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26th November, 2022

Elena Malygina storms through to the Women’s Final with a straight sets win

Our second Semi Final match featured Elena Malygina and Lauryn John-Baptiste. Elena Malygina notably had, up till now, only lost 12 games in a total of 6 sets. In other words, she is storming through the competition. John-Baptiste was also coming off a strong win against rival Eliz Maloney. The first set came and went, with John-Baptiste not quite finding her footing early on. The first set only took a grand total of 22 minutes for Malygina to finish. The momentum was firmly on the side of Malygina, the question was could she maintain it? That she very well could! The second set spelled equal brilliance from Malygina, she started strong breaking John-Baptiste to love in her first service game. However, John-Baptiste had a surge of power as she forced a few errors from Malygina gifting her a 15-40 lead in Malygina’s first game. Malygina, however, was able to dig deep and, after a few troubling points, pull through and consolidate the break. Malygina, from that moment on, was unstoppable; she went on to win the next 4 games in a row to seal the victory and win in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. It just wasn’t John-Baptiste’s day, she fought valiantly but the Estonian struck the ball with an astonishing amount of power and her unforced error count would be 8 at most. A truly brilliant display that ultimately begs the question- what can anyone do to stop her?

Watch all matches live on BT Sport Channel 2 or stream on the Tennis Channel.

26th November, 2022

Kyle Edmund beats Charles Broom to land a spot in the UKPL 2022 Final

To kick-off the anticipated UK Pro League Semi-finals Day Kyle Edmund, the former world number 14, took on the 24-year-old Charles Broom. In the first set, Broom broke immediately, taking advantage of a slow start from Edmund. He was then able to consolidate the opening game break with some magnificent shots. However, Edmund began to show glimpses of his world class skill, looking imperious over the ball. His characteristic powerful forehand casted an ominous hand over Broom’s 3rd service game. Edmund forced a 0-4 lead over Broom, but the youngster was able to find a way back. After some back and forth over deuce, Broom re-clarified his lead at 4-2; a great hold from him. The match proceeded with neither player making any mistakes, taking the match to 5-4 with Broom to serve. Broom was looking incredibly comfortable and self-assured over the ball and showed no signs of hesitation while serving for the match. Ultimately, Broom capped off the first set 6-4.

The beginning of the second set began with Edmund immediately asking questions of the Broom serve. Edmund was up 30-15 in the first game, but Broom was able to close out the first and hold the game well. It was then Broom to pose the questions as he gained himself two break points in the third game, however he wasn’t able to capitalise. This, unfortunately for Broom, was the beginning of the end, as Edmund gained a lot of momentum. In the 4th game, Edmund broke Broom’s serve to love, imposing himself on the second set with immense balance and power. Edmund looked like he was playing as a top 20 tennis player by the end of the second set, sending Broom scrambling around the court. Set 2 ended 6-2.

Now, with the game in the balance, it came down to a match tie-break. Edmund looked solid in every aspect of the game; with the momentum completely on his side he championed over Charles Broom 4-6, 6-2, 10-0. The tie-break showed just how special Kyle Edmund can be, returning to the game after having 3 knee operations he looks as though he’s back in business. Credit to Charles Broom, who played immaculately, reaching some of the most difficult Edmund shots and returning them with interest! As it stands, Edmund will face either Billy Harris or Dan Cox in the finals tomorrow. Tune into their match later today nb 1pm.

Live on BT Sport Channel 2 and streaming on the Tennis Channel.

26th November, 2022

UKPL Finals Week 2022 – Day 5 recap

Day 5 hosted a mixture of the 9-12th and 5-8th round-robin matches. The day started with the 5-8th round-robin match between Harry Wendelken and Joshua Paris. Paris was narrowly beaten yesterday by Billy Harris after seeming to struggle a little with his serve and powerful shots. Wendelken had also just suffered a nail-biting Quarter Final loss to Dan Cox where, although Wendelken advanced to a set and break up, the expertise of Dan Cox shone through and he won at match tie-break. When playing Paris, Wendelken, a simply exceptional youth 6 years Paris’ junior, was striking the ball with immense power and acute precision. The last time these two faced off was another three-setter two weeks prior, where Paris emerged victorious. Both players opened the set steadily, working their way through their own service games and familiarising themselves with the match. Wendelken forced an early break in the 5th game, largely due to Paris’ forehand being slightly too trigger-happy. At the death of the first set, Wendelken then capitalised, grabbing another game against Paris to make the first 6-3. It was a dominant showing by the youngster. The next set involved a few early breaks from both players and the rallies were superb. Ultimately Wendelken came out on top; he won 7-3 in a good tie-break. Paris was playing slightly reserved at points and additionally his weapon of a forehand couldn’t strike lighting as it usually does.

