Superstar Sonay Kartal hopes to continue her stunning run of form after triumphing in the UK Pro League Finals Week at the Shrewsbury Club against Freya Christie.
In a near faultless performance, Kartal dropped just one game as she beat Christie – an opponent over 300 places above her in the world rankings – 6-0, 6-1 in just over an hour to capture the title and a lucrative £15,000 prize.
Kartal, 20, was one of the pre-tournament favourites having prevailed in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 of the UK Pro League, as well as winning the biggest title of her career to date at the W15 event in Antalya just a few weeks ago.
It has been a remarkable run of form for the south coast star – who was off court earlier in the year due to injury – but she did not have it all her own way in Shrewsbury this week.
A pool stage loss to Katie Stresnakova meant she only just edged her way into the knockout stages, though she beat Japanese wildcard Lily Miyazaki – an opponent 774 spots above her in the WTA rankings – before beating Beth Grey in yesterday’s semi-final.
Photo: Ian Hall
The world No.989 continued to play tennis well above her ranking today, beating world No.628 Christie to win the second UK Pro League title, following in US Open champion Emma Raducanu’s 2020 footsteps.
Kartal was in fact a contemporary of Raducanu as a junior, beating her in six of their 11 meetings with clips of the two playing each other going viral after Raducanu’s US Open triumph.
Afterwards, she revealed that she had not hit the ball anywhere near as well during practice sessions building earlier today, saying: “I didn’t practice too well earlier so I was a little bit nervous coming out, but I just tried to forget the occasion and play my own game. I’ve had a lot of injuries in the past so I’ve really capitalised on the Pro League. You’re guaranteed five matches so the format for me has been really beneficial, and it’s something that I’m definitely going to continue on next year. I’m very grateful for all that’s been put on this year.
The highlights for me have been that I’ve managed to keep a pretty consistent game throughout this whole week. I did lose to Katie in the last round of the groups but I think I’ve taken some good match practice.
I’m off to Tunisia next week, so I’m really going to try and continue this form and bring it out there.”
Nine individual qualifying weeks across the 2021 season and around the UK had led to this week’s finals week in Shrewsbury, with nine automatic qualifiers and three wildcards in both the men’s and women’s draws.And as the Premier League of British tennis – and the only domestic competition for the country’s top professionals – with over half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, all the action was broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv, with Finals Week also broadcast live on free to air channel FreeSports (Freeview Channel 64 / Sky Channel 422 / Virgin Channel 553 / BT TV Channel 64 / TalkTalk Channel 64).
It was a disappointing afternoon for Christie, who could only hold on to her serve once and missed opportunities to break Kartal in the final game of the match.
However, having qualified in fifth position for Finals Week, there were still plenty of positives for her to take.
Photo: Ian Hall
She said: “I think I’ve got to take a lot of positives from this week. It’s been a great week for me. I always love playing in Shrewsbury and I appreciate the crowd support. I really appreciate everyone who came out today.
“I’m hoping to do one or two more tournaments, hopefully some 25K events, but that just depends on scheduling. This might be the last tournament of the year for me.
“I think credit to Sonay today – I think she missed about one ball the whole match, so well played. I’ll have to take that one on the chin.”
By Sportsbeat
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14th November, 2021
Anton Matusevich and Sonay Kartal win the UK Pro League 2021
Anton Matusevich and Sonay Kartal ran out comfortable winners in the culmination of 10 weeks of UK Pro League tennis.
Kartal thrashes Christie in the final
In the women’s competition it was Sonay who ran away with the final, dominating from start to finish. The first set was an outstanding display of tennis as she broke serve 3 times to take the set 6-0. Even though Freya Christie was able to get a slight foothold in the second set, quickly the power and accuracy of Kartal’s relentless ground strokes stubbed out any chance of an unlikely comeback. Whilst Kartal lost one of her group games earlier in the week, she has looked a class above the rest of the field. Adding to her three-peat earlier in the season, Kartal joins Emma Raducanu in a extremely elite group as female UK Pro League winners.
Here she is, Sonay Kartal is your UK Pro League 2021 Champion! 🏆🍍
A statement victory from the 20 year-old in the final, winning 6-0, 6-1 vs Christie 🔥
“I tried to forget the occasion and just play my own game. have had a lot of injuries in the past so I have really capitalised on the UK Pro League, you are guaranteed 5 matches so the format for me is really beneficial. It’s something that I will continue on next year. I have managed to keep a consistent game all week and I am off to Tunisia next week so I am hoping to take this form out there.”
