Lumley into Final Eliminator after dominant showing in Philadelphia
Virgona fails to make inroads in second match of home-and-away series
John Lumley will return the the Final Eliminator for the second consecutive cycle, after defeating Steve Virgona in a dominant display in the second leg of their three match series, dropping just three games across the match.
Having comfortably won the first leg of the series at Virgona’s home court in Chicago, the show moved on to Lumley’s home court in Philadelphia for at least one and possibly two further best of 5 set matches. Lumley had been dominant in the first match, and needed to win just one further match to secure his spot in the Final Eliminator in May.
There were no surprises in Virgona’s game plan, sticking to a methodology that has served him sell for the better part of three decades. He was looking to turn inside the railroads and play as much as possible on his left-handed forehand to hit big, powerful shots that boasted around the court. Lumley was ready, reading the ball perfectly off all the walls of his home court. He gave himself the time and space necessary to be in position to hit every ball out of the middle of his racket, controlling to whichever spot on the opposite side of the net that he desired. Lumley was on top of the scoreboard throughout the set, with Virgona picking up just two games during the middle of the set.
Lumley didn’t let up going into the second set, neutralising the majority of weapons in Virgona’s arsenal. He was able to keep the ball tight to the side wall to force Virgona onto his backhand, which didn’t have the same fizz as his forehand. The Philadelphia crowd were thrilled to see their home professional dominating the contest, remaining vocal throughout despite the one-sided nature of the scoreline. Lumley was untroubled through the set, winning 6/1.
By the third set, Virgona had largely resigned himself to his fate, while Lumley went for the jugular. He was clinical in finishing the rallies quickly, playing positively and looking for winners. He completed the set in barely 15 minutes, never giving Virgona an opportunity to win games, let alone the set.
Lumley will now await the winner from the match between Nick Howell and Ben Taylor-Matthews, currently tied 2-all in Aiken and scheduled to resume tomorrow. Should Howell emerge victorious, then the Final Eliminator will take place in Aiken, whereas a Taylor-Matthews victory would see the show return to Philadelphia. The match is scheduled to take place in May.
Match results:
John Lumley defeated Steve Virgona 2-0 in the three match series
Match 1 (Chicago): 6/1 6/4 6/3
Match 2 (Philadelphia): 6/2 6/1 6/0
Nick Howell tied with Ben Taylor-Matthews 2-2 in the best of 13 set match:
Day 1 (Aiken): 4/6 6/1 1/6 6/4
Upcoming matchdays (Check streaming links for match timings):
March 27 & 29 (Aiken): Nick Howell vs Ben Taylor-Matthews (Best of 13 sets)