Over on Court 2 the Women’s 9-12th round robin continued with Arina Vasilescu vs Alice Gillan. They both played their service games admirably. Gillan had 3 break opportunities but failed to take any of them, whereas Vasilescu pounced on the only one she got. That lead to her taking the first set 6-3. The next set was fairly routine for Vasilescu; she broke 3 times to conclude the match 6-3, 6-2. A very strong performance by Vasilescu, but she will be ultimately sad to be out of the main draw, having been knocked out through little fault of her own by tough defeats to Maloney and Christie. Nevertheless, she will likely be a very strong candidate for 5th place.

The 9-12th round robin match between George Houghton and Tom Hands began with both serving excellently; both players had a first serve percentage of over 85%. Houghton was the first to break and this singular break point was all he needed to crack the nigh impenetrable defence of Tom Hands. The second set, however, took a different turn. Hands found solace in his second serve and won 70% of the points off it. This allowed him to earn 3 break points against Houghton, one of which he converted. As I always mention, this quality of tennis means that one slip is all you need to lose a set. Next, into the match tie-break, which was a very close affair with Houghton just pipping Hands at the post, securing a 12-10 win. Both players showed a firm resolve but as it stood the more experienced player came out on top. A fascinating match!

Next up was the 9-12th round-robin match between Sean Hodkin and Anton Matusevich. Matusevich came out of the blocks firing, stamping his foot down on the first set. He was thus able to take a set lead of 6-3. Matusevich’s speed and power were the names of the game in this match. He did not let any points go to rest, dealing blow after blow to ensure a first set victory. After a thumping first set, one might have thought that the game was over, but Hodkin’s impressive serving game brought the game to a second set tiebreak. Ultimately, Matusevich brought the game to a close by winning the tie-break 7-2. An imperious showing from the young man.

In other news, Eliz Maloney defeated Andre Lukosiute in a decisive contest. Lukosiute, wielding an injury, just couldn’t stand up to the dominant force that is Eliz Maloney who achieved a dazzling 6-0, 6-3 win. A great win for Maloney, be sure to catch her in action this weekend as she battles for 5th place!

Court 1 next featured Ewan Moore vs Giles Hussey. Both men played outstandingly in their pools, defeating some great competitors. Moore faced Charles Broom in the Quarters losing in straight sets, and Hussey faced Kyle Edmund also losing in straight sets. Although Hussey is 500 ATP rankings higher than Moore, Moore is in form at present and is having a great tournament. The first set was a blood bath, both players had plenty of opportunities to break and failed to capitalise. It was Moore who seemed dominant to begin with but, after a solid defensive effort, Hussey rose from the depths to force a break in the 10th game. The first set concluded 6-4. After some ferocious and fast ground strokes from Moore, he stole the second set 6-3. And so onto another match tiebreak. Moore was able to win all the points off his dynamic serve (7), and also grabbed 3 points off the serve of Hussey. In the end, Moore rounded up the match tiebreak 10-4. A great comeback victory for the 24-year-old!

Lastly, Joanna Garland surmounted the efforts of Danielle Daley showing precisely why she is the highest rated women’s player in the UK Pro League Nottingham Finals Week. A tremendous display from Garland. Katarina Stresnakova also got the better of her opponent Gabriella Knutson 6-0, 6-4. Stresnakova will play Maloney on Sunday for that highly contested 5th spot.

25th November, 2022

UKPL Finals Week 2022 – Day 4 Recap

The 4th day of a UK Pro League Week is always packed full of action. It sees every player compete in a mix of Quarter Finals and 9-12th round robin matches. This one certainly did not disappoint.

The Quarter Finals commenced with Elena Malygina taking on Andre Lukosiute. Malygina took hold of the match from the very start. Breaking 3 times in both sets, she propelled her way to an early victory and concluded the first match in just over an hour 6-0, 6-1.