After the match runner-up Freya Christie said:
“I think credit to Sonay, I think she missed one ball the whole match so well played. I will have to take this one on the chin. It has been a great week for me and I appreciate the crowd and I had a corner there cheering me on. This might be the last tournament of the year for me it might not.”
Anton Matusevich wins the UK Pro League without dropping a set
Anton Matusevich won the men’s Golden Pineapple trophy after a stellar performance topped an almost flawless week at the Shrewsbury Club.
He was only broken twice in the whole week and his first set performance was truly unstoppable. Henry Patten was able to grow in the second set but in truth there was only ever one winner. Matusevich was magnificent throughout as he stormed to a comprehensive victory and claimed the £15,000 prize money. The British No.11 made it 20 UK Pro League victories in a row as he brushed the challenge of Henry Patten aside. All week Matusevich’s serving has been untouchable and it was the case here as he won 93% of the points where he landed his first serve.The newly crowned UK Pro League champion Anton Matusevich had this to say:
I’m really pleased, firstly I’d like to congratulate Henry, that second set was getting heated. I’m happy to get through it, the 4-4 game I got a bit lucky. You’re guaranteed 5 matches here win or lost but I am very happy to have come out on top.
Me and my coaches have worked a lot on the 3rd shot, I don’t hit too many aces but it’s the shot behind it that’s really important. We have worked on it a lot and it has proved key.
Tennis is a very expensive sport and it’s been awesome. Thank you to the crowd you have been good, very nice on a Sunday.
It was a disappointing end to Henry Patten’s week but he will take plenty of positive things from his time in Shrewsbury. He said after the match:
“I’ve really enjoyed every second of it. I have enjoyed every week I have played in. A massive thank you to everyone who helps put these events on, all the players love them. It’s an amazing opportunity for us and it helps us fund our career.”
“It (The second set) was better than the first set! Anton is pretty good, I knew that going into it and I knew that I had to play at my best to have a chance and I didn’t quite do that.”
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14th November, 2021
Finals Preview: Who will lift the Golden Pineapples?
After 10 weeks of enthralling action, the finals of the UK Pro League 2021 are here. Who will come out on top and join Emma Raducanu and Liam Broady as champions and lift the Golden Pineapples.
Matusevich vs Patten (14:00)
In the men’s final two unbeaten players will fight it out in front of a sold out Shrewsbury Club. Henry Patten came into finals week of the back of his first win at the ITF level in the US. The 25-year-old defeated Dan Cox in sublime style in the semi-final. His unstoppable left-handed ground strokes have earned him 4 straight wins this week and if he makes it 5 he will be crowned champion of the UK Pro League.
Anton Matusevich has been the front runner all week and said it himself that his goal was the final. He is there now but will want to go one step further and win the tournament. The British No.11 has been untouchable so far and got to the final without dropping a set all week. He brushed aside both Julian Cash and Giles Hussey on his way to the final.
The finalists have played twice this year, both matches in Week 3 including the final. Matusevich came out better off in both matches to secure the week 3 crown but Patten will be looking for revenge in Shrewsbury.
Kartal vs Christie (15:30)
Two stalwarts of the UK Pro League this year clash in the hotly anticipate final of the women’s competition.
Sonay Kartal (Below) won three weeks in a row as she hit red-hot form midway through the 10-weeks of the Pro League this year. Her path to the final was blocked by two wild cards in Beth Grey and Lily Miyazaki with a massive gap in WTA ranking in both matches. Other players would have been intimidated by the names but Sonay was able to sweep through the competition and secure her place in the final.
Freya Christie (Below) qualified in 5th place after consistently challenging throughout the Pro League. At a venue that she describes as “Almost a second home’ Christie has been brilliant all week. Since losing to Lily Miyazaki (Who Sonay Kartal defeated in the quarter-finals) in the group stage, Christie has not put a foot wrong as she dumped Katie Stresnakova and wildcard entree Eden Silva out of the competition.
The two have not faced off this year but came close in Week 3 where Sonay withdrew from their 3rd/4th playoff match. It promises to be a hotly contested match between two players in some of the best form of their lives.
