By Glenys Furness
- Billy Harris made the final of the Challenger event in Spain
- Brit came through qualifying
- Defeated the top seed en route
LAS FRANQUESAS DEL VALLES, SPAIN – Billy Harris came through qualifying and made the final of the Challenger event. The Brit defeated the top seed along the way.
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Brit of the Week
Billy Harris entered qualifying and made the main draw of the ATP Challenger event in Spain. As a reward, his first round opponent was third seed Oleksii Krutykh. The Ukrainian was out played and outclassed by the Brit. Harris dominated from the outset, as the seed struggled to stay with the pace. Harris soon had the first set in the bag. The second set was more of the same, as Harris continued where he left off. No matter what Krutykh tried he was unable to get into the match. Harris took the win in straight sets 6-1, 6-2.
In the second round Harris was against Oriol Roca Batalla. The Spaniard stayed with the Brit at the very start of the match, but once Harris found a way in he didn’t look back. Once again the Brit dominated the match, as Roca Batalla couldn’t do anything. Harris soon had the match under control and took the win 6-2, 6-0.
The quarter-final saw the qualifier against Marco Trungelliti. The Brit continued where he left off and dominated the first set. The Argentine was unable to hold serve in the first set, as Harris took control. The second set was similar, although Trungelliti managed to hold serve a few times. The Brit moved into the next round in straight sets 6-0, 6-3.
In the semi-final the Brit was against the top seed Max Purcell. The Australian stayed toe to toe with Harris in the first set and forced a tiebreak. The top seed was unable to get by the Brit and Harris took the first set. The second was more of the same when the qualifier once again took the top seed to a tiebreak. Once again the Brit claimed the breaker and moved into the final 7-6, 7-6.
The final saw Harris against the second seed Hugo Grenier. The Frenchman stayed close to the Brit in the first set and was broken by Harris who took the lead. The second set saw the qualifier outplayed by Grenier, who broke more or less at will to level up the match. The final set saw both players stay close and not get broken, in the end, a tiebreak ensued. Unfortunately, the seed took the breaker, but Harris finished a good week 3-6, 6-1, 7-6.
Honourable Mention
Liam Broady entered the ATP Challenger in Biel and was the fourth seed. The Brit drew Viktor Durasovic. The Norwegian was outclassed by the Brit in the first set, as Broady dominated and took the first set. The second set was closer, as Durasovic stayed with the fourth seed at the start. Eventually, the Brit managed to break serve and took the match in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
The second round saw Broady against Maximilian Neuchrist. The Austrian stayed with the seed at the start, before Broady managed to break serve and take the first set. The second set was much closer as both stayed toe to toe and it looked to be heading to a tiebreak. However, Broady broke right at the end to take the match 6-4, 7-5.
In the quarter-final Broady was against the eighth seed Gabriel Diallo. The Canadian got the jump on the Brit and broke serve to take the lead. The second set saw the Brit fight back. Again it looked like a tiebreak may be on the cards, but Broady broke right at the end of the set to level up the match. The final set saw the fourth seed break serve and take the match 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The semi-final saw Broady against Marius Copil. The Romanian qualifier stayed with the Brit at the start, before the seed broke serve to take the lead. The second set saw Copil fight hard, however, Broady once again broke serve and booked a spot in the final in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.
In the final Broady was against the second seed Jurij Rodionov. The Austrian managed to break the fourth seed serve in the first set, and the Brit was unable to get back into the set. Broady had been suffering from a wrist issue all week and this had got worse in the final. Unfortunately, Broady had to pull out of the match after the first set, giving the win to Rodionov 6-3, 0-0 (RET).
Challenger & ITF Round Up
Jay Clarke was defeated by Ivan Gakhov in the first round in Las Franquesas del Valles 6-3, 6-2.
Dan Cox was defeated by Hugo Grenier in the second round in Las Franquesas del Valles 6-3, 6-4.
Ryan Peniston was defeated by Zsombor Piros in the first round in Zadar 6-4, 6-4.
Charles Broom was defeated by Maxime Janvier in the first round in St Brieuc 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.
Francesca Jones was defeated by Valeriya Strakhova in the second round in Mosquera 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
Jan Choinski was defeated by Johan Alexander Rodriguez Rodriguez in the quarter-final in Mosquera 6-4, 3-6, 7-6.
Alisha Reayer was defeated by Alexandra Ignatik in the first round in Palmanova 6-4, 6-2.
Felix Gill was defeated by Alexander Weis in the second round in Palmanova 7-5, 6-0.
Blu Baker was defeated by Rudy Quan in the first round in Calabasas 6-4, 6-3.
George Loffhagen was defeated by Oliver Crawford in the first round in Lucknow 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Zach Stephens was defeated by Tuncay Duran in the first round in Sharm El Sheikh 6-2, 6-2.
Emma Wilson was defeated by Camille Moga in the first round in Sharm El Sheikh 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
Michael Shaw was defeated by Koray Kirci in the second round in Sharm El Sheikh 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Joshua Goodger was defeated by Marat Sharipov in the second round in Sharm El Sheikh 7-6, 7-6.
Jasmine Conway was defeated by Katarina Kuzmova in the quarter-final in Sharm El Sheikh 6-1, 6-4.
Giles Hussey was defeated by Nikolay Nedelchev in the second round in Heraklion 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Nicolas Philibert was defeated by Mu Tao in the second round in Monastir 6-7, 7-6, 6-1.
Henry Searle was defeated by Nicolas Tepmahc in the second round in Monastir 6-3, 6-4.
Abigail Amos was defeated by Martina Spigarelli in the quarter-final in Monastir 6-4, 6-1.
Amarni Banks was defeated by Dejana Radanovic in the quarter-final in Monastir 6-4, 6-1.
Naiktha Bains was defeated by Olivia Gadecki in the quarter-final in Canberra 6-1, 6-4.
Alastair Gray was defeated by Arthur Bouquier in the first round in Toulouse-Balma 6-3, 6-4.
Dan Little was defeated by Goncalo Oliveira in the first round in Toulouse-Balma 6-3, 7-5.
Patrick Brady was defeated by Tristan Lamasine in the second round in Toulouse-Balma 6-3, 6-3.
Harry Wendleken was defeated by Nikolay Vylegzhanin in the final in Toulouse-Balma 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Katie Boulter was defeated by Lulu Sun in the first round in Maribor 6-4, 6-4.
Next Week Brits play in Miami, Mexico City, Sanremo, Girona, Lille, Italy, India, France, Tunisia, Egypt, Slovenia & Japan.
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