On Court 1, we were first treated to a contest between Katarina Stresnakova and Maia Lumsden. The first set was incredibly tight. Lumsden, due to a slightly sloppy start, found herself 4-0 down; Stresnakova even made it to 5-2 up on Lumsden’s serve. However, through Lumsden’s stoicism, she was able to break 3 times to make the set 7-5. Lumsden’s variety simply caught Stresnakova off guard, the forehand dropshot reminiscent of Carlos Alcaraz. The second set didn’t disappoint either. Both players broke one another numerous times, Stresnakova was brilliant off her backhand and Lumsden’s variety was, once again, to be applauded. The tension was palpable, it held right up until the 7th game when Stresnakova broke. Lumsden then broke back, then they both held and, in the last game, when Lumsden was 6-5 up she converted a hard-fought break concluding this thrilling match. That was an awesome match, one for the UKPL history books! If you missed it make sure to catch it on demand on the Tennis Channel. Wow, just wow!

The next Quarter Final match featured Joshua Paris and Billy Harris, two decorated players. Harris, currently ranked 322 in the ATP Rankings, started slightly shaky and allowed the dominant Paris to get ahead 6-4. Paris’ backhand started and stopped the rallies with fluidity and ease, not to mention his forehand and serve doing damage. However Harris, a veteran of the UK Pro League, was not finished whatsoever. In the second set, Harris played systematically and with confidence. He won almost 90% of points off his second serve, affirming that old adage, ‘you’re only as good as your second serve’. Harris, therefore, capped off the second 6-4. Now, to the match tie-break: Paris, although playing many fine shots throughout the match, couldn’t capitalise and Harris used his confident strokes to overwhelm the 26-year-old. It ultimately came down to the clinical serving and powerful ground strokes that earned Billy Harris the win (10-5).

Harry Wendelken vs Dan Cox was another exhilarating match. The match could be dubbed a clash of the ages; Wendelken being 12 years Cox’s junior. The match started with a sparkle; both players broke early on, but Wendelken prevailed with his electric speed and cat-like agility to gain a break up and take the first set 6-4. This first set went to deuce innumerable times; neither wanted to give in and consistency was the name of the game. The second set was a spitting image of the first. The rallies were quick but controlled, generating power beyond the realm of man. The second set ultimately fell into the hands of the Cox (6-4). The match tiebreak was, without fail, exactly the same! Consistency ruled with an iron sceptre, a minor fault and the game would be lost. Cox took a mini lead at the start taking it to 5-2, but Wendelken could not be shown the door; his young animosity was not to be subdued. Ultimately, Cox took charge and nipped Wendelken at the post 10-7. Another match I highly recommend to catch up on if you missed it!

Kyle Edmund showed his expertise in his Quarter Finals match against Giles Hussey and defeated him convincingly 6-2, 6-3. Edmund’s first serve was once again absolutely dominant; he was able to win 30 of 40 shots off his first serve. Equally, his forehand commanded respect during the rallies, with Hussey failing to reach many of the blistering shots Edmund produced. Ewan Moore vs Charles Broom ended with a similar score. Broom swept Moore away in straight sets: 6-2, 6-4. Broom’s serving was imperative to his win. He was able to dictate the rallies from the back, however not without Ewan’s brilliant speed and court coverage to engender some awe-inspiring rallies. Both players fought well, but it is Charles Broom who advances to the Semi Finals.

The next of the blockbuster matches on Court 1 came from Eliz Maloney and Lauryn John-Baptiste. Eliz Maloney, who needs no introduction with the year she’s having, climbing 700 WTA ranks this year alone. Lauryn John-Baptiste, 500 ranks Maloney’s inferior, is also having a great year, coming 3rd and 2nd in Weeks 3 and 7 respectively. Their head-to-head record favours Maloney, who defeated John-Baptiste in the Week 7 UK Pro League Finals. In the first set, Maloney imposed herself from the get-go, using her powerful strokes along with her dynamic court movement to take the lead. However, John-Baptiste is a fighter above all and she tussled her way back in the second set. Both players broke one another over 4 times, but, ultimately, it was a beautifully precise backhand that earned John-Baptiste the break late in the second. Nothing compared to the beauty of the match tie-break. Maloney and John-Baptiste were toe-to-toe in a battle of grit, after an hour and ¾ of gruelling match play they persevered to give us some of the best rallies not only of the day, but of the week. Maloney, in the tie break, kept a small break lead over John-Baptiste. At 7-5 it looked ominous for John-Baptiste and Maloney looked as though she could do no wrong. However, John-Baptiste would not give up. Point after point she drew nearer and nearer to that final winning result. Finally, to show just how brilliant she was, she won with a ground-quaking backhand that licked the line. 7-7, 7-8, 7-9. It seems as though each match here today tells its own story, this, most certainly, was a sight to behold.