You can watch the finals and all other matches on the Tennis Channel, BT Sport Extra, UK Pro League TV and FreeSports.
FreeSports content is only available to view in the UK. The channel can be viewed on many different TV platforms including Sky TV (channel 422), Freeview (channel 64), Virgin (channel 553), Freesat (channel 252), TalkTalk TV (channel 64) and BT TV (channel 64).
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13th November, 2021
A conversation with: Jo Durie
Former British No.1 Jo Durie was in attendance at the UK Pro League in her capacity as coach for Eliz Maloney and she gave us her thoughts on the importance of the event in the British tennis calendar and the impact made on the game by last year’s Pro League champion, Emma Raducanu.
How important has the UK Pro League been to British players in the last 18 months?
It has been so important. The UK Pro League has been a lifesaver as it has allowed our players to play matches and earn money when travel was so difficult. You can only practice so much and it has been wonderful to have this event spread over the course of the year.
For a player like Eliz Maloney (Below), who I am working with at this event, it has given her a wonderful platform to play matches and when she was able to travel again, the games she had under her belt really helped her. There is nothing like playing matches.
The LTA are supporting this and that is the right thing to do. We all need to pull together in tennis for the good of the game and there are too many different factions in tennis. The last thing we need is any more.
What is the first big target for the players in the UK Pro League?
Top 100 is what they are aiming for. If you get to that level, you are playing in all four Grand Slam tournaments and you are starting to earn money from the sport. Your experience at that level of the game is different and that is what all these players in the UK Pro League are striving for. When you get there, anything is possible. The trouble is there are a lot of players our there from a whole load of countries who are working as hard as you to get there.
Emma Raducanu won the UK Pro League last year and now she is the US Open champion. What impact can her success have on other British players?
There are some players who played her in this country not so long ago and beat her. Then they see her winning a Grand Slam and they will think why can’t I do something like that. It has given them extra motivation and confidence.
It was just totally amazing. We are all still talking about it. I have spoken to so many people who never really watched tennis and it just caught their imagination. It really has made an impact on a lot of people. She is so engaging as a character, easy to watch as she is such a great player and it really has inspired a lot of people and given our game a massive boost.
Did you always see this potential in Raducanu?
I saw someone who was going to be very good, but to win a Grand Slam like that… no I didn’t see that happening. This was someone who didn’t play much at the start of this year, had not even played a match on the WTA Tour and then she played in the manner she did at Wimbledon before we all saw what happened at the US Open. That was not on anyone’s radar, but we can all see the talent there. She works hard, is eager to learn, has a great temperament, so let’s celebrate her success. It’s fantastic for Emma and everyone involved in British tennis.
How can we open more doors to our young players in the UK?
There are only four Grand Slams that get the benefit of money from those events and we are licks to have one here with Wimbledon, so it’s all about how you use it. The LTA are on to a hiding to nothing a lot of the time, but I would like to see the money spread around a little bit more. I work with youngsters at the Jet Academy in North London and you see players at the age of 11 and 12 who are winning events, but they might not even be playing the sport by the age of 16. So it’s very difficult to pick out early on those players who will succeed. Some players develop later. It is hard to assess who are the players to back, so spreading the money around a little more to encourage development may be helpful.
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13th November, 2021
Day 6 Recap: Epic Semi-Finals as Kartal and Patten join Christie and Matuesvich in the finals
On the super Saturday of Finals Week, the crowds at the Shrewsbury club were treated to some incredible tennis. The semi-finals produced thrills all day long on court 1 as Kartal, Patten, Matusevich and Christie progressed to the final stage.
First up on Court 1 was the clash between Anton Matusevich and Giles Hussey, where Matusevich, the British No.11, triumphed 6-2, 7-5. His serving and some ridiculous winners suffocated Hussey’s attempts to get into the game.
After the match Matusevich was in a confident mood:
“It was a pretty good match overall, players always start to play better in the second set. They know what they did wrong and they correct it pretty well. Giles is a tricky player, he has good hands. Lefties are never easy but overall it was alright.”
