Hamilton and Woods-Casey catch fire in US Open doubles first round
Bristowe and Tanfield push past Vallat and Long in straight sets
Vaughan Hamilton and John Woods-Casey have put on a demonstration of why they are two of the most dynamic and exciting doubles players outside of the world top 8 with an impressive display in their first round US Open doubles match against Lewis Williams and Nino Merola on Friday at the Racquet Club of Chicago.
The main draw doubles began with the fifth seeds Robert Shenkman and Leon Smart playing against Pete Dickinson and Ned Batstone. Shenkman was a defensive powerhouse at the back of the court, happily absorbing anything that Batstone and Dickinson were throwing at him and letting Smart dance around the front to intercept anything he felt like. Dickinson and Batstone chucked everything they could at him but they could not break through at all. Shenkman and Smart were patient, working their way into the point until they could find a breakthrough. Dickinson and Batstone had their best run at the start of the second set, trying to blast through Shenkman’s defence, but Shenkman knew he just had to dig in for a short period before resuming normal service. His solid play gave Smart the freedom to attack from the front of the court, slamming the ball for several winning galleries. They won the match easily, as Batstone and Dickinson couldn’t string enough games together to mount any serious challenge.
The second match saw former semi-finalists Barney Tanfield and Freddie Bristowe joining forces again to play Bertie Vallat and Darren Long. Neither pair set up with a constant formation, playing mostly server-up but also adapting to the game situation. The raw power of Tanfield coupled with the extreme strokeplay of Bristowe meant they were the predominant aggressors for most of the first set. Vallat and Long had to weather the storm, waiting for a mistake like a ball onto the penthouse or into the hazards. Unfortunately for them, the errors were rare, with Tanfield and Bristowe leading throughout the first set.
Long and Vallat tried to flip the script for the second set, becoming the aggressors themselves, forcing for the dedans at any opportunity. They pulled out a 3/0 lead to start the set. Some tighter serving from Bristowe and Tanfield put a stop to their march, causing their play to become more erratic as they were no longer getting the balls in open space they needed to force. The Americans won six of the next seven games to go to a two-set lead. The third set played out very similarly to the second, with Vallat and Long on the offensive again which was good for an early lead, but were unable to sustain the required intensity. Bristowe and Tanfield marched back once more to wrap up a straight-sets victory.
The third match was between the sixth seeds Nino Merola and Lewis Williams and the unseeded but dangerous Vaughan Hamilton and John Woods-Casey, with Hamilton playing his first doubles tournament since winning his first British Open with John Lumley. Woods-Casey and Hamilton’s hazard end play was particularly impressive, having everything covered with their explosive forehand volleys, using it to build a lead despite not seeing much of the service end. There was also an intriguing tactical battle between Woods-Casey and Merola for positioning when up in the galleries. Even though the second half of the first set was more even, by the end Merola deliberately conceded the point when set point down to have pick of receivers for the second set.
Hamilton was the epitome of chaos in the second set, on multiple occasions ending up at the net on the main wall side leaving both his partner and his opponents confused as to where to safely hit the ball. Still, Woods-Casey and Hamilton had a fallow patch, while Merola was a menace in the galleries, pushing incredibly high and relying on Williams to play the anchor role. Woods-Casey and Hamilton were fortunate that the set didn’t completely slip away from them. Merola and Williams had set point in the 5/3 game, but Woods-Casey and Hamilton pulled back to a deciding game. Hamilton and Woods-Casey started the deciding game by laying two chases, but Williams mounted an excellent defence of the hazard galleries on the first one, then Merola slotted the ball between both opponents on the second, causing them to collide their rackets in an attempt to defend. Hamilton then put the next two in the net to lose the set. Hamilton slammed his racket into the ground in frustration.
An extended break before the third set, with Hamilton and Woods-Casey practicing hitting grilles both with and without their rackets. They came back out for the third set on fire, winning it without dropping a game with their confidence growing. They were steady throughout and didn’t give away an errors or loose shots. Williams and Merola ran out of attacking options. Woods-Casey and Hamilton hardly missed a ball across the fourth set as well, moving completely in sync as they ensured their progression on to the quarter-finals.
The last of the first round doubles was between the youthful duo of Henry Henman and Max Trueman and the noted footballers Zak Eadle and Jack Josephs. Henman and Trueman spent most of the first set at the hazard end, but it didn’t matter, as Henman quickly established himself as the most dominant player on court. His movement was dynamic and his control exceptional, with Trueman just having to play a solid anchor role. Brimming with confidence, they stood in contrast to Eadle and Josephs who were struggling to find any coherence to their play. When backed into a corner, Eadle’s only option was forcing, often at the body. Though tempers were flared, the match result was assured from the early stages, with Henman and Trueman dropping just four games in the match.
Play continues on Saturday with the four singles quarter-finals, with the four doubles-quarter-finals taking place on Sunday.
Match results
12:00 PM: Pete Dickinson & Ned Batstone lost to Robert Shenkman & Leon Smart (5) 1/6 2/6 2/6
1:30 PM: Barney Tanfield & Freddie Bristowe def Bertie Vallat & Darren Long 6/3 6/4 6/4
4:00 PM: Nino Merola & Lewis Williams (6) lost to Vaughan Hamilton & John Woods-Casey 3/6 6/5 0/6 1/6
5:30 PM: Henry Henman & Max Trueman def Jack Josephs & Zak Eadle 6/0 6/2 6/2
Order of play for Saturday (all times CDT):
10:00 AM: Camden Riviere (1) vs Robert Shenkman (7)
11:30 AM: Steve Virgona (5) vs Nick Howell (3)
1:30 PM: Ben Taylor-Matthews (4) vs Bryn Sayers (8)
3:00 PM: Lewis Williams vs John Lumley (2)