Another terrific Quarter Final match featured Freya Christie and Gabriella Knutson. Knutson took the first set 6-3, winning 100% of the points off her first serve. However, if there’s anything one should know of Christie is that she is a trooper, she saved 7 of 7 break points against her serve. An outstanding second set from Christie made the scores equal. Then, to another match tie-break, this one was a photo-finish. Christie had 3 match points at 9-6, but Knutson brought it back to 9-8. Just as it looked like Knutson was making her way back, Christie closed the door on her chances finishing the match 10-8.

We certainly had some incredible and nail-bitingly close Quarter Finals, but Thursday also saw the start of the 9-12th round robin matches. In these, the pool of four players compete against each other to gain points (3 points for a straight sets win, whilst a 3 set match earns the winner 2 points and the loser 1) from which the finishing order is determined.

The 9-12th round-robin matches commenced with Arina Vasilescu, who was just bested by Freya Christie yesterday in the Pool matches, and Joanna Garland. The match was always going to be tight, with Garland also losing both Pool matches against two very strong competitors. The beginning of the first set was clinical from Garland, who gained 4 break points- two of which she converted. In the second set, Vasilescu was the one to take hold of the breaks and grabbed 3 off 3 chances. That was the beginning of the end for Garland, who fought admirably and very possibly could have won, but a few unforced errors were her undoing. The final result came out as 3-6, 6-2, 10-7.

Also in the 9-12ths, Danielle Daley took on Alice Gillan, with Daley wrapping up that match in a hard-fought but decisive 6-2, 6-3. Hodkin performed very well when facing George Houghton, with fine placement and acute power. Houghton seemed perhaps more erroneous than he usually is, especially on the backhand side and over the short ball. Nonetheless a superb finish by Hodkin winning 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, Anton Matusevich defeated Tom Hands 6-3, 6-1 and will play Sean Hodkin on Friday.

Watch the matches live on BT Sport, the Tennis Channel and ukproleague.tv all week. Tickets to come and watch are available here

24th November, 2022

UKPL Finals Week 2022 – Women’s Pools Recap

It’s been an exciting few days here in Nottingham during the first stage of the 2022 UK Pro League Finals. In the pool stage, the 12 players are split into pools of 3, within which they compete. The top two from each pool proceed through to the Quarter Finals, whilst the third place enters the 9-12th play-offs.

Women’s Pool A saw Arina Vasilescu, Freya Christie and Eliz Maloney battle it out. Maloney, winning Weeks 5 and 7, is looking to extend her run of good form. In the first set of her match against Christie, Maloney saved 8 of 10 break points, winning 6-4. The second set weaved a different tale. With only one break being offered and taken, Christie took it and championed 6-4. The final match tiebreak was also closely fought, but Maloney’s recent meteoric rise had to hit a bump at some stage; she was stifled 10-5 in the final tiebreak, with Christie’s first serve being her saving grace. Maloney was on fire in the next match against Vasilescu and took advantage early in both sets, perhaps miffed at her recent defeat. The match concluded swiftly in just over 60 minutes 6-1, 6-1. This left Vasilescu needing to win in straight sets against a dominant Christie to secure her place in the Quarter Finals. Her first set performance dazzled an uncomfortable Christie, however she seemed to tire marginally in the 8th game of the second set, in which Christie just broke her. The rest of set two was routine for Christie, and with that in the bag she secured her spot in the Quarter Finals. It was clear in the match tiebreak that after Vasilescu’s defeat in the second she was slightly broken, the match concluded 4-6, 6-3, 10-7, meaning Christie tops Pool A.

