By Glenys Furness
- Alastair Gray made final in Portugal
- Brit was unseeded
- Defeated top seed en-route
IDANHA-A-NOVA, PORTUGAL – Alastair Gray made the final of the ITF M25 event. The Brit was unseeded and defeated two seeds along the way.
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Brit of the Week
Alastair Gray entered the ITF event in Portugal and was unseeded. In the first round the Brit was against qualifier Evan Bynoe. The American was outclassed by Gray in the first set. The Brit broke quickly and soon took the lead. The second set was much closer. Bynoe stayed with Gray and the set looked to be going to a tiebreak. However, the Brit broke right at the end when needed and secured the win in straight sets 6-3, 7-5.
The second round saw the Brit against the top seed Clement Chidekh. The Frenchman broke early in the first set and Gray could not break back, the top seed took the lead. Gray re-grouped in the second set, however and dominated the top seed to level up the match. The final set saw Gray still dominating and move into the next round 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
In the quarter-final Gray was against fifth seed Daniil Glinka. The Estonian was no match for the Brit who dominated from the outset. Gray barely put a foot wrong in the match. The Brit was soon in control and Glinka struggled to do anything. The Brit moved into the next round with a commanding straight sets win 6-1, 6-2.
The semi-final saw the Brit against unseeded Spaniard Ivan Marrero Curbelo. Gray broke in the first set to take the lead. The second set saw the Spaniard dominate, as Gray struggled to stay with Marrero Curbelo. The final set was very close. Both players would not give in and the set went to a tiebreak. In the breaker it was Gray who dominated and secured the win 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(2).
In the final Gray was against third seed Daniel Vallejo. The Paraguayan dominated the match from the outset. The Brit tried hard, but Vallejo was too good. Although Gray did manage to hold serve more in the second set, it was Vallejo that went on to lift the trophy in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.
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Challenger & ITF Round Up
Ryan Peniston was defeated by Woobin Shin in the first round in Jinan 7-5, 6-3.
Aidan McHugh was defeated by Rio Noguchi in the second round in Jinan 6-3, 6-3.
Felix Gill was defeated by Albert Pedrico Kravtsov in the first round in Santander 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Amelia Rajecki was defeated by Misaki Matsuda in the first round in Vigo 6-3, 6-2.
Ali Habib was defeated by Yaroslav Demin in the first round in Monastir 6-4, 6-3.
Nicolas Philibert was defeated by Max Wiskandt in the second round in Monastir 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
Eleanor Dean was defeated by Yasmine Mansouri in the second round in Monastir 6-1, 6-0.
Freya Christie was defeated by Eliska Tichackova in the first round in Prerov 6-3, 6-1.
Jizel Matos Sequeira Fernandes was defeated by Julita Saner in the second round in Malmo 6-3, 6-3.
Next Week Brits play in US Open, Zhangjiagang, Manacor, Holland, Spain, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Tunisia, Hungary & Germany.
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