Shenkman and Kay to play for British Amateur title
Both players ease through semi-finals
Three-time winner Robert Shenkman and two-time winner Ed Kay will play off for the British Amateur title for the first time after both registered straightforward straight-sets victories in their respective semi-finals at the Queen’s Club on Saturday
Defending champion Robert Shenkman played the first semi-final against Benedict Yorston — a rematch from the same spot in the bracket from 12 months prior. Shenkman was tidy and disciplined from the first ball, refusing to gift any unforced errors to Yorston. He also refused to engage Yorston in the long, retrieving rallies that exemplify Yorston’s style, often finding a way out of the exchange with a thick boasted ball off his forehand, turning the screws in under the winning gallery. He won the first set without dropping a game.
Yorston changed rackets for “a better one” for the second set. Four games into the set, he finally started to put some pressure on the Shenkman return of serve, prompting him to experiment with switching from his railroad to his side wall. Shenkman weathered the threat, quickly re-establishing his control of the match. By the third set, Yorston’s fight started to fade away while Shenkman maintained his concentration and intensity. He completed the victory with Yorston having won just one game in each of the second and third sets.
The second semi-final was between two-time champion Ed Kay and first-time semi-finalist Ned Batstone. Kay played with lots of positive intent, seeking to push Batstone around the court as much as possible and playing the ball as close to the ground as he dared. Kay extracted plenty of cut from the Queen’s back wall, generating plenty of short chases. As hard as he could try, Batstone couldn’t find any counterplay against Kay, with the Cantabridgian’s defense holding firm throughout. Kay’s retrieval out of the corners was second-to-none, turning any threat of a good ball from Batstone into a good ball of his own. Kay led the match from start to finish, returning to the final for the first time since 2022.
Shenkman and Kay will play off for the British Amateur title on Sunday.
Match results:
2:30 PM: Robert Shenkman (1) def Benedict Yorston 6/0 6/1 6/1
4:00 PM: Ned Batstone (6) lost to Ed Kay (2) 2/6 0/6 2/6
Order of play for Sunday (all times GMT):
2:30 PM: Robert Shenkman (1) vs Ed Kay (2)