Pool B for the women featured up and coming stars such as Elena Malygina, Joanna Garland and Katarina Stresnakova. Stresnakova began her UK Pro League Finals Week with a win against Garland. She edged past her 7-6(1), 7-5. However Elena Malygina wrapped up both pool matches with competence beating both Garland and Stresnakova in straight sets.

In Pool C, Lauryn John-Baptiste was able to overcome both Gabriella Knutson and Alice Gillan in straight-sets affairs. John-Baptiste, having reached the UK Pro League Week 7 Finals, has continued to excel, however, rather imperiously, John-Baptiste will face Eliz Maloney in the Quarter Finals, who she lost to in the Week 7 UK Pro League finals 6-2, 6-3. It will be interesting to see if she will be able to surmount the burgeoning star that is Eliz Maloney. Knutson, having beaten Gillan to come second in the pool, will face Christie in another Quarter Final match which should be interesting, given how close these two are in rankings- Christie currently at 454 and Knutson at 469 (WTA Rankings).

Women’s Pool D saw Maia Lumsden beat both Danielle Daley and Andre Lukosiute. It was ultimately the accuracy and power of Lumsden’s first serves (she had almost 80% of points won off her first serves) that led to her taking the match against Lukosiute, who is ranked the 4th best Lithuanian player at only 21 years old. The match concluded 7-6(4), 6-0. Daley vs Lumsden was less close, Lumsden winning 6-4 6-1 in 70 minutes. Daley will next see Alice Gillan in the 9-12th play-offs, whilst Lukosiute will face Elena Malygina in tomorrow’s Quarter Finals. Lumsden will face the runner-up of Pool D, Katarina Stresnakova.

With the Pool round robin matches complete, we now turn to the 9-12th Round-Robin matches and the Quarter Finals of the UK Pro League Finals Week. Watch live all week on BT Sport (Court 1), the Tennis Channel (Court 2) and ukproleague.tv (Court 2).

Tickets are still available to come watch the action at Nottingham Tennis Centre- buy here

24th November, 2022

UKPL Finals Week 2022- Men’s Pools Recap

It’s been an exciting few days here in Nottingham during the first stage of the 2022 UK Pro League Finals. In the pool stage, the 12 players are split into pools of 3, within which they compete. The top two from each pool proceed through to the Quarter Finals, whilst the third place enters the 9-12th play-offs.

The hotly contested Pool C consists of George Houghton, Kyle Edmund and Dan Cox. Kyle Edmund, a wildcard this week, has a previous career high ranking of 14, although he only recently returns after an 18-month break due to injury. The first match came between Edmund and Houghton. George Houghton, currently sitting at 1523 in the ATP rankings, is one of the smoothest players of the ball in the Finals Week. Houghton found himself 5-2 down in the first set with Edmund’s patented forehand letting loose. However, Houghton played not just immaculate- but rhythmic- tennis. His shots were perfectly placed with enough power, and he went on to win the set 7-5. A fantastic showing from the young man from Guildford. However, the next two sets would not fall to Houghton, who struggled after his brief episode of magic to compete toe-to-toe with a hitter of such calibre as Edmund is. The game ended: 5-7, 6-3, 10-2. Unfortunately, Houghton’s loss was doubled as he faced Dan Cox. Cox, a man of superb talent, reaching a career high ATP ranking of 206, was able to overcome Houghton in emphatic fashion 7-6(2), 6-1. Houghton was out, and so the final showdown of Pool C came between Dan Cox and Kyle Edmund. The match was electric with both players breaking and subsequently losing their serves. But at the end of the closely fought battle Edmund beat Cox in a thrilling match tie-break (10-8). Dan Cox, although losing to Edmund beat Houghton in straight sets and due to the formatting of the tournament (2 points for win in 3 sets, 3 points for a win in straight sets), Cox heads the group.

In Pool D Josh Paris, Sean Hodkin and Charlie Broom battled it out for the top two spots. Josh Paris lost in a 3-set defeat to Sean Hodkin in the first match. Hodkin, as a result, seemed in fine form going into his match against Charlie Broom, but lost in just one hour 6-2, 6-3. Broom saved 5/5 break points during the match and held his nerve to secure him the 3-point victory. The last match featured Paris vs. Broom, which would determine if Paris made it to the Quarter Finals. In the end, Paris was able to secure a confident 6-3, 6-4 to place him at the top of Pool D with Broom in close second. Broom will play in-form Ewan Moore, whilst Paris is set to face Billy Harris in the other Quarter Final.