“The goal was to get to the final and take it from there. Jay (Clarke) is 200 ATP so that’s pretty tough and Henry and Dan can play. The goal was to get to the final so I’m pretty happy with myself. Tomorrow I think I will be a bit looser so I am looking forward to it. Bring anyone on, I’ll take them down. Lets do it”
Anton Matusevich has not dropped a set on his way to the final. He dispatched Sean Hodkin in straight sets in the group stage and alongside his victory when James Ward retired it was plenty to finish top of Pool B. He was drawn up against Julian Cash in the quarter-finals but won 6-4, 6-2 to advance comfortably. He overcame the stubborn Giles Hussey in the semis winning 6-2, 7-5 to grab his place in the final.
Henry Patten managed to overcome the stern test of Dan Cox as he continued his brilliant 2 week run. After his first ITF title in the US Patten has come to Finals Week in great form but there were tough moments in the 6-3, 6-3 win. Setting up the final with Matusevich.
After the match Patten said:
“I don’t feel like there was necessarily a turning point because I thought it was going to happen again and again. Dan returns so well and usually he is pretty clinical in those moments. I felt pretty luck to come out of it alive and I managed to grab the first set which was massive.”
“I flew back from the States Sunday evening and landed Monday morning. I had the day off on Monday but had to play Tuesday so it worked out fine. I feel great now, maybe it’s a recipe for success.”
“Anton (Matusevich) has been the favourite all week and before the week. He’s the guy with the target on his back and he is proving why. I have played him a couple of times before and they have been close but he has got the better of me so I will be looking forward to it.”
Freya Christie survived being 4-1 down in the first set to romp home impressively against the favoured wildcard Eden Silva. It continued her brilliant form in finals week as the 5th place qualifier stormed into the final.
“Eden (Silva) got a good start to the match and she was 4-1 up. I really had to reset in that moment and think that it was only one break of serve and then I could regroup and I did well to get so many games on a trot and serve out the set.”
“It must be my lucky charm! I always seem to win here and everybody at the club really makes me feel at home, it’s like a second home!”
“I’ll recover now, see the physio and cool down. I will watch a bit of the other semi-final to get some tactics but just relax and look forward to tomorrow.”
Sonay Kartal, winner of three weeks this year, survived a breathless semi-final against Beth Grey. The match went all the way down to the wire in what will surely go down as one of the greatest of the UK Pro League. Kartal timed her break to perfection in the first set as she went one up but Beth Grey fought back to take the tiebreak in the second set. What followed was some of the best tennis that we have seen this week. The 10-point tiebreak swung multiple times before Kartal was able to come home 7-5, 6-7, 10-8. She sets up a mouth-watering clash with Freya Christie in the final.
After the breathtaking performance Kartal said:
“I don’t even know what happened there, to be honest. Beth is very tough to play against – it’s always hard against left-handers and you really have to adapt your game plan.”
“Me and Freya have met each other a few times in the UK Pro League this season – it’s going to come down to fine margins and who executes their skills better on the day.”
Outside of the semi-finals there were straight set wins for British No.6 Jay Clarke as he ran out winner against Sean Hodkin 6-3, 6-2. Eliz Maloney wrapped up her finals week with a hard-fought win over Alice Gillan that included a intense second set tiebreak. Josh Paris finished off his UK Pro League season with a three set win where he edged out George Houghton to finish in 10th place. Charlie Broom beat Ewan Moore to get 9th spot this week and the extra prize money that comes with it.
The finals tomorrow are sure to make for sensational viewing as the best of British Tennis and we kick off the action at 11:00 AM:
You can watch the finals and all other matches tomorrow on the Tennis Channel, BT Sport Extra, UK Pro League TV and FreeSports.
FreeSports content is only available to view in the UK. The channel can be viewed on many different TV platforms including Sky TV (channel 422), Freeview (channel 64), Virgin (channel 553), Freesat (channel 252), TalkTalk TV (channel 64) and BT TV (channel 64).
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13th November, 2021
Matusevich, Kartal, Christie and Patten into the finals on Day 6
ANTON MATUSEVICH vowed to bring in-form Henry Patten plummeting back down to earth after teeing up a tantalising UK Pro League final.
Kent ace Matusevich, 20, swatted aside Giles Hussey 6-2, 7-5 in Saturday’s first men’s semi-final at the Shrewsbury Club to live up to his billing as the Finals Week favourite.
