Shenkman three-peats at British Amateur Singles final
Vallat's attacking play shows improvement from last meeting
Robert Shenkman has won the British Amateur singles title for the third consecutive year following a spiritied challenge from first time finalist Bertie Vallat at the Queen’s Club on Sunday. He became the first player since Julian Snow in 2005 to win three back-to-back British Amateur titles, holding his lock on the triple-crown of Amateur tennis - the British and US Amateur singles and the MCC Gold Racquet.
Vallat started the match positively, playing good attacking tennis and taking on Shenkman’s serve with his cut-volleys and forces. At times, Shenkman was lulled into Vallat’s play, feeding balls to his opponent’s backhand until Vallat struck with a big shot at the tambour. However, Vallat’s approach did come with risks as he was prone to putting a few into the top of the net tape, keeping Shenkman in the set.
However at 4-5 down in the first set, something clicked for Shenkman. He started playing with a lot more freedom, making his presence felt in the rally and looking to hit winners. He breezed through the 5-all game easily and went on a dominant run of play, winning the 10 games in a row. His shot-making became more deliberate and his finishes became more devastating.
Vallat looked to be imploding at the other end of the court, engaged in a mental battle to keep himself in the fight. The scoreboard pressure built throughout the second and third sets, with Vallat increasingly desparately trying to press an attack in response. He broke Shenkman’s run early in the third set digging out a grille from a ball that had no right to go there. It wouldn’t last though, as Shenkman bossed the last few games to take the title, throwing his hands in the air in celebration.
“It means everything. This is the biggest competition I play in all year outside the ranking events, this is a chance to win a trophy,” said Shenkman, “To do the double again with the MCC Gold Racquet at Lord’s has made it a successful amateur season [for me].
“I’d watched all of [Vallat]’s games on YouTube and noticed he’s developed a force since November, and his cut volley is also really strong. He’s been having a few lessons with Rob Fahey and working really hard at his game and I don’t think anyone hits more balls in the amateur game in the UK at the moment so I knew he was going to be on fire. He was putting me under way more pressure than I was used to and I thought it was really tight.”
Vallat was happy his performance and his improvement over the last time the two met. “It’s really nice to see progress paying off in a scoreline,” he said, “I felt really positive, especially in the first set, and a lot of the work I’m putting in is paying off.”
Both players head to the US Open in Washington next week, with Shenkman to face a first round challenge from Nino Merola, while Vallat as a difficult draw through qualifying on the same side as Olvier Pridmore.
Match results:
Sunday 2:30 pm: Robert Shenkman (1) def Bertie Vallat (2) 6/5 6/0 6/1
Well played, Shenks!