The illustrious Pool B did not disappoint. It contained last year’s UK Pro League Champion Anton Matusevich within the ranks, as well as Billy Harris, a definite contender for the title, and Ewan Moore, also a strong competitor. Ewan Moore began his unbelievable run, in widely regarded as the toughest men’s pool, by beating Billy Harris in a stellar performance 6-3, 7-5. Ewan Moore is the epitome of electric on the court, there’s unquestionably nothing that this man can’t reach. In that vein, any inconsistency and he will pounce- not to mention his shot making is fantastic. Next up, in an astonishing display, Ewan Moore defeated the defending Champion 6-4, 7-6(2). Matusevich began in his own characteristic style by slapping and whipping the balls around the court breaking Moore in the 5th game. However, after this break, Matusevich seemed to slip marginally, which led to Moore capitalising by converting some break points to win the first. The second set showed just how impressive both players can be. Anton, hitting with such power the echoes are endless and Moore, with such a firm determination not to let the game slip; the second set proved to be nail-biting. Moore saved 5/6 break points and ultimately broke Matusevich who was serving for the second set. Moore used his speed and talent to blow the ex-UK Pro League Champion out the water and win in straight sets. Ewan takes on Charlie Broom in the Quarter Finals. The last match between Matusevich and Harris was widely anticipated. The loser would go into the 9-12th play-offs, neither thought at the beginning of the tournament that Ewan’s meteoric rise would stifle one of their entries into the Quarters. Harris, from the offset was serving cannonballs and forcing errors from Matusevich. Additionally, he saved 6/6 break points and forced a break of his own to take the first. If the ex-champion was to remain a contender for the title, he had to win the next set. After a dramatic end of the second set, in which Billy was almost broken when serving for the match, ultimately Harris came through victorious. Harris plays Joshua Paris in the Quarter Finals, which should be electric.

In Pool A, Harry Wendelken came out on top beating Brandon Murphy in straight sets and Giles Hussey in a tightly fought 3 set match. Wendelken, thus, tops the pool with 5 points. Brandon Murphy unfortunately had to withdraw after one match, which allowed Tom Hands the alternate to take the reins. Thus, the final match of day 3 came between Giles Hussey and Tom Hands. After the first set (which Hussey won [6-0]), Hands fought admirably, pushing Hussey all around the court and making it a scintillating watch. Ultimately however, Hussey forced a break late in the second set to clinch the win- a well fought battle between the two! Hussey now takes on Edmund in the Quarter Finals, this will be an incredibly tight match.

With the Pool’s round-robin matches complete, we now turn to the 9-12th round-robin matches and the Quarter Finals of the UK Pro League Finals Week. Watch live all week on BT Sport (Court 1), the Tennis Channel (Courts 1 & 2) and ukproleague.tv (Court 2).

Tickets are still available to come watch the action at Nottingham Tennis Centre- buy here

20th November, 2022

George Loffhagen beats Anton Matusevich 6-3 2-6 10-2 and is the winner of Week 7

In his debut UKPL Week, George Loffhagen takes the crown by winning against Week 6 Winner and UKPL 2021 Champion Anton Matusevich at the match tiebreak.

20th November, 2022

Eliz Maloney defeats Lauryn John-Baptiste 6-2 6-3 to win Week 7

Eliz Maloney wins against Lauryn John-Baptiste in straight sets in the UKPL Week 7 Final. This is Maloney’s 2nd UKPL Week Win this year, having won Week 5 back in September.

16th November, 2022

Edmund announces return to tennis with UK Pro League wildcard

Former world number 14 and Australian Open semi-finalist Kyle Edmund has signalled his return to competitive action by taking one of the wildcard spots in next week’s UK Pro League Finals in Nottingham.

Former British no.1 Edmund had been out of action for 18 months until playing a series of US tournaments in the summer, and is looking at opportunity to compete against some of Britain’s other top professionals as an ideal way to launch his campaign to climb the world rankings in 2023.

Other top British stars officially booked their spots in UK Pro League Finals Week after a thrilling seven weeks of action across the UK. They will descend on the Nottingham Tennis Centre next Monday (21st November) where the champion of the premier league of British of British tennis – will be crowned.