And that laid the foundations for a mouth-watering final against Suffolk star Patten, who beat experienced Dan Cox in similarly emphatic fashion – 6-3, 6-3 – to keep his hopes of clinching the crown alive.
Matusevich is in ruthless spirits at the salubrious Shropshire venue and asked about the personnel of his final opponent, said:
“Bring anyone on – I’ll take them down.”
“Let’s do it – Henry and Dan can both play. The goal was to get to the final and take it from there, so I’m pretty happy with myself.”
“Tomorrow I will be a bit looser, so I am looking forward to it.
“It was a pretty good match [against Hussey] overall – Giles is a tricky player and he has good hands. Lefties are never easy [to play against], but overall, it was alright.”
Nine individual qualifying weeks have culminated in the eagerly-anticipated UK Pro League Finals Week, where the highest-ranked stars descended on the Shrewsbury Club to duel it out for the men’s and women’s trophies.
And as the Premier League of British tennis – and the only domestic competition for the country’s top professionals – with over half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, all the action is broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv.
Matusevich (Below), winner of Weeks 2 and 3 of the competition, safely navigated his way through the Finals Week pool stages before beating Julian Cash – who topped the overall rankings – in the quarter-finals.And breezing past Hussey – who finished 11th in the standings and received a wildcard entry to Finals Week – solidified his status as one of British tennis’ hottest young prospects.
Patten, who won Week 4 of qualifying, required a champion tie-break to battle past Sean Hodkin in his quarter-final but hit his straps against Cox, 31, to fly into the final in straight sets.
The 25-year-old is relishing the prospect of duelling it out against Matusevich and having just returned from competing in the United States, said: “Anton has been the favourite all week and before the week.
“He’s the guy with the target on his back and he is proving why. I have played him a couple of times before and they have been close but he has got the better of me, so I will be looking forward to it.”
“I landed Monday morning, had the day off and played on Tuesday, so it worked out fine. I feel great now – and maybe that’s a recipe for success.”
The women’s semi-finals also served up some stunning tennis as Freya Christie beat Eden Silva in the first of the two clashes.
Christie, who qualified for Finals Week in fifth, is enjoying a Shrewsbury week to savour and continued her red-hot momentum with a dominant performance. The Nottingham ace toppled two-time week runner-up Katie Stresnakova in the quarter-finals before hauling back a 4-1 first set deficit to turn the tables and beat Silva 6-4, 6-2. And Christie, who along with Matusevich, Patten and fellow finalist Sonay Kartal competed in last year’s UK Pro Series Finals Week in Weybridge, said:
“I really had to reset in that moment [4-1 down]. I did well to get so many games on a trot and serve out the set.”
“I’ll recover now, see the physio and cool down. I will watch a bit of the other semi-final to get some tactics but just relax and look forward to tomorrow.”
And in that other semi-final, it was Kartal who progressed to the Sunday showpiece after edging past wildcard Beth Grey in a pulsating duel. The south coast star held her nerve to win a heart-thumping tie-break 10-8 after the players were locked at one set apiece 7-5, 6-7.
Kartal, 19, has enjoyed a scintillating run this season as consecutive titles in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 catapulted her into Finals Week contention. And the south coast star has re-found that form in style this week as wins against Lily Miyazaki – in a tie-break – and then that thriller against Grey propelled her into the final.
She said:
“I don’t even know what happened there, to be honest. Beth is very tough to play against – it’s always hard against left-handers and you really have to adapt your game plan.”
“Me and Freya have met each other a few times in the UK Pro League this season – it’s going to come down to fine margins and who executes their skills better on the day.”
By Sportsbeat
With a prize fund of around £500k and Broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv, the UK Pro League is the only place where the British player group come together to compete across the full year.
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13th November, 2021
Finals Week heading for a dramatic crescendo as semi-finals kick-off
By Sportsbeat
The stage is set for a heart-thumping UK Pro League finale as ten thrilling weeks of tennis come to a dramatic crescendo in Shrewsbury.
Dan Cox, Anton Matusevich, Beth Grey and Eden Silva headline a star-studded semi-final line-up all aiming to emulate Liam Broady and Emma Raducanu in clinching the prestigious crown.
Nine weeks of individual qualifying weeks have culminated in the eagerly-anticipated Finals Week, where the highest ranks stars descend on the Shrewsbury Club to duel it out for men’s and women’s trophies.
