Merola into British Open Quarter Final with tough victory over Sarlangue
Remainder of seeds untroubled in Round of 16 matches
Nino Merola is through to his first Open quarter final following a straight sets win over eighth seed Matthieu Sarlangue.
The result comes at the end of a stellar year for Merola, having won his first trophy for five years at the Category A 0-9 Championships as well as the MVP at the IRTPA Super League. Merola also won through qualifying at the Champions Trophy in the summer.
Kicking off the day, Robert Shenkman was poor at the start of his match against Freddie Bristowe. His railroad serve was too deep allowing Bristowe to launch an all-out attack. The first few games passed in a matter of minutes. Shenkman was also making uncharacterstic mistakes, and Bristowe was prepared to capitalize, opening up a 5/1 lead. Shenkman used his now extensive match experience to build his way back into the match, never giving Bristowe any set points. His serving length improved and his shots became gradually clearner as he took the set 6/5, waving his finger towards the commentary position in the upper gallery.
Shenkman’s play continued to improve into the second set, despite a small drop in intensity at the start. He was hitting his characteristic volley defense well, serving a good length and the softness of his touch on his kill shots was exceptional. Bristowe’s attack seemed to lose its edge as Shenkman was able to put him under consistent pressure. Bristowe’s play became more desparate, taking increasingly low percentage risks in an attempt to turn around the match but it was to no avail as Shenkman took the set. The final set was more competitive, with Bristowe edging a small lead as his aggression payed off, but Shenkman remained calm and collected continually working through the points. Although Bristowe had an opportunity at 5/4, Shenkman won the 5-all game to love. Match point came on a ball falling flush with the service penthouse, which Bristowe managed to retrieve but Shenkman could put it away.
Radley’s Nino Merola got off to a sluggish start against Frenchman Matthieu Sarlangue. Sarlangue was playing consistent a consistent floor game, while Merola was taking on shots that weren’t there. He looked completely out of sorts and Sarlangue was dominant, quickly building a 4/1 lead. From there, Merola finally found a good serving combination, with pique serves falling flush on the service line mixed with demi-piques missing the penthouse and drawing Sarlangue into the forehand corner. Merola started hitting clean volleys with perfect weight and touch. Merola took seven games in a row including the first set, as Sarlangue flattened and his threat weakened.
The remainder of the second set was closely fought, however. The players exchanged games throughout. Sarlangue picked up a bit more consistency, while Merola found a devastating return of serve volley, both onto the main wall and straight at the dedans. Sarlangue failed to hit a winning opening in the set, while Merola regularly found success from the serving end. Merola had an edge towards the end of the set, taking it 6/4. Sarlangue never really looked in the third set, with Merola’s confidence growing throughout. The Radley professional raced through an early lead with his shots becoming more definitive. He looked a little nervous closing out his final game but after laying a better than 2 chase, the result was in no further doubt. The result will mean Merola will make his first Open quarter final apperance on Thursday.
“In the first 5 games I felt like he was giving me a real lesson in control, and his effortless style was intimidating,” said Merola. “Luckily I think I was able to apply a little more pressure as the match went on and my body loosened up. Found a group of serves that allowed me a chance to get his first ball back most of the time. I’m very pleased to have won today, against an opponent of his calibre at a major.”
Ben Taylor-Matthews was a class above Bertie Vallat, the latter making his second appearance in the second round of the British Open. Although Vallat was testing Taylor-Matthews, he could not string enough points in a row to consistently win games. Both players were happy to get involved in long backhand rallies, but Taylor-Matthews seemingly always had a way out of the point, be a it a winner or an opening. Vallat managed one game in the second set but the match was otherwise all one way traffic. Vallat had a lot of positives to take out of the match but a maiden British Open quarter final was not one of them.
Rob Fahey rolled back the years against Darren Long, with a exhibitionist display of dedans hitting. Long, who had never taken a set off Fahey in five previous meetings, tried his best to match Fahey shot for shot but never had the quality of shot to trouble the former World Champion. Fahey was not unfraid to play with flair and extravagance, notably in a rally with two overhead back-wall volleys. Fahey was never troubled as he won a straight sets victory.
Match Results:
12:00 pm Robert Shenkman (7) def Freddie Bristowe 6/5 6/3 6/5
2:00 pm Matthieu Sarlangue (8) lost to Nino Merola 4/6 4/6 2/6
4:00 pm Bertie Vallat lost to Ben Taylor-Matthews (3) 0/6 1/6 0/6
6:00 pm Robert Fahey (4) def Darren Long 6/3 6/1 6/0
Order of Play for Monday:
12:00 pm Zak Eadle (Q) vs Steve Virgona (5)
2:00 pm Claire Fahey vs Nick Howell (2)
4:00 pm Camden Riviere (1) vs Vaughan Hamilton
6:00 pm John Woods-Casey vs Leon Smart (6)
Tickets are still available for the main draw matches here: https://tennis-rackets.eventize.co.uk/calendars/tennis
For full match listings see the Tennis and Rackets Association: https://www.tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/tournaments-fixtures/british-open-singles-and-doubles-championships-2024#overview