While George Loffhagen and Eliz Maloney won the Week 7 event at the Gosling Tennis Centre on Saturday, the 24-strong line-up for Finals Week was confirmed with Edmund being joined by a star-studded selection of wildcards including Charlie Broom and Giles Hussey in the men’s draw and Eden Silva, Freya Christie and Maia Lumsden in the women’s draw.

Maloney and Loffhagen win the final qualifying week of 2022

Two-time weekly winner Maloney, who beat Lauryn John-Baptiste 6-2, 6-3 in Saturday’s Week 7 final and therefore topped the women’s league table, said:

“I’m very pleased and I’ve been playing well lately. What’s working for me at the moment is just focusing on what I’m doing on my end on the court and then hopefully, the results will come.”

Loffhagen however launched his bid for a Finals Week slot too late and missed out on qualification by just two points. Loffhagen, 21, won this, his maiden UK Pro League appearance with a brilliant 10-2 tie-break victory over reigning champion Matusevich said:

“It was a pretty tough match – I felt like I played well in the first set and held my serve well, but I struggled in the second. It’s really good – it’s my first time I’ve played and it’s a really good experience that’s given me a lot of matches and confidence.”

Emma Raducanu, who shot to fame with a scintillating US Open triumph last year, was memorably crowned winner of the inaugural UK Pro League Finals Week in 2020 alongside Liam Broady in the men’s event. Sonay Kartal and Anton Matusevich then followed in their footsteps by lifting the coveted Golden Pineapple Trophy in Shrewsbury last year.

Matusevich, who won this season’s Week 6 event last month, has qualified for the season climax once again alongside fellow men’s stars including Billy Harris, Luke Johnson and Dan Cox.
After a stellar year of competition in the UK Pro League, the UKPL Finals Week starts on Monday 21st November and runs through to Finals Day on Sunday 27th November at the Nottingham Tennis Centre. Every shot will be broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKPL TV with tickets to the event available from just £5 a day. Tickets are available here. Don’t miss out!

12th November, 2022

Week 7 – Day 6 Recap

To begin the Semi-finals Day, Alice Gillan faced Lauryn John-Baptiste. Gillan, the favourite and the winner of last week’s UK Pro League competition, was set to beat John-Baptiste. Baptiste, who came through her group in second place, only losing to Arina Vasilescu (who was defeated by Beth Grey in the Quarterfinals) in straight sets. However, John-Baptiste came out of the blocks with fire in her racket and ice in her heart. She took the first set 6-0 with ease in just 1 hour, completely dominating the Week 6 winner in every aspect of the game. Gillan, renowned for her powerful strokes, made just a few too many unforced errors. Against a contender such as John-Baptiste (who is one of the most consistent players playing this week) she was bound to find trouble. The second set was a little closer at the start, with the games tied 2-2. It was from this point that Gillan would not win another game, as her rhythm toppled and gave way for the 23-year-old. It ended 6-2, a confident and gracious performance by John-Baptiste. She will advance to the finals and will face Eliz Maloney. These two have faced one another recently at the 100k Shrewsbury event, in which John-Baptiste was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Maloney, so it will be interesting to see how John-Baptiste adapts her game to try and get an advantage against the in-form Maloney.

The next match saw George Loffhagen take on Joshua Paris. It was a very tight game, with Paris taking the first set 7-6(5). Both players were using their dominant serves and brutal forehands in the first set to hold each and every one of their own service games. Loffhagen’s backhand was causing a few errors, which was very uncharacteristic of him. This allowed Josh Paris to play out of his skin to clinch the first set from Loffhagen. Was this going to be an upset? No, Loffhagen broke the first game of the second set. In the form that both these players were, all it takes is one break and the set is forgone. So, we saw another match tiebreak. Loffhagen’s backhand and serve was back to normal; he won 100% of points on his serve (6), whilst winning 4/6 return points. It was a truly dominant showing, ending 10-2. This was Loffhagen at his best, although maximum credit goes to Josh Paris, who played outstandingly in the first set, playing well above his ranking. Loffhagen will face Anton Matusevich in the final; they too have played against one another in the round-robin format of Week 7 Pro League matches, in which Matusevich won 7-6(2), 7-5. However, when we spoke to Matusevich he mentioned that this was his hardest matchup, who will win?..