And as the Premier League of British tennis – and the only domestic competition for the country’s top professionals – with over half a million pounds of prize money up for grabs across the season, you won’t miss a thing with all the thrills and spills broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv.
The innovative competition has kept tennis fans gripped throughout the season as the likes of Emily Appleton, Eliz Maloney, Julian Cash and Billy Harris have impressed in the individual qualifying weeks.
But none of that quartet will appear in Saturday’s semi-finals after a dramatic five days of tennis in Shropshire.
Three-time week winner Appleton – who dominated the opening months of the competition – slipped to a quarter-final defeat against Silva while Maloney, who finished behind her in second in the overall rankings, was unable to grab a win in the pool stages.
Silva overcame Appleton 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in the last eight while elsewhere on Thursday, Freya Christie (Below) – who qualified in fifth – beat two-time week runner-up Katie Stresnakova in straight sets.
They were two of four quarter-finals played out on Thursday as in the men’s competition, Matusevich toppled Cash – who both starred in last season’s Finals Week in Weybridge – in similarly emphatic style.
Giles Hussey also beat Isle of Man ace Harris 7-5, 6-4, capping a helter-skelter day of tennis as two of the men’s favourites crashed out.
And the drama continued just 24 hours later, as experienced Grey knocked out Week 8 and 9 winner Lauryn John-Baptiste and Kartal battled past Lily Miyazaki in a champion tie-break.
Suffolk star Henry Patten (Below) also required a tie-break to book his place in the last four, edging past Sean Hodkin 7-5, 5-7, 10-6 in a gripping evening duel.
And in Friday’s other men’s semi-final, it was considerably more straightforward for evergreen Cox – who reached the first round of Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 – after beating Jay Clarke 7-6, 6-1.
That completed the line-up for semi-final Saturday and it has all the ingredients for a thriller at the salubrious Shrewsbury Club.
Hussey meets Matusevich in the day’s first last four battle at 11am, followed by Christie against Silva in the afternoon.
Cox then goes up against Patten for a place in the men’s final, while Kartal against Grey rounds off what’s set to be an intriguing day of tennis as the season reaches a climax.
Ten weeks – eight players remain. Who has what it takes to follow in Raducanu’s glittering tennis footsteps and indelibly etch their name into UK Pro League folklore?
With a prize fund of around £500k and Broadcast live on BT Sport, The Tennis Channel and UKproleague.tv, the UK Pro League is the only place where the British player group come together to compete across the full year.
Written by Will Jennings
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12th November, 2021
Day 5 Recap: Semi-Finals decided on thrilling 5th day at Finals Week
On a pulsating day at The Shrewsbury Club, the final semi-final places were up for grabs. Sonay Kartal, Beth Grey, Henry Patten and Dan Cox were the four victorious players.
Kartal and Grey join Christie and Silva in women’s Semis
The winner of weeks 5, 6 and 7, Sonay Kartal overcame the odds to dump top-ranked Lily Miyazaki out of the quarter-finals 6-1, 7-6(9), 10-4. In a high-quality match Kartal survived a missed set-point in the second set to hold her nerve and win the match in a tense 10-point tiebreak. Kartal flew out the gates early on and raced to the first set in rapid time. Miyazaki’s backhand was red-hot all game and earned her points all match but Kartal survived the onslaught and with strong forehands she wrapped the game up to earn her spot in the semi-finals.
After the match Sonay said:
“I think Lily is one of those players that you can’t get in a rhythm against. She’s very calm down the other end of the net. I had my chances (in the second set), you don’t have time to reflect on what happened. I haven’t come across Beth in my career yet, I’m hoping to play a good match.”
Earlier Beth Grey had secured her own spot in the semi-finals with a straight set win over Lauryn John-Baptiste 6-0, 6-3. Beth Grey had the upper-hand throughout the first set and almost won double the points of her opponent. This trend stopped in the second set as Grey’s persistent hitting was met by John-Baptiste. Grey defended 9 break-points in all in the match as countless chances slipped away for Baptiste. It was a brilliant all-round performance from Grey, who finished the match with a dismissive drive volley
“It was a really close match, a lot of the games were to and fro with advantages and deuces. There were some great rallies and I had to fight really hard to get through this one. This weeks been great, a lot of great momentum coming into this tournament, I have played a lot of events on tour this summer and I’ve got a lot of matches under my belt and it’s starting to show in my results.”
