Flynn squeezes past Medlow at Tambour Tour Seacourt
Flynn to play Eadle in semi final, Vallat and Gordon to also do battle
The first day of the two-day Tambour Tour Seacourt has kicked off with a bang, with healthy Seacourt crowds thrilled by some excellent tennis during the second stop of the season-long tour. Local darlings Will Flynn and James Medlow battled it out early, while Louis Gordon showcased his play finely-tuned to the severe Seacourt court.
Will Flynn lined up against James Medlow in front of a buzzing Seacourt crowd eager to support their rising stars. The first few games were tight, with points evenly exchanged between the two young players. Flynn settled into the match well, hitting softly controlled volleys under the winning gallery as well as big forehands in the grille. Medlow struggled to find chases, as Flynn covered all corners of the service end well, racing through the last five games of the first set. Medlow looked increasingly under scoreboard pressure, making an increasing number of mistakes and finding the net more regularly towards the end of the first set.
Medlow won his second game early in the second set, and from there began to settle, with the quality and intensity of the rallies reaching new heights. Through grit and determination, Medlow wrestled control of the match, slowly clawing back Flynn’s lead and starting to see more of the service end. With the score 5/4 to Medlow and at deuce, Medlow hit a ball high on the back wall, which Flynn chased down to the front of the court expecting to kill it. Medlow recovered to Flynn’s surprise, forcing him to play out of position for the remainder of the rally. Flynn then hit marginally high on the grille, punished by the low roof in the corners of the Seacourt court. Medlow then won the set defending better than 2.
Flynn put the frustration of the second set behind him, and calmly and methodically worked his way through the early stages of the third set. Medlow never really let him get away, however, with both players benefiting from some long runs at the service end. Medlow had chances to level up at 4-all, but Flynn stayed resolved. He would often concede the first few points of the game, only to recover strongly late in the game. Flynn squandered three match points in the 5/4 game, taking on an expansive volley off a loose serve which he pummelled into the net. Medlow levelled at 5 all defending a worse than yard chase - Flynn forced the ball, hitting the last gallery ledge and spiralling up onto the dedans penthouse before threatening to fall back down and beat the chase. Medlow stayed alert, got into position and killed the ball instead. Medlow earned a 40-love lead at the start of the final game. Flynn found a chase and defended all three match points from the service end, going on to win the match with a rally showing off his fantastic volleying ability.
Jonny Whitaker was looking strong early in his match against Zak Eadle. Eadle at times appeared frustrated with the strange bounces of the Seacourt floor, while Whitaker was able to put Eadle under pressure in the tambour corner. However, with Whitaker leading 4/3, Eadle cut a ball across to the forehand corner. Whitaker turned to chase it down but as he tried to push off his ankle seemed to give way, collapsing onto the floor as though he had been sniped. He took a long while to stand up, and after a few minutes wisely decided not to continue.
Bertie Vallat was in fine form in his first round match against Adam Player. He played consistent attacking tennis with a nagging line and length. Although he never looked for the big spectacular winners, the consistent play was enough to trouble Player enough to bring out the errors. He won through comfortably in straight sets without really being troubled.
Louis Gordon could not find his radar against Craig Greenhalgh in the last match of the day. He hit plenty of his forces high on the penthouse and was framing his volleys while Greenhalgh played good, traditional tennis. He troubled Gordon in the air, winning the majority of points from both ends of the court, probing and prodding Gordon to make errors. Greenhalgh won five games in a row to take the first set.
Gordon was improved come the second set, as Greenhalgh warmed up his Gordon’s forcing by feeding him juicy railroads. Gordon managed to keep his shots below the height of the bandeau, bringing errors from Greenhalgh even if it meant laying some very long chases. Greenhalgh did have one moment of brilliance, picking up a missed force on the volley and floating into the winning gallery. After the shot, Greenhalgh raised his arms in the air in celebration, completing the pantomime by removing his shirt and walking towards the net to offer to shake hands and declare victory. It wouldn’t be so, as Gordon increased the pace of his forcing to take the second set comfortably. The final set continued in the same vein, with Gordon growing in confidence in his shot-making. Gordon rounded off the match with his signature barrage of forces, winning the match with an ace.
Match results:
James Medlow lost to Will Flynn 1/6 6/4 5/6
Zak Eadle def Jonny Whitaker 3/4 ret.
Bertie Vallat def Adam Player 6/2 6/2
Craig Greenhalgh lost to Louis Gordon 6/2 2/6 3/6
Order of Play for Sunday:
11:00 am Will Flynn vs Zak Eadle (Semi Final)
12:30 pm Bertie Vallat vs (Semi Final)
3:00 pm TBC vs TBC (Final)