Month: January 2022

31st January, 2022

Day 2 Recap: a tremendous day in Sheffield.

A tremendous day of tennis at the Graves Health and Sport Centre here in Sheffield, with important wins from Brogan, Jones, Samavati and Vasilescu.

The day started with a rollercoaster of a match, with wildcard Adam Jones getting a brilliant win over the first seed Billy Harris, 5-7, 7-6(4), 11-9.

 

Jones, coming in from a tough loss yesterday against Hodkin, seemed reinvigorated and really put to use his forehands and drop shots to come back after being a set down and push the game to the decider. In a very levelled match tie-break, Jones had an early break 4-0, but could only find and convert his first match point at 10-9. Another tricky start of the week for the Isle of Man star, who is yet to find his prime form at the UKPL this year, but still has a chance to access the quarter-finals by winning tomorrow against Hodkin.


Woman’s Pool A saw Anna Brogan triumph in a very tight match against UKPL debutant Elena Malagina, currently sitting 500 places above her in the WTA rankings. The 24-year-old Scottish player had a shaky start, losing her first serve game, but managed to recover with an aggressive and incredibly precise game to overcome the Estonian 7-5, 6-3 in just over 90 minutes. Brogan took her chances and alternating a great variety of shots she booked her spot in the quarter-finals for the second time at the UKPL.

A different fate for another women’s debutant, Sofia Samavati who won comfortably 6-1, 6-1 against Soumeya Anane and took a provisional top spot in Pool D. The 21-year-old Dutchwoman is definitely one to watch this week, as she comes in favourite after winning her maiden W25 title in Loughborough on Sunday.

Nadia Rawson missed out on her back-to-back pools wins after losing 6-1, 6-3 to Week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu, who has picked up her second UKPL venture with a solid win in straight sets.

In the men’s pools, Luke Johnson and Tom Hands both won in straight sets against Jack Gibbens and David Fox respectively to reserve their place in the quarter-finals.

Last pool’s matches are on tomorrow from 11am on the Tennis Channel, BT Sport Extra and UKPL.tv.

Full Day 2 results:

  • Adam Jones bt Billy Harris 5-7, 7-6(4), 11-9
  • Luke Johnson bt Jack Gibbens 6-2, 6-4
  • Anna Brogan bt Elena Malygina 7-5, 6-3
  • Alice Gillan bt Adeola Greatorex 6-4, 6-4
  • Harry Wendelken bt Sahej Maker, 6-3, 6-2
  • Tom Hands bt David Fox 6-3, 6-0
  •  Arina Vasilescu bt Nadia Rawson 6-1, 6-3
  • Sofia Samavati bt Soumeya Anane 6-1, 6-1
30th January, 2022

Day 1 Recap: Great start for Johnson, Rawson, Hodkin, Hands and Brogan

In what has turned out to be a memorable day for the tennis world with Rafa Nadal winning his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, the second week of the UK Pro League 2022 kicked off with 8 pool matches.


In a standout fixture of day 1, Luke Johnson overcame a titanic tussle the Scottish Ewan Moore 7-6(2), 7-5 in a match of very fine margins. The 27-year-old recovered very well from a slow start, after being broken in his very first serve game, and managed to keep the mental composure to take the first set at the tie-break. The second set was as balanced, as Johnson only broke Moore’s serve at 6-5, yet the Leeds player was more precise and played some great shots, including this backhand.

 

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At their debut in the 2022 season, Anna Brogan and Sean Hodkin, started off week 2 with straight set wins to reach the provisional top spots in the men’s and women’s pools A. Sean beat Adam Jones 6-1, 6-3 showing his beautiful one-hand backhands that served him so well last year. Brogan ran out winner in just over an hour over Maddie Brooks 6-3, 6-0.

 

The last match on court 1 saw 2021 UKPL Finalist Nadia Rawson fighting hard for a well-deserved victory against Andre Lukosiute 6-4, 7-5. In a 2-hour battle, Rawson managed to be more accurate than Lukosiute, who was not consistent and had some problems throughout the match with her serve (6 double faults).

The Loughborough alumni will be back on Court 1 tomorrow facing week 1 winner Arina Vasilescu but will surely go into that match with good spirits and full of confidence.

Elsewhere, Tom Hands produced a solid victory over Patrick Foley, beating him in straight sets and coming back in the first set from 3-0 down. In what is a very balanced Pool B, 3 points will prove to be crucial for the Oxford player to reach the UKPL quarter-finals for the very first time.