Patten and Cox survive epics to reach the last 4
Henry Patten had to survive an epic match against the powerful Sean Hodkin. In a riveting final set tie-break, Patten managed to pull away from Hodkin to finish the match 7-5, 5-7, 10-6. Throughout Patten’s whippy ground strokes put Hodkin under huge pressure and even with a strong serving performance it was Hodkin on the back foot.
After he had booked his semi-final place Patten said:
“We weren’t really getting a look at each other’s serves, Sean (Hodkin) played a great match. I managed to squeeze the first set and he squeezed the second and the tiebreaks always tight. We were both nervous because we clearly invested so much. I’m knackered, I’m pretty relaxed on court at the best of times, obviously the tiredness doesn’t help but it gets better each day.”
In the final quarter-final match, 31-year-old Dan Cox played a brilliant match as he defeated British No.5 Jay Clarke 7-6, 6- . Clarke was favourite going into it but after coming back from an early break, Cox dominated the end of the first set before wrapping up the victory. The pair’s last match came in the Wimbledon wildcard qualifiers over 7 years ago and Cox was able to repeat the result to secure his place in the semi-final. It was an utterly outstanding display from Cox who turned up the level considerably in the second set to come home with a resounding victory.
Dan Cox after his win:
“First match this week I thought I played pretty well, I needed to step up playing Jay (Clarke) today. I needed to be at my best, he’s probably the best player here.”
“It was completely different because there was a lot of pressure on me in the group stage to win in straight sets so I had to start really well. Here I was a little bit of the underdog. I had to keep my cool, I went down 5-2 and I thought I just have to keep going and keep being positive. I was a bit lucky today and it came off.”
“I have put a lot of work in on the court, when I was playing full-time 3 or 4 years ago, the game has changed now, you have to be more aggressive and that’s what I am trying to do. Especially being indoors, the points are much quicker.”
“I played Henry in the final in Loughborough and I beat him in that week but he won the final. I want to get some revenge but he’s in incredible form and he won a tournament last week in the States so it should be a good match.”
Elsewhere there were wins for Billy Harris and Ewan Moore in straight sets as they won 6-4, 6-4 and 6-3, 6-1 respectively. Charlie Broom also secured a win in the 9th-12th playoff round as came back from a set down to win against Josh Paris 4-6, 6-3, 10-3. In the women’s draw Eliz Maloney crushed Emma Wilson 6-3, 6-4 in her best performance of the week before Emily Appleton and Alice Gillan won their matches in three sets.
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11th November, 2021
A conversation with: Sonay Kartal
Sonay Kartal shot to prominence last summer when clips of her junior matches with Emma Raducanu became viral social media hits and now she has set her sights on achieving success in her own career.
Sonay’s battles with Raducanu in under-9 and under-12 events highlighted the stunning abilities of the two young players and now she is making her mark in the UK Pro League Final Weeks in Shrewsbury.
We sat down with Sonay to get her views on her rivalry and friendship with Raducanu, as well as looking ahead to what she hopes will be a breakthrough year in 2022.
Photo by: Ian Hall
How important has the Pro League been for your year?
Getting the match practice is so important and that’s why the Pro League has been massive for the British players. The format of the Pro League is fantastic as it means we are all guaranteed matches in the round-robin format. If you go to a regular tournament and lose in the first round, that is the end of it, but there is another match to play here. The prize money is incredible and it allows us to fund future trips to rankings events.
How tough is it to make the step from the junior ranks to the professional tour?
It’s very tough. I know so many people who have dropped out of tennis because they couldn’t afford to go on the Tour and it might not be because they were not good enough. It just came down to having money to fund it. My target for next year is to be in the top 500 of the WTA rankings. At the moment I’m in the 900s, but I want to get that moving next year.
Do you feel you are ready to make that step up?
I had injury problem as my body just wasn’t standing up to the demands of playing regular matches week after week, but it feels like I’m getting there now. This Pro League has been fantastic for me and my aim is to stay fit and try and kick on next year.
How do you deal with defeats?
