Lumley to challenge for World Championship Title
Recovers from disappointing Day 2 to win all four required sets on final day of Final Eliminator
John Lumley will once again challenge Camden Riviere for the World Championship title this September, recoving from a two set deficit to defeat Nick Howell in the Final Eliminator in Aiken on Thursday.
Nick Howell had put in a performance for the ages on Day 2, sweeping all four sets on offer and extending a 5-3 lead over John Lumley going into the final day. With Howell having won the each of last five sets, the onus was on Lumley to find a new strategy to shake up the rhythm of the match, especially given his status as the pre-match favourite.
Howell picked up where he left off on Day 2, continuing with his tight high serves and aggressive strokeplay. However, it was clear that the play between the two was much more even than the previous day’s play, as Lumley was looking to be more active in the rallies. It didn’t come easy for him, as he wavered between passages where he was leading the play — playing his strokes with intent — and passages where he was on the back foot playing passively as Howell lead the charge. As the players got deeper and deeper into the set, Lumley’s approach came good. His attacking shots were starting to beat Howell more regularly, and was able to muster a good enough defense to neutralise Howell’s attack. He had some fortune on his side too, including a ball in the 5-4 game which struck the outside corner of the dedans and rolled the entire length of the dedans ledge before dropping back into the tray. Ultimately, Lumley won the set, halving the deficit in the match.
Howell was not peturbed by the loss of the ninth set, carrying on his business in the tenth and sticking to his main game plan. After exchanging the first few games, the play broke Howell’s way once more as he honed in on all three targets on the court. His hitting became more and more belligerent, with each target struck causing an eruption of support from the crowd. He built a two game buffer, but Lumley was never out of the set. The Philadelphian professional started rolling in dedans of his own, erasing the buffer and setting the set up for a deciding eleventh game. Howell conceded three set points with a nervy volley and an unforced error into the net. Lumley was nervy as well in reply, but after Howell put a tough get onto the penthouse, Lumley cleaned up with a grille, letting out a massive roar as he had drawn level in the match with just three sets left to play.
Going into the eleventh set, the floor game was completely out of the window, with both players bashing it around as there was decreasingly little cut on offer. Howell’s fast-paced shots were feeding into Lumley’s preferred style: scampering around the court to retreive ball from the corners and using the pace to his advantage to turn the pressure back onto his opponent. Howell’s attack was stalling as he was making more errors and letting Lumley dominate the rallies just as he had on Day 1. Lumley ran away with the set comfortably, putting him one set away from the match.
By the twelfth set, the day was once again deep into the third hour. Howell took an injury time out early on in the set to stretch out his legs as he had done on the second day. But it was no use, as the proceedings were starting to feel like a formality. Howell finally moved back to his railroad from his high serve, but Lumley was equal to it. Lumley’s pressure was proving to be relentless with his game looking complete. He had the advantage tactically, technically and physically as dropped just one game in the final set.
Lumley will have four months to prepare his challenge, scheduled to be held at Newport in late September. It will be his second challenge, having lost to incumbent champion Camden Riviere 7 sets to 3 in Washington in 2023. Newport will be in the sportlight over the next four weeks as it will host the Ladies World Championship and the US Professional Singles in May and June.
Match results:
John Lumley defeated Nick Howell 7-5 in the best of 13 set match:
Day 1: 6/1 6/5 6/0 3/6
Day 2: 2/6 4/6 5/6 3/6
Day 3: 6/4 6/5 6/2 6/1