Defiant Fahey holds off younger generation at Australian Open

Booth wins Battle of RMTC against Chapman

The Australian Open crowd has been treated to a day of highly watchable and entertaining real tennis, as the men’s quarter finals were held at the Hobart Real Tennis Club on Thursday, with some of the best matches of the tournament to date.

Despite winning the first game of the match against World Champion Camden Riviere, Melbourne professional John Woods-Casey was outclassed through much of the first quarter final of the day. Riviere was happy to pat the ball around and let Woods-Casey make the errors. Every ball seemed to find the center of the South Carolinan’s strings. The scoreboard pressure added to Woods-Casey’s frustration, making some of his shots tense and frigid. The ledges of the Hobart court showed their unique characteristic, with a force from Riviere bounding from the bottom ledge of the dedans and rolling back onto the penthouse and back over the net for a stroke, while a missed volley from Woods-Casey struck the gallery ledge and remained in play even after he had given up on the point and turned his back on it.

The start of the second match was delayed after the first point as Lewis Williams took a chunk of plaster out of the main wall trying to chase down a forehand. There was a short delay as the resultant plaster dust was mopped up. Williams looked to have found his forcing range early, at one stage having a chance to stay in the match at 3-all. But Taylor-Matthews proved consistent stroke-play to be more effective than bombastic style as he pressed home his advantage, denying Williams the opportunity to lay chases.

Taylor-Matthews had no trouble finding the grille throughout the second set, a feat that had troubled most players over the week due to its small size. Williams tried forcing at times through the set but never found the required consistency. From the serving end, he continually encroached his way up the court leaving the corners open for passing shots by Taylor-Matthews.

Williams broke a two game lead at the start of the third set. Although it never stretched beyond two games, it held all the way from 2-0 to 5-3. Williams was moving better around the court as Taylor-Matthews struggled to hit the grille, putting plenty high for Williams to attack. However, Taylor-Matthews demonstrated his champion spirit, working his way back into the set and to 5-all. He lay to short chases to start the game, one of which Williams successfully attacked, However, the number 2 seed boasted his way to a hazard chase by the first match point, which he won with a high back wall shot falling back into the net.

It was a tense first set in the Battle of RMTC between leading professional Chris Chapman and leading amateur Kieran Booth. The players exchanged games all throughout the set, with plenty of hard-hitting tennis on both ends of the court. Chapman had a few chances to level up the set at 5-all, but at a Hazard the Line chase, Chapman hit a very poor railroad onto the back penthouse allowing Booth to crunch the return and go on to win the set.

The tension continued into the second set with both players going all out and neither giving an inch. Chapman had an early lead which Booth clawed back, to 4-all. Chapman was taking plenty of risks, sometimes paying off and sometimes not. The 4-all game proved crucial, with a tight deuce exchange with several points decided by a matter of milimeters. Booth got the better of it and on to a two set lead.

Needing to turn the game around, Chapman threw everything he had at the start of the final set, taking advantage of the relaxation of pressure from Booth. The amateur tightened up his defences with his signature high quality striking. Chapman’s vigil did not hold, as Kieran won the last six straight games to book another Australian Open semi final.

The final encounter of the day saw Hobart’s old prodigial son Robert Fahey playing their new prodigial son Oliver Pridmore. The dedans was packed with fans hoping to see the young superstar cause an upset against the former World Champion in his third year of retirement. The silver fox was nimble with his movement chasing balls up to the net and back to the corners. Pridmore looked to be feeling the pressure of the crowd as while he engaged in some lengthy rallies he couldn’t find a way to break through Fahey. The 1993 champion seemed to have a point to prove as he was fist-pumping after a large number of points, seemingly determined to quell the pre-match chatter about a changing of the guard.

After Pridmore won the first game of the match, Fahey won the next nine games in a row, including the first set. At 5-1 down in the second, Pridmore decided he had nothing to lose and raised his game, pushing through the next four games to take it to 5-all. Fahey won the first three points of the deciding game to put the set beyond doubt. The loss of the second set knocked the wind out of Pridmore’s sails, looking slightly dejected through the third set. Fahey was matching Pridmore’s extravagance shot for shot. In the seventh game, Fahey hit a behind the back boast expecting to win the point, and went on to hit another half a dozen shots that seemed certain winners. In response, Pridmore slid all over the court managing to get everything back among gasps of the crowd. Fahey eventually hit the ball in the net in disbelief and raucous applause, Fahey gesturing to recount how crazy the point was. Ultimately it would not be enough as Fahey closed down the match shortly thereafter.

Match results:

• Camden Riviere (1) def John Woods-Casey (7) 6/1 6/1 6/0

• Lewis Williams (5) lost to Ben Taylor-Matthews (2) 2/6 3/6 5/6

• Chris Chapman (4) lost to Kieran Booth (6) 4/6 4/6 2/6

• Oliver Pridmore (8) lost to Robert Fahey (3) 1/6 5/6 2/6

Order of play for Friday (all times AEDT):

• 2pm: Jo See Tan vs Jacqueline Siu

• followed by: Ange Green vs Lea Van Der Zwalmen (2)

• Not before 6pm: Saskia Bollerman (3) vs Jess Garside