TJTC WORLD TOUR

Top half action saw world number one, Angus, unkindly sending Madhoo on a 0 and 0 flight back to Switzerland. Then, world number 7, Bartley, taught the Canadian, Brown, that one should not enter these tournaments without being match tough. And after beating Allen to get to the round of 16, Sproul realized the difficulty in having to play two clay court matches in a single day. Tour opportunist, and newly installed world number three, Chambers, took full advantage  of this and mercilessly erased Sproul from the draw sheet. A matchup for the highlight reel though was that between Miss Rena Francis and Mr. Craig Grant. Determined to gain any advantage she could, Rena came on court in full regalia wearing a cat suit similar to the one worn by Serena Williams in 2002. It won her some fans, but Grant kept cool and business-like and held off a valiant Rena for a 2 and 3 victory.

Similar to the top half, proceedings began as expected in the bottom half. McDonald mowed down an inactive Morris, while the tour brat, Douglas, again proved too tough for Alando. And the self-deluded world number two, Mullings, was a little too consistent for teammate, Ewan. But the feature match in this section of the round of 16 was the clash between fourth seeded Plunkett and former shock world number one, Stanley. Plunkett taught Stanley some textbook tennis in the first set. However, determined to prove that his five-minute world number one ranking was no fluke, Stanley took the fight to a tie break in the second set before the fat lady forced herself on court and began to sing.

Then it was on to the quarters, where the excitement truly began. One could slice the tension with a knife in the matchup between Grant and Chambers. From point one, there was no love lost between the two. The matchup was a mixture of loud shouts of C’mons, shaky line calls and powerful forehand winners from both sides of the net. But Chambers handled the tension better and won the psychological battle between the two to set up another rematch with the world number one, Angus, who had to overcome an inspired Bartley. Though he lost to Angus 3 and 1, it was a sight to behold as Bartley matched Angus, power for power and shot for shot. However, the world number one was far more consistent on the crucial points. But without a doubt, Bartley proved in this match that he has the arsenal to trouble Angus in the near future.

On the other side of the draw, the prehistoric number one, McDonald, took on the super arrogant Mullings, who insists he is the all time greatest. McDonald taught him some classic tennis in the first set, mowing him down 6-2. However, Mullings’ teammate and Russian captain, Ewan, immediately went on damage control, alleging that the shocking loss of the first set was due to a crazed and boisterous Spanish fan in the crowd. After security had this ‘fan’ muzzled, Mullings regrouped and made the former number one feel like a pig on ice for the remainder of the match. Then it was time for a new showdown between tour brat, Douglas, and number four seed, Plunkett. With its expected high drama but low quality contest, it was a slice and dice battle which saw Plunkett serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set. But Douglas made another epic but drawn out come back and denied Plunkett a semifinal berth. Interestingly, this victory sent Douglas straight to the final as Mullings failed to show up. Having lost a set to McDonald, the Russian camp agreed he was in no shape to contend any further. And so Douglas made it an all Spanish final as the world number one, Angus, beat Chambers to get there. Chambers however, made sure to leave the court with his dignity by ensuring that he earned no less than two games per set.

The final however was of a different complexion. The colossal world number one completely ignored the fact that he was playing a fellow teammate and in approximately 45 minutes, abused, demoralized, and embarrassed Douglas with a comprehensive 0 and 0 beat down. Angus, who was well aware of Douglas’ intentions to dethrone him, ensured that he perished the thought immediately. Quite a few spectators were disappointed upon arrival to learn that the match had already been completed!

Up next, the grass court swing of the tour. Let’ see who will begin to establish themselves as major contenders for the prestigious Wimbledon crown.

Top half action saw world number one, Angus, unkindly sending Madhoo on a 0 and 0 flight back to Switzerland. Then, world number 7, Bartley, taught the Canadian, Brown, that one should not enter these tournaments without being match tough. And after beating Allen to get to the round of 16, Sproul realized the difficulty in having to play two clay court matches in a single day. Tour opportunist, and newly installed world number three, Chambers, took full advantage  of this and mercilessly erased Sproul from the draw sheet. A matchup for the highlight reel though was that between Miss Rena Francis and Mr. Craig Grant. Determined to gain any advantage she could, Rena came on court in full regalia wearing a cat suit similar to the one worn by Serena Williams in 2002. It won her some fans, but Grant kept cool and business-like and held off a valiant Rena for a 2 and 3 victory.

Similar to the top half, proceedings began as expected in the bottom half. McDonald mowed down an inactive Morris, while the tour brat, Douglas, again proved too tough for Alando. And the self-deluded world number two, Mullings, was a little too consistent for teammate, Ewan. But the feature match in this section of the round of 16 was the clash between fourth seeded Plunkett and former shock world number one, Stanley. Plunkett taught Stanley some textbook tennis in the first set. However, determined to prove that his five-minute world number one ranking was no fluke, Stanley took the fight to a tie break in the second set before the fat lady forced herself on court and began to sing.

Then it was on to the quarters, where the excitement truly began. One could slice the tension with a knife in the matchup between Grant and Chambers. From point one, there was no love lost between the two. The matchup was a mixture of loud shouts of C’mons, shaky line calls and powerful forehand winners from both sides of the net. But Chambers handled the tension better and won the psychological battle between the two to set up another rematch with the world number one, Angus, who had to overcome an inspired Bartley. Though he lost to Angus 3 and 1, it was a sight to behold as Bartley matched Angus, power for power and shot for shot. However, the world number one was far more consistent on the crucial points. But without a doubt, Bartley proved in this match that he has the arsenal to trouble Angus in the near future.

On the other side of the draw, the prehistoric number one, McDonald, took on the super arrogant Mullings, who insists he is the all time greatest. McDonald taught him some classic tennis in the first set, mowing him down 6-2. However, Mullings’ teammate and Russian captain, Ewan, immediately went on damage control, alleging that the shocking loss of the first set was due to a crazed and boisterous Spanish fan in the crowd. After security had this ‘fan’ muzzled, Mullings regrouped and made the former number one feel like a pig on ice for the remainder of the match. Then it was time for a new showdown between tour brat, Douglas, and number four seed, Plunkett. With its expected high drama but low quality contest, it was a slice and dice battle which saw Plunkett serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set. But Douglas made another epic but drawn out come back and denied Plunkett a semifinal berth. Interestingly, this victory sent Douglas straight to the final as Mullings failed to show up. Having lost a set to McDonald, the Russian camp agreed he was in no shape to contend any further. And so Douglas made it an all Spanish final as the world number one, Angus, beat Chambers to get there. Chambers however, made sure to leave the court with his dignity by ensuring that he earned no less than two games per set.

The final however was of a different complexion. The colossal world number one completely ignored the fact that he was playing a fellow teammate and in approximately 45 minutes, abused, demoralized, and embarrassed Douglas with a comprehensive 0 and 0 beat down. Angus, who was well aware of Douglas’ intentions to dethrone him, ensured that he perished the thought immediately. Quite a few spectators were disappointed upon arrival to learn that the match had already been completed!

Up next, the grass court swing of the tour. Let’ see who will begin to establish themselves as major contenders for the prestigious Wimbledon crown.