IRTPA

WDC – Semi Finals – 2nd Day

Wednesday 24th April through to Sunday 28th April
The Racquet Club of Chicago
1365 North Dearborn Parkway,
Chicago,
Illinois 60610

The finalists will be the defending champions Tim Chisholm and Camden Riviere against the number 3 seeded pair of John Lumley and Steve Virgona.  The first 4 sets will be played on Saturday 27th at 14:00 CDT and 13:30 CDT for the remaining sets to be played until a pair win 5 sets on Sunday 28th April.

The two matches last night were interesting and this time it was the match of Sayers and Taylor-Matthews which kept me up into the wee hours.  They lost the first set 6/4 which had to be a bit galling but onto the next set.  The Champions were at 5/2 and “it has to be over” comments except for Conor Medlow, commentating, said something along the lines of “Bryn, playing on this court has come back and won before from what looked a hopeless cause”.  Exactly that started to happen 5/3, 5/4, 5/5.  Ben Taylor-Matthews was all over the court, hitting the ball consistently hard and accurately, Bryn Sayers would then just finish the rally with a shot to a winning opening.  The British pair were serving at 5/5, it was even more essential to retain the service end as had been pointed out by various commentators during the match “keep the champions at the hazard end for as long as possible”.  2 chases were laid, better than 4 and 4&5 with the score at 15/0 to the British pair.  The champions won both chases, 30/15 and then the next two points.  It was a great game and well worth watching the stream of the match.

The final score was 6/1, 6/1, 4/6, 6/2, 6/4, 6/5.

The match between Lumley & Virgona versus Fahey & Howell saw some of the most exciting points ever seen in a doubles match.  The retrieving, reactions and hitting was simply ‘gobsmacking’.  At the beginning of the session Fahey & Howell repeated what they did on the first day and went to a 3/1 lead but were as on the first day pegged back and did not win another game that set.  Lumley & Virgona were just too good and it will be very interesting to see what happens in the Final.

The final score was 6/4, 5/6, 6/4, 6/1, 6/3, 6/3.

Some further photos from Tim Edwards.