 

Full Day 1 results:

  • Sean Hodkin bt Adam Jones 6-1, 6-3
  • Brandon Murphy bt Sahej Maker 6-0, 6-3
  • Joanna Garland bt Adeola Greatorex 6-1, 6-3
  • Anna Brogan bt Maddie Brooks 6-3, 6-0
  • Luke Johnson bt Ewan Moore 7-6(2), 7-5
  • Tom Hands bt Patrick Foley 6-4, 6-4
  • Nadia Rawson bt Andre Lukosiute 6-4, 7-5
  • Michelle Dzjachangirova bt Soumeya Anane 6-3, 6(5)-7, 10-8
24th January, 2022

Alastair Gray wins 6-3, 6-4 and is the winner of Week 1 | UKPL WK1 | Final

Alastair Gray is the week 1 winner of the UK Pro League! 🥇

In a re-match of an intense battle at the beginning of the week, Gray broke early on in both sets to impose his rhythm on the match and trusted his big serve (9 aces!) and athleticism to finish at the top stopping any tentative come back from Peniston 👏🏼

What a week for Gray who is the deserved winner of the first event of the 2022 UKPL season.

Well done! 🔥

24th January, 2022

Arina Vasilescu wins 6-2, 5-7, 12-10 and is the winner of Week 1 | UKPL WK1 | Final

Arina Vasilescu the winner of week 1! 🔥

After almost 2hours, it is the Romanian player that comes through victorious beating the 2021 Champion 6-2, 7-5, 12-10 in what has been one of the most hotly contested finals at the UKPL.

Sonay’s strenuous come back in the second set, couldn’t stop the in-form Vasilescu, who with her whipping forehands and incredible work around the net gets her maiden UKPL win at her debut week.

Congratulations Arina!

22nd January, 2022

Gray and Vasilescu win the first week of the 2022 UK Pro League

The UK Pro League is back with a bang in 2022 with Arina Vasilescu and Alastair Gray crowned as Week 1 winners after a dramatic day of finals action in south-west London.

Vasilescu beat 2021 Pro League Champion Sonay Kartal in a thrilling three-set final to triumph, while Gray defeated Ryan Peniston in straight sets at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

The premier league of British tennis, the innovative format is the only season-long domestic competition for the UK’s top professionals and brings them together for seven weeks of action to qualify for the UK Pro League Finals Week in November.

And 24-year-old Vasilescu held firm to win the Week 1 women’s event, surviving a late surge from Kartal to claim victory – having won just three games when they met in the pool stage.

The Romanian, who came into the week as the one permitted “guest” player, led by a set and a double break at 6-2, 4-1 but found herself in a deciding ten-point tie-break after Kartal won six of the next seven games to level.

Kartal held a handful of match points in the breaker but Vasilescu rallied late on to seal victory 6-2, 5-7, 12-10 in an hour and 55 minutes.

“The match was hard. It was not easy to win against her [Kartal] – you have to move a lot and move well. It was a long week so I’m a little bit tired,” said Vasilescu.

“I was 4-1 up in the second set and she started to play a little bit better, I was moving worse and it went to a match tie-break. Somehow I managed to win it!

“I’m going to play Loughborough next and maybe also Birmingham in three weeks. This week has been very good for me because I needed a lot of matches on hard courts. I improved my game after every match.

“It’s going to help me play better in the 25K events and I heard that the players here improved a lot from playing lots of matches. The girls here should have a lot better ranking, it helps the players a lot.”

With 9 of the top 20 British men competing in this opening week of the UK Pro League, the field in the men’s draw was exceptionally strong.

Gray and Peniston also met in the pool stage earlier this week, with Gray winning 10-8 in a deciding tie-break on that occasion.  Both then battled through the knock-out stages to meet again in the final.

However the 23-year-old from Twickenham picked up a more straightforward victory this time around, winning in straight sets to finish the week unbeaten and seal a the first Pro League week victory.

Gray did have to save a break point when serving for the match, but eventually sealed an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory in an hour and 30 minutes, and he was understandably delighted to come out on top.

Gray said: “Today’s match was very difficult. Ryan is a very good player, a good counter-puncher which is difficult for someone who plays like myself, who likes to come to the net. I managed to serve very well and win the important points. It was a very difficult match but I’m happy to come through.

“It feels great to have won the first UK Pro League, I didn’t play any last year which I was disappointed about but the year before I played a couple so it’s very nice to have won the first one.