I’m okay with it. Mentally, I feel like that is one of my big strengths. Some hurt more than others, but the think about tennis is once one match finishes, there is always another one.
You shot to prominence in viral media videos playing Emma Raducanu in junior matches this summer. How did it feel to be in the media spotlight?
It was fine. I remembered the match when we were nine and the point that was replayed so many times so well. Luckily I hit the winning shot at the end of it!
The interest in those videos went around the world and I was in Turkey two weeks ago playing an event and some Italian coaches came up to me as they knew I was the girl on the clips playing Raducanu. My story is a little different to Emma’s because I have had some injury problems that have hampered me, but we can all take inspiration from her success.
Raducanu won the UK Pro League last year, so does her success since then offer you inspiration?
Of course. I grew up playing Emma, so it proves to me that the dream of making it in tennis is not too far away. It has put into perspective for all the British players just how possible it could be to breakthrough.
Emma’s success is just crazy. The fact that she hadn’t even won a single match in a WTA event and then went out and won the US Open… it was just crazy.
I sent her a text to say well done after the win in New York and there is no jealously from my end. Just a realisation that we can all do it if we push hard and take our chances.
Who are your favourite tennis players?
Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters. It has been amazing to watch this era of tennis with Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic and I don’t think we will ever see three players competing against each other like that again. It has been incredible to watch.
By Kevin Palmer
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10th November, 2021
A conversation with: Anton Matusevich
Anton Matusevich has been one of the stand-out performers in the UK Pro League this year and we sat down with the 2018 US Open junior doubles champion to get his thoughts on what lies ahead in his highly promising career.
Photo: Ian Hall
How important has the UK Pro League been to your year?
It’s been vital. The organisers have done an incredible job with this event and deserve a lot of credit. Playing in this event was a massive confidence boost for me at the start of the year to play in these Pro League matches and the standard of play here is very good.I struggled in my first week, but match practice is so important and by the second and third week, I was playing really good stuff. The more you play, it helps you game massively and I see that in my own game when I’ve had good match practice.You can take confidence from the matches you play in the Pro League and it can help you to get ATP points, so it is fantastic for us.
How tough is it to earn a living when you are trying to make a break into the professional ranks of the game?
It’s tough at the start of your career. Tennis is a tough sport to get into and trying to do it financially on your own is not easy. The LTA helped me out big-time during Wimbledon by sending a coach to work with me and that’s so important. Working on your own is tough on a few levels and having a coach to give you some support is vital.Coaches don’t come for free and you need to invest in your career to have a chance, but funding it at the start is tough. That’s why this UK Pro League is so important for us.Covid didn’t help bevies a lot of tournaments were cancelled and I lost some sponsors because of it, but I have just signed a new deal with Migom Bank and help like that is vital at this stage of my career.
Emma Raducanu won the UK Pro League last year and is now the US Open champion, so that has to be an inspiration for everyone playing in this year’s event?
I feel like I have a long way to go to think about anything like that. I need to add consistency to my game and that means playing competitive matches on a regular basis and improving. You will lose a lot of matches at the start of your career, but playing tournament is what it is all about. It’s a long and difficult journey to succeed at tennis. This sport requires a lot of dedication and money to and also, tennis is unforgiving as you cannot be injured in any part of your body. If your little finger hurts, you can’t hold a racket, so it is tough. Then you have so many great players down the other end of the court causing you nightmares and you are out there on your own. You have to be ready for it mentally and physically. If you fully commit to the sport, get everything right on and off the court, I believe you can crack the top 100. You also need to be very good and what Emma Raducanu has done this year shows what is possible if you get it all right. Radders is a ridiculous tennis player. I wasn’t expecting her to win the US Open so soon after she won the UK Pro League last year, but you could see how she was progressing as the tournament went on and by the end, she was getting better and better, so well done to Emma.
You have hit with Andy Murray over the last year. What has that experience been like?
I always love to hit with Andy and always try to beat him when we practice! He is very good with the British players and brought a lot of energy to the Battle of the Brits event last year. He didn’t play too many matches, but he was fantastic on court and off court with everyone in the event. It’s very enjoyable to practice with him.
What other sports do you enjoy?
I love snooker. Ronnie O’Sullivan is just a joke. Right handed, left handed… he can hit a 147. He’s just amazing. He must do so much work in the practice room to get to that level.
