Club Champs Order of Play & Highlights Day 4

Dear All,

If you are tuning in to this to read about close tennis matches, go back to your other emails on LTN’s and Wimbledon ballot tickets… As Tuesday was Demolition Day, with lots of one-sided matches being dished out for spectators, and garlic bread enthusiasts (thanks Leslie ) at OC.

Here are some of the highlights from Tuesday’s action:

Five of the top six women’s singles seeds took to the courts—and delivered a ruthless display of dominance. It was bagels galore, with a string of 6-0s giving the seeding committee the right to sit comfortable in their jobs so far in the tournament.

Defending champion Virunee Viravong [1] set the tone early with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Charlotte Ireson , before Emma Michell [6] , Hannah Pulford [3] , Amy Sergeant [5] , and Jess Moody [2] all cruised through without dropping a game or, in Amy’s case, only dropping one. The standard was brutal — and brilliant and sets the tournament up for a belter.

Despite the scoreline, Hilary Woof stole a moment of glory with the shot of the day, a sumptuous cross-court winner that had spectators gasping.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Singles, Daniel Ajegbo [14] was denied the chance to unleash his trademark flamboyance, as opponent Shiraz Bhatti was forced to retire trailing 3-1. Not one to waste a crowd, Ajegbo took to the court with club favourite Hamid in an exhibition tiebreak—only to be hammered with outrageous flair and crowd-pleasing shots from Irshad.

There was plenty more to enjoy across the evening:

In the Mixed Dubs Vets, Miguel Vieira and Mahvash Tavassoli were in glorious form, defeating friends Simon Godfrey and Gill Kirwan 6-3, 6-4. “It’s always hard playing friends,” Mahv said afterwards. They did it with a smile though and could well cause an upset this year as they battle across the two tournaments.

In the Vets men's singles, Adam Burgis [2] turned heads—and not just for his tennis. Rocking his customary luminous yellow kit, he stormed past Takero Shimazaki 6-1, 6-1 in the Men’s 50+ Singles in a game that saw some great shots from both.

In the Men’s Doubles, a few were left asking how Stu Pugh and James Schuster-Bruce escaped the seeding .. The pair demolished Mark Cheung and James Ireson 6-0, 6-1 in a clinical performance and sent heads spinning in the top half of the draw. In the next round they play the brothers and eighth seeds Lewis and Tom Henderson who themselves cruised past Edward Jenner and Phil Coletto 6-1 6-0. One not to miss in the next round.

Over on Court 1, Sidartha Lal made quick work of Dan Mepham-Jones , winning 6-1, 6-0, and Matt Whitehead [2] started his tournament journey with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of George Ranson . Matt said his serve was “just where he wants it” for this stage of the tournament. A warning shot for sure to everyone else out there in the men's singles.

Tomorrow’s Matches to Watch:

A bumper Wednesday evening lies ahead, with crowd favourite and club legend Joe Reeve returning to the spotlight as he takes on the dangerous Daniel Malyon in what promises to be a high-octane Men’s Singles clash.

It’s also a special night for the Casey family, with both James and Charles Casey in action. They may have their work cut out though … James will be looking to cause a stir as he takes on fifth seed Miles Speer , while father Charlie — never short on guile — will test his craftiness against third seed Dominic Pearson . Could we be in for a double Casey upset?

But all eyes will surely be on the massive Women’s Doubles showdown, as Nadya Chernysheva and Jane Evanson take on the formidable pairing of Henrietta Harrison and Elcin Persson . Expect fireworks.

Meanwhile, doubles duo and lifetime members Emma Michell and Jess Moody will be behind the bar, serving up an array of sweet and savoury delights, including Emma's renowned Chocolate Rubbish - don't worry the name is a misnomer for this taste sensation.

Wednesday 19 June: Order of Play

4.30pm
Boys u12: Ralphie Odgers vs Lopo Quieroz -Folgado
Boys u12: Percy Madden vs Max Clarke
Bouys u12: Freddie Tidbury vs Nate Tyler

6.30pm
MS: Joe Reeve [10] vs Dan Maylon
MS: Ed Thompson vs Benson Yuen [9]
MS: Lewis Henderson [4] vs Robert Green
MS: Miles Speer [5] vs James Casey
MS: Dom Pearson [3] vs Charlie Casey
WS: Aruna Iyengar vs Sylvia Schubert
MS: J.Burnett/P.McKay vs N.Tin/C.Ahkras
XD: E.Persson/E.Persson vs D.Ajegbo and S.Whitehead

7.30pm
MS: Tom Hladick [11] vs Jorge Diez Alvarez
MS: Dan Ajegbo [14] vs James Ireson
MS: Sidartha Lal vs Alasdair Bradley
MS: Matt Whitehead vs Harry Dalton
MS: Marly Amarteifeo vs Karanvir Anand [8]
WD: Nadya Chernysheva and Jane Evanson vs Henrietta Harrison and Elcin Persson
MS50+: Miguel Viera vs Simon Godfrey
MD: T.Fenton and D.Pearson vs J.Burnett/P.McKay OR N.Tin/C.Ahkras