Long blasts through Sayers at Moore Family Office Summer Challenge quarter-final
Fahey eases past Merola to lock in semi-final place
The quarter-finals of the Moore Family Office Summer Challenge kicked off on Thursday at the Oratory, with the top seeds entering the draw for the first time.
The first quarter-final pitted Bryn Sayers against Darren Long. Long picked up where he had left off the previous week against Neil Mackenzie, serving railroads exclusively and attacking the dedans as much as possible. Sayers, meanwhile, took his time to adapt to the Oratory court, not benefitting from the experience from an earlier round. Sayers was serving his trademark high serve, but never really found the perfect length.
With the wind of the handicap at his back, Long’s attacking play kept him ahead on the scoreboard in most of the games. He was firing rockets at the dedans, drawing enough errors from Sayers as he won the first set comfortably. The second set was more of a challenge for Long, with Sayers relaxing into the play more. But the Queen’s Club professional could never bring himself to a lead in games. The natural variance in Bryn’s high serve always gave Long a couple of shots to thrash at, helped by getting the rub of the green. Long broke away late in the set to progress through to the semi-final.
The second quarter-final of the evening was an all-Oxfordshire affair between Radley’s Nino Merola and the Oratory’s Rob Fahey. Merola was unable to take full advantage of the handicap given to himself. He battled well early, matching Fahey shot for shot through the first few games. But everything about Fahey’s game was cleaner. Fahey’s cut-volleys were not giving Merola anything to work with off the back wall, he was able to gain the ascendancy during the long rallies and his forcing was devastatingly accurate. Fahey had a response for each of Merola’s weapons, running through six consecutive games between the end of the first and the start of the second sets. Merola had a brief revival to win back-to-back games for 2-all in the second, but it didn’t last. Fahey’s ability to hit all three targets rode him over the line and through to the semi-finals.
The quarter-finals continue on Friday, with the final rounds to be played out on Thursday and Friday next week. Tickets are available which cover all three remaining days play and include access to the Oratory bar.
Match results:
Thursday 5:30PM: Darren Long (Rec 1/2 15) def Bryn Sayers (3) (Owe 1/2 15) 6/2 6/3
Thursday 7:30PM: Rob Fahey (1) (Owe 15) def Nino Merola (Rec 1/2 15) 6/3 6/2
Upcoming matches:
Friday 5:30PM: Claire Fahey (Rec 15) vs Ben Taylor-Matthews (2) (Love)
Friday 7:00PM: Levi Gale (4) (Owe 1/2 15) vs Vaughan Hamilton (Love)