llewelyn Bevan vs Patrick Foley 3-6, 3-6

Max Basing vs Sean Hodkin

Tom Hands vs Micheal Shaw

14th July, 2021

Day 3 Recap: Basing, Maxted and Piper top their group

On day 3 of week 5, results meant that many of the pools look clearer than they did last night. Among those to qualify top of their group are Max Basin, Lui Maxted and Grace Piper.

Today Max Basing dominated Llewelyn Bevan, beating him in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. He finishes the group stage with 2 wins from 2 games.

 

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The quarter finals start tomorrow with some big games taking place including Eliz Maloney vs Sonay Kartal and Emily Appleton vs Freya Christie.

 

Full Results

Oscar Weightman vs Tom Hands 6-3, 6-3

Sean Hodkin vs Patrick Foley 4-6, 6-3, 12-10

Sonay Kartal vs Millie Bissett 6-1, 6-4, 10-7

Anna Brogan vs Danielle Daley 6-1, 6-1 

Jack Gibbens vs Lui Maxted 7-6(3), 2-6, 2-10

Nadia Rawson vs Grace Piper 5-7, 6-1, 10-2

Jasmine Conway vs Emma Wilson 6(5)-7, 6-4, 5-10

Max Basing vs Llewelyn Bevan 6-1, 6-1 

14th July, 2021

Day 2 Recap: Christie fightback, Maxted thriller and Appleton win!

Day 2 was certainly a day of elite-class tennis on both courts as we saw thrillers and hard fought wins throughout the day.

Two matches stood out however, with Freya Christie fighting back from a set down to win a extremely tense championship tiebreak against debutant Grace Piper 3-6, 7-5 10-8. Christie was struggling to convert her match point in the third set. Piper smashed into the net to complete the comeback in what was a must win game for Christie.

The other was Lui Maxted’s clash against Alexis Canter in pool C. Another comeback saw Maxted come home 4-6, 6-4, 10-2. The quality on show from both sides was remarkable but Maxted shone through with some brilliant volleying and timing at the net. This was the first game of week 5 for the 17-year-old and the impressive win puts him in a good place to reach the quarter-finals.

 

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Elsewhere there was a dominant straight-set win for Emily Appleton over Danielle Daley 6-0, 6-2, Appleton making it 2 from 2 and qualifying top of her pool.  In the early game on court 1, Joshua Paris retired with a back issue meaning he will have to win on Thursday to qualify. Eliz Maloney returned to winning ways, with a win over Emma Wilson.

Day 3 stands to be a pivotal day for many Pools as some players will find themselves in must win matches if they want to qualify for the quarter-finals!! Join us live at 11:00 and find the livestreams on our youtube channel!!

 

Full results

Joshua Paris v Max Basing 6-7, 0-1 (Paris Retired)

Julian Cash v Tom Hands 6-4, 6-4

Freya Christie v Grace Piper 3-6, 7-5, 10-8

Alexis Canter v Lui Maxted 6-4, 4-6, 2-10

Emily Appleton v Danielle Daley 6-0, 6-2

Eliz Maloney v Emma Wilson 6-4, 6-3

Holly Hutchinson v Millie Bissett 7-6, 7-5

13th July, 2021

The Return of the UK Pro League! Week 5: Day 1 Recap

Week 5 kicks off

The UK Pro League returned with a bang as the first day of matches brought upsets and thrills. The fifth week of this years league takes place at the Aldershot Tennis Centre.

16-year-old Jasmine Compton upset 2nd place Eliz Maloney in a high class match. Compton was eventually able to overcome the eternally stubborn defence of Maloney in a third set tiebreak to finish the match 5-7, 7-6, 11-9.

 

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Emily Appleton was able to overcome debutant Anna Brogan in 3 sets to win 2-6, 6-3, 10-6. Appleton is looking to extend her lead at the top of the 2021 league. After losing the first set she got off to a great start to week 5 with 2 points.

In the men’s pool A, Julian Cash defeated Oscar Weightman in a pivotal showdown. Cash started slowly but was able to claw back the second set against an increasingly frustrated Weightman. Cash won the game 6-7, 6-4, 10-6. There were also impressive straight set wins for Joshua Paris, Alexis Canter and Sonay Kartal.

Nadia Rawson (above) defeated Freya Christie 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 in a tightly fought contest on court 1.

Full Results

Julian Cash – Oscar Weightman (6-7, 6-4, 10-6)

Joshua Paris – LLewelyn Bevan (6-3, 6-2)

Alexis Canter – Jack Gibbens 7-6 (7-2), 6-2

Sean Hodkin – Charles Broom 6-7 (4-7), 3-6

Eliz Maloney – Jasmine Conway 7-5, 6-7(3-7), 9-11

Freya Christie – Nadia Rawson 4-6, 6-4, 8-10 

Holly Hutchinson – Sonay Kartal 2-6, 2-6

Emily Appleton – Anna Brogan 2-6, 6-3, 10-6

11th July, 2021

The UK Pro League is back for week 5

After a two-month break, the 2021 UK Pro League is back with a bang this week, with some of Britain’s brightest talent locking horns at the Aldershot Tennis Centre.

Set up in 2020 and first played to enable players to get back into competition after the initial national lockdown, it is the only domestic league for UK players, with the 2021 instalment beginning back in March.

And with over half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, you will not miss a thing with all the thrills and spills broadcast live on BT Sport.

So far Anton Matusevich and Emily Appleton are leading the way, topping the men’s and women’s rankings, respectively.

Appleton sits top of the women’s rankings with 69 points, 16 ahead of second placed Eliz Maloney, whilst Matusevich sits 11 points ahead of Dan Cox in the men’s rankings. Appleton has won three of the four weeks and was runner-up as well, meaning she is the favourite to triumph once again, though Matusevich will not be in action this week.

The men’s event will be led by Josh Paris, who currently sits in third place, with Julian Cash, Alexis Canter and Charles Broom the highest ranked players in action.

There is also a wildcard for Lui Maxted who recently played in junior Wimbledon, and event founder Jamie Delgado revealed he was impressed when the 18-year-old played in week three.

 

“Lui Maxted stood out. When he played, he played well, it was good to see him compete. It’s great to see the younger players do well,” said Delgado.

Appleton’s main rival will likely be Maloney once again. The two have met in three finals this year, with Maloney the only person to stop Appleton from winning a week.

Other notable names in the field include Freya Christie, the highest-ranked woman in the field, Sonay Kartal and bright young prospects, Grace Piper and Jasmine Conway.

Delgado believes that Appleton’s consistency and resilience is key to her success so far and will make her hard to beat this week.

“I think that consistency is always an impressive thing. So many players can play good one-off matches but the people who will do well in this league are the people who will back up that level day-to-day,” he said.

“They’re all good players and they can all play good tennis but when you’re getting tired, when the body starts to go, can you maintain it? Emily has obviously done it the best out of everyone.

“You never know how people react to getting lots of matches and potentially losing a match. A lot depends on how much you can bounce back from that as well so I think it’s a real test of your ability and your focus during the week.”