Flynn wins record third consecutive Seacourt Silver Racquet
Henman battles through three sets in semis and final but falls short of victory
Will Flynn has become the first player to win the Seacourt Silver Racquet in three consecutive editions, after completing a come-from-behind win in the final against Henry Henman on Sunday.
The first semi-final pitted two-time defending champion Will Flynn against Ladies World Champion Claire Fahey. The play hinged on the battle between Fahey’s serve and Flynn’s return—specifically, could Fahey prevent Flynn getting away a big shot on the first ball? Too often, he could, preventing Fahey from getting into the rallies which were being fought to a draw. In the reverse scenario, Fahey didn’t have many attacking options off Flynn’s serve, opting for power over finesse but never able to trouble Flynn. Flynn got the better of several deciding points, turning an otherwise close passage of play into a one-sided outcome on the scoreboard. By the second set, Fahey was stuck for ideas while Flynn was in full control. He wrapped up the entire match in 45 minutes, sending him through to yet another final.
The other semi-final was between Vaughan Hamilton and Henry Henman. Henman’s short serves were inviting Hamilton to play an aggressive return, and the Prested pro was only too happy to oblige. Hamilton slapped the ball around until he had established a 4/1 lead. Henman had to tighten up both his serve and retrieval to bring the match back to 4-all, helped by winning a couple of deciding points along the way. By now the rallies were long as each tried to outfox the other with their positioning around the court. Hamilton beat a 1-and-2 chase to send the set to a deciding game. But Henman was now at the service end, winning the deciding game to love as Hamilton couldn’t make inroads into Henman’s serve.
Hamilton had his back to the wall in the start of the second set, unable to find a winner through Henman’s unrelenting retrieving. Hamilton responded by leaning into his shot-making, keeping the pressure on maximum at all times and refusing to give Henman a free shot. Henman couldn’t find a gallery — let alone a chase — as they exchanged games throughout the set. The 4-all game went to a deciding point, with a 5 and 6 chase where Hamilton found a ball that clipped the edge of the tambour. But Henman recovered the serve in the subsequent game to set up the second 5-all finish of the match. This time, Hamilton opened up with three good balls into Henman’s backhand to win one point and lay two short chases. Henman won the first on the cut volley but Hamilton put the second into the grille. Hamilton found himself with a set point a few moments later, picking a ball out of the backhand corner at full stretch. Henman raced up to the hazards and, from next to the net, tried to play the ball down the middle at the dedans, but his shot missed, allowing Hamilton to win the set by placing the next shot into the vacant back of the court.
Henman played more attacking shots to start the second set, no longer content to just wait for Hamilton’s error. Hamilton was struggling with Henman’s cut-volleys into the extreme Seacourt forehand corner. Henman got a break on the scoreboard, while Hamilton’s growing annoyance meant his racket no longer wanted to maintain contact with his hand. Hamilton’s fight never left him, but the extra point Henman received on handicap every other game proved too much to overcome.
Flynn and Henman took to the court later in the afternoon for the final, with the Seacourt members getting in early to secure their favoured seats in the galleries. For the first time in the tournament, Flynn fully charged up his forcing game, sending bullets at the dedans at regular intervals. He also pulled off some outrageous volleys when at the service end, picking out targets from nowhere. But some of his shots were a bit hot-headed, resulting in unforced errors that kept Henman in the game. Henman played the opposite style, being measured and tidy — only pulling out the big shots when the moment called for it or when backed into a corner. The players oscillated games through the first set, with Henman winning the owe-15 games and Flynn winning the level games. Flynn had the handicap and the serve to his advantage to start the deciding game, and used it to go up 40-15. But Henman had other ideas, leaning into his cut-volley to save two set points and win the deciding point by hitting Flynn’s demi-pique back deep into the forehand corner, drawing the error from Flynn.
Henman opened up his play in the second set, becoming more willing to play his shots knowing that he was getting the advantage earlier due to the continued success of his cut-volley. Flynn was determined not to let his title slip away, cutting back slightly on his forcing and playing the calmer, floor game through much of the set. The result was still that nothing could separate the pair. Flynn finally broke the deadlock at the deciding point of the 3-all game, hitting a ‘tweener grille to end a long, tactical rally. He won the following game to love, beating a one yard chase with another missile at the dedans to go 5/3 up. Flynn sealed the deal a few minutes later with a grille on his second set point.
Into the third set, and Flynn’s force was once again hitting its target, causing trouble for Henman as the Oratory pro struggled to recover the advantage in the rally. But it was at the service end where Flynn started to shine, picking balls out of the air with confidence and bringing them down into difficult areas for Henman. Flynn’s movement around the court was getting faster and more assertive preventing Henman from getting anything past him. Henman’s resistance finally broke, fighting with himself as to whether he would maintain his initial game plan or mix in a few more desparate tactics. He snapped in the 4/2 game, playing chase the line, yeeting his racket at the net after losing yet another long, tactical point by trying to play into the hazards off the high back wall, but sending it out of cout instead. The very next reste, playing better than half a yard, Flynn launched another force at the dedans, causing the missed volley from Henman but also letting go of his racket and sending it into the net as well, though this time not deliberately. Flynn won the match a few minutes later, nonchalantaly acknowledging the crowd before embracing Henman in a hug at the net.
Flynn’s victory makes him the fourth player to win three career Seacourt Silver Racquets, after Lauchie Deuchar, Ivan Snell and Adam Player, and the first to win three consecutive titles.
Match results:
10:00 AM: Will Flynn (Love) def Claire Fahey (Love) 6/1 6/1
12:00 PM: Vaughan Hamilton (Love) lost to Henry Henman (Rec 1/2 15) 5/6 6/5 2/6
3:00 PM: Will Flynn (Owe 1/2 15) def Henry Henman (Love) 5/6 6/3 6/2