“My main takeaway for the past few days and the last week is just match experience really. Getting to get on the match court again and playing against great opponents and feeling the tension in the tight moments and learning how to deal with them. I did that successfully this week and I’ll certainly take that forward into the tournament next week, Loughborough, and the following 25Ks.

“It’s a great schedule in Great Britain for the coming months and the rest of this year. That complemented with the UK Pro League is giving the Brits a great chance to play great matches and earn good money. It’s so great what the UK Pro League is doing to help out British tennis players.”

Week 2 of the UK Pro League will begin on Sunday 30 January at the Graves Club in Sheffield.

21st January, 2022

Ryan Peniston, win 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 against Aidan McHugh | UKPL WK1 | Semi-final

The 26-year-old took his time to warm into the game, losing the first set to a very focused McHugh.
Peniston then clinched his comeback with an excellent shot down the line to break at 4-4 and by holding serve in the next game. In the decider, Peniston kept his calm and with the help of a couple of forced errors from McHugh, bagged his second UKPL final since 2020.

21st January, 2022

Kartal beats Maloney after a tremendous battle | UKPL WK1 | Semi-final

The two former UKPL weekly winners, faced each other in a match of long rallies with Kartal coming through victorious and now competing in her fifth UKPL Final.

Kartal won 6(5)-7, 6-2, 12-10.

21st January, 2022

Gray ends Matusevich’s winning streak at the UKPL | UKPL WK1 | Semi-final

A very mature performance from Alastair Gray denies what would have been Matusevich’s 23rd consecutive win at the UK Pro League.

Gray won 6-2, 6-1.

21st January, 2022

Vasilescu comes a set down to book her spot in the week 1 final | UKPL WK1 | Semi-final

At their first encounter in the UKPL Season, Arina Vasilescu reaches her first UKPL Finals beating Stresnakova 2-6, 6-3, 10-6.

21st January, 2022

Gray, Vasilescu, Kartal and Peniston progress through the week 1 Finals.

A very mature performance from Alastair Gray denies what would have been Matusevich’s 23rd consecutive win at the UK Pro League.

The 23-year-old TCU alumni took charge early in the first set to break the 2021 UKPL Champion at 3-1 and didn’t lose his focus holding all his service games. The second set mirrored the first, with a solid, consistent, and dependable Gray who broke Matusevich twice and progressed to his second UKPL final in just under an hour, winning 6-2, 6-1 with an incredible 83% of first serve points won and 8 aces.

On the women’s side, Vasilescu managed a tremendous fight back against Katie Stresnakova and reached the final of week 1 in her UKPL debut winning 2-6, 6-3, 10-6.

Stresnakova was very clinical in the first set, not letting anything pass Vasilescu, who only earnt her first break point early in the second set. After breaking Stresnakova twice to get the second set, an early lead in the match tie-break didn’t worry Vasilescu, who managed with incredible grit to find her best tennis when she needed it most. Her determination paid off as she completed an outstanding come back and heading into the final.

Vasilescu will face the UK 2021 Champion Sonay Kartal in tomorrow’s showdown, who has earnt her spot after a tremendous battle with JET Academy player Eliz Maloney.

The two former UKPL weekly winners, faced each other in a match of long rallies with Kartal coming through victorious and now competing in her fifth UKPL Final. After a first set of very fine margins that could have gone either way, the 19-year-old showed a different gear in the second set, pushing the contest to a set tie-break. Maloney did secure an early break to go up 4-2, but Kartal flipped the switch and once again brought the power-led attacking display she is capable of to win 12-10.

Kartal and Vasilescu previously met in the week, with Kartal beating the guest player 6-2, 6-1.

The last semi-final of the day saw the highest-ranked player in the draw, Ryan Peniston, win 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 against Aidan McHugh.

The 26-year-old took his time to warm into the game, losing the first set to a very focused McHugh. Some frustration from McHugh in that looked like he had the match in control with a set and break up in the second set, wasn’t quite able to extend his advantage and Peniston gradually start to find his way back into the match. Peniston then clinched his comeback with an excellent shot down the line to break at 4-4 and by holding serve in the next game. In the decider, Peniston kept his calm and with the help of a couple of forced errors from McHugh, bagged his second UKPL final since 2020.

Peniston will join Gray in the UKPL week 1 final, which will be their second encounter at the UKPL after facing each other in the second week of the 2020 event, where Gray stormed pass Peniston 6-4, 6-2.