The next matchup in the Semi-finals was between Anton Matusevich, who is considered the favourite in the men’s competition, and Dan Cox, who having taken some time out to consider coaching has come back and is dominating the men’s game. I want to put out a disclaimer that if anyone doesn’t like long deuces, this is certainly not the game for you! Almost every single game in this match went to a deuce; both players’ return games especially shone through. Matusevich broke early in the first set with some absolutely mind-boggling forehands. However, Cox broke back immediately (making him only the second player to break the Matusevich serve since the beginning of this week’s tournament). With the scores level, Matusevich went and broke twice more to make the set 6-2. This is the most unreflective score of a single set of tennis I’ve ever seen. The second set was anything but different, Matusevich broke early and took a 3-0 lead, he then aimed to break again but Cox saved 5 of 6 break points on his serve to keep him in it. But, as mentioned earlier, a single break can change the course of the game and especially when Matusevich is serving, and so the match ended in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. Ultimately, Cox saved 7 break points and Matusevich saved 4 in a wild game.

The last Semi-final came between top seed Beth Grey and Eliz Maloney. Again, a widely anticipated match that could have gone either way! Both players went toe-to-toe, with Maloney breaking twice and Grey breaking once. Maloney broke the serve of Grey to love at 5-4, to conclude that first set 6-4. Maloney’s serving today was great, able to win 81% of the points off her first serve. The second set didn’t disappoint. Both players favoured the break; Maloney broke 4 games in total and Beth a couple. Both players also favoured the strong returns to win points, neither played poorly at all. There’s just something about Eliz Maloney and the way she wins points that she almost goes unnoticed, it goes from 0-40 to deuce before you know it and then she’s broken. A great game played by her and she advances to play Lauryn John-Baptiste in the finals tomorrow.

Other notable games came between Billy Harris and Tiran Sanghera. Sanghera, who lost within his pool to both Joe Tyler and Harry Wendelken, came out firing and putting the pressure on the top seeded male. Harris took the first set, with his first serves doing the damage (93% of points won off first serve). However, in the second, Sanghera saved all break points and converted 1. The set concluded 6-3. Sanghera simply won all of the points off his first serves and returned well. The match tiebreak was over before it began, with Sanghera wrapping it up 10-3. A good showing from him!

Summer Yardley beat Jessica Matthews, with Matthews retiring due to a back injury. Ewan Moore displayed his talent by beating Maceo Simpson, the alternate, in straight sets. Additionally, Michelle Dzjachangirova beat Emma Cohen, however Cohen too retired due to an ankle injury. Finally, there was a strong matchup between Danielle Daley and Jizel Fernandes, Daley wrapped that up 6-4, 6-2, even withstanding the injury that she had during her match against Lauryn John-Baptiste.

The last match of the day was to decide 5th place between Alexis Canter and Harry Wendelken. Canter took the first set, which went to a tiebreak, winning the 75% of the points off his second serves. This plays into the old adage of ‘you’re only as good as your second serve’. In second set Wendelken came back and was able to capitalise on a single break and hold his own serves to win the set 6-3. Then came the tricky match tiebreak, which again saw Canter winning the majority of his serves and 100% of the points off his second serves. Canter’s serve has been an enigma this week; it’s much slower than the other players’ second serves and isn’t too spin-fuelled, but it has proved influential to his victories, with many players not being able to handle it. As a result, Canter takes 5th place and Wendelken takes 6th.

Day 6 results:

• Lauryn John-Baptiste bt Alice Gillan 6-0, 6-2
• Eliz Maloney bt Beth Grey 6-4, 6-2
• Anton Matusevich bt Dan Cox 6-2, 6-3
• George Loffhagen bt Joshua Paris 6(5)-7, 6-3, 10-2
• Tiran Sanghera bt Tiran Sanghera 3-6, 6-3, 10-3
• Ewan Moore bt Maceo Simpson 6-2, 6-2
• Michelle Dzjachangirova bt Emma Cohen 4-6, 6-4 ret.
• Danielle Daley bt Jizel Fernandes 6-3, 6-2
• Summer Yardley bt Jessica Matthews 2-1 ret.
• Alexis Canter bt Harry Wendelken 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-6