Fahey hobbles while Virgona strikes

Chisholm and Riviere exhibit masterclass in doubles play

Rob Fahey has pushed through his calf strain to take to the court with former World Doubles Championship partner Steve Virgona, getting through in straight sets against a nervery Robert Shenkman and Louis Gordon. Meanwhile the remaining seeds register comfortable victories in their respective quarter finals including a showcase at the end by Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm

Nick Howell and Leon Smart looked every part their second seed moniker as they calmly worked over Lewis Williams and Jonny Whitaker. Howell and Smart spent over two thirds of the match at the service end, as Williams and Whitaker seemed only to have the dedans force as an option for winning points. The shot came good in a few bursts of play, but Howell and Smart were able to close it down easily, hardly breaking a sweat. Whitaker played well in his role as last-minute substitute but was no match for the seasoned professionals who worked the pair over, especially in the forehand corner under the winning gallery. Had a few shots gone the other way, Williams and Whitaker had a chance of taking the third set but Howell and Smart clearly had more levels to climb had they been under serious pressure.

Nino Merola had moments of brilliance and moments he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else partnering Ben Taylor-Matthews in their match against Freddie Bristowe and Adam Player. Taylor-Matthews and Bristowe were the solid player in each pair, engaging in long rallies at the back of the court. Merola, meanwhile, was aggressively taking on volleys and forces, sometimes accurately and sometimes not. He ended up on the floor multiple times including one rally where he ran forward and slide-tackled towards the net like a footballer. Merola and Taylor-Matthews were swapping on the receivers end, generally opting for Merola to play the tambour and fully utilize Taylor-Matthews’s renowned backhand under the grille. The number four seeds built leads in each of the three sets, but let them slip in the first two, as Bristowe and Player played exceptionally well to bring themselves back into the sets. Ultimately, they struggled to find chases in the final set as the threat seemed to subsisde from both of their forces. Merola and Taylor-Matthews were glad to be through after a one hour and forty minute battle.

The day after his calf injury in the singles quarter final, Rob Fahey lined up for his doubles quarter final alongside former partner Steve Virgona. It would be the first match they had played together since their loss in the 2015 World Doubles Championship final in Tuxedo. Fahey strapped his left calf heavily and hobbled between chase 4 and second gallery, unable to trot or canter. Fortunately for Fahey, he had one of the most agile and dynamic players the game has ever seen on the same side of the court. Virgona played to his usual doubles strategy, patrolling the back of the court and chasing down balls that would ordinarily be winners. Their opponents, number 5 seeds Robert Shenkman and Louis Gordon, sensed an opportunity with a potentially lame target, hitting the ball with plenty of power and testing the limits of his movement. Fahey showed his immense talent by attacking any ball that came in his vicinity, while Virgona deomstrated his incredible reflexes hitting dead-weight shots from bullets fired at him from Gordon. One notable shot in the third set was volleyed off the tambour by Virgona with so much spin, it kicked off the side service wall, landed around second gallery and directed back towards the net with Gordon chasing after it, leaving Shenkman with his jaw on the floor and hands on his head.

While the former World Champions lead all the way through the first set, Shenkman and Gordon were never far behind, trailing by only three points won across the proceedings. They had a 3/1 lead in the second with points for 4/1 but could not capitalize, with Fahey extending himself only on the big points as he and Virgona stayed calm and stuck to their game plan. Often, Gordon’s shots would put Fahey off balance, sending him staggering backwards into a wall or a gallery ledge, but the strike off the racket was always clean. By the third set, Gordon and Shenkman began to tire, as Virgona reached his pinnacle. He wooed the crowd with some of the best gets they had seen all week, sending them raucous after his several winning galleries. They closed a potentially difficult match out in straight sets.

Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm were at the exhibitionist best in the final match of the day against John Woods-Casey and Vaughan Hamilton. There was no sign of the cramp that had hampered Chisholm in his singles match against Woods-Casey. Riviere and Chisholm were dynamic in their movement with some of the most outrageous tennis the Queen’s East court had seen in many years. Hamilton and Woods-Casey leaned into the chaos and played out of their skin, but there was little they could do against the sheer physical impossibility that was the shots played by the World Champions. The match included some indescribably fantastic points that saw each of the four participants playing lawn tennis, rackets, padel, badminton and table-tennis all in the same rally. Hamilton and Woods-Casey can hold their heads high from the performance despite the scoreline, but it was the World Champions that progressed.

Match Results:

• 12:00 pm Jonny Whitaker & Lewis Williams lost to Nick Howell & Leon Smart (2) 3/6 2/6 4/6

• 2:00 pm Freddie Bristowe & Adam Player lost to Ben Taylor-Matthews & Nino Merola (4) 4/6 4/6 2/6

• 4:00 pm Rob Fahey & Steve Virgona (3) def Louis Gordon & Robert Shenkman 6/4 6/4 6/3

• 6:00 pm Tim Chisholm & Camden Riviere (1) def John Woods-Casey & Vaughan Hamilton 6/0 6/1 6/3

Order of Play for Saturday:

• 2:00 pm* Leon Smart (6) vs Nick Howell (2)

• 4:00 pm* Camden Riviere (1) vs Ben Taylor-Matthews (3)

* Weather conditions in London are suggesting a high risk of court sweat so there is a strong possibility that matches may be delayed.

Tickets are still available for the main draw matches here: https://tennis-rackets.eventize.co.uk/calendars/tennis

For full match listings see the Tennis and Rackets Association: https://www.tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/tournaments-fixtures/british-open-singles-and-doubles-championships-2024#overview