Ben Taylor-Matthews has solidified his hold on the fourth spot in the World Race, helped both by a three-set win over an erratic Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona’s three-set loss to Nick Howell in the quarter-finals of the IRTPA Players’ Championship on Friday. Meanwhile, top seeds Camden Riviere and John Lumley have also reached the semi-finals, overcoming determined resistance from Robert Shenkman and Bryn Sayers respectively.
The first quarter-final was between eighth seed Bryn Sayers and second seed John Lumley. Sayers had the stronger start, quickly putting on a two-game lead with the help of his trademark high serve. Lumley battled back to 3-all, but Sayers’s target hitting helped him win a couple more games, leaving Lumley to hunt galleries to stop Sayers’s run at the service end. Lumley had to scramble a makeshift defence to prevent Sayers getting a set point, digging deep to recover the situation to 5-all. Sayers tried to force for the bottom forehand corner of the dedans for the first four restes of the deciding game, but came out worse off on three occasions. The fourth, he tried to push across to Lumley’s backhand but the Philadelphian had it covered. Changing ends, as soon as Sayers missed his shot at the grille, Lumley pounced, sealing a come-from-behind set. In the second, Lumley was now the aggressor, with Sayers now on the defensive. The Queen’s Club professional still managed to provide a strong counterattack, as the first three games were tightly fought, each going to deuce. Lumley won all three, and the resistance broke from Sayers. Lumley took the following two games to love, now having an unassailable lead in the set. He wrapped up the match moments later, securing his place in the semi-finals.
The next match was a rematch from the recent French Open quarter-final between Robert Shenkman and Camden Riviere, where Shenkman had won a set off the World Champion for the first time. Shenkman kept his railroad tight, targeting Riviere’s return of serve. He knew that if he could prevent the left-hander from turning and slapping the ball at the dedans, he had a chance to put it away in the next few strokes. He had a two-game lead and threatened points for 4/1, but Riviere started increasing the tempo, extending out the rallies and slowly working Shenkman over until he made an error. The World Champion drew level at 3-all before Shenkman edged ahead again with a long, hard-fought deuce game. Riviere dropped to his haunches — racket on the floor — and grimaced. He then put in a big shift, working hard to chase down everything over the next two games to go 5/4 up. By then, Shenkman’s resistance faded, ceding the final game of the set.
Shenkman persisted with his railroads for the second set, once again picking on Riviere’s return of serve as the World Champion dropped his intensity back off. He again had a two-game lead before Riviere kicked himself out of his rut. Back to his fully firing best, Riviere took the next four games. Shenkman leant on his forcing to take the following two to even up the set at 4-all. Shenkman had chances to go 5/4 up, but both went begging — Riviere scampered around the court at full speed to cut everything off. Riviere then shut Shenkman out of the final game to win the match.
The third quarter-final was between Steve Virgona and the home court pro Nick Howell. It was a must-win for Virgona to keep a realistic pathway for securing a place in the World Championship Eliminators. Virgona set out to blast Howell off court from the start of the match. He was particularly honed in on the forehand side of the dedans, causing several volley errors from Howell. Howell’s returns of serve were poor, putting several straight into the net. Virgona took the first five games of the match at a blistering pace. Howell managed a token game towards the end, but Virgona was sitting well with a one-set lead.
Howell finally kicked into gear in the second game of the second set with some forces past Virgona’s left-handed forehand. He then got on a roll, winning the next three games despite some impressive finishes from Virgona. Howell’s court coverage improved, dealing well with the hard-cutting shots coming his way. He failed to convert a 4/1 lead before his radar went off-target. The set pivoted on the sixth game, with both players having chances to convert. Eventually, Howell pulled ahead, but there was little now separating the two. Howell saved some of his best volley defences for the 4/3 game before going 5/3 up by beating a half-yard chase. The following game, he repeated the feat, taking the set by beating a 1 and 2 chase.
He saw no reason to change tactics for the third set, aiming at the dedans at every opportunity. He helped himself to a 3/0 lead. Virgona battled back, leathering the ball around the court as hard as he could and, crucially, accurately too. Virgona’s run brought the scoreline back to 3-all. It was clear the hazard-end player was able to dictate the play, as the fate of the match see-sawed across the seventh game. Howell tipped it his way, but Virgona struck back immediately on the next game. The 4-all game was decided by a margin of inches, with both players having opportunities to push ahead, but it was Howell that emerged victorious benefiting from two forehand half-volley errors. He won the final game moments later, cementing his place in the semi-finals.
The last of the quarter-finals was between Rob Fahey and Ben Taylor-Matthews. Taylor-Matthews was patient, playing through the reste for as long as necessary until Fahey was out of position, allowing him to slide the ball into open space and pick up the point or a chase. Fahey’s error count was uncharacteristically high, putting several balls straight into the net and gifting Taylor-Matthews the lead. Taylor-Matthews won four games on the bounce to go from 1-all to 5/1 up. Fahey never gave up on the set, at first throwing in a few forces to break Taylor-Matthews’s stride, then fixing his errors and playing intelligent tennis. He took four games of his own without going to deuce, let alone giving Taylor-Matthews a set point. It sent the set into a deciding game. Taylor-Matthews picked off a dedans and two gallery chases early in the game, changing ends at 30-15. Though he won one and lost one, Fahey gave him a high bouncing ball he was able to spike for a winner, holding off Fahey’s comeback to win the first set.
Taylor-Matthews’s renewed confidence carried over into the second set, going 3/0 ahead as Fahey struggled to control his return of serve. However, soon enough the former World Championship was able to recalibrate, hitting his force much better and putting Taylor-Matthews under pressure again. He beat several short chases with dedans to prevent Taylor-Matthews extending his lead even further, instead holding himself at the three-game deficit. Every time Taylor-Matthews looked like he might make the decisive break, Fahey pulled out some clutch shot to stay in it. He battled back to 4-all, then went ahead with the help of his force. The final game went to deuce, but once Fahey laid two short chases the set was effectively his, completing a five-game streak and levelling the match.
For the third set, Fahey once again let Taylor-Matthews away to a faster start, again having taken his foot off the accelerator and letting his opponent drive ahead. Taylor-Matthews played as consistently as he had all match, with Fahey’s errors racking up again. Again, Taylor-Matthews had a four-game lead and again he threatened to push ahead further. And again, Fahey refused to go quietly, yet again finding another level. He blasted his we through three games of his own, before a tightly fought eighth game with both players having advantages — including a chase off call that Taylor-Matthews wasn’t too pleased by. He eventually got justice, taking the game to go 5/3 ahead. Fahey responded by taking the next game to love. Taylor-Matthews recovered the serve with a pair of galleries, and though he lost the subsequent chases, he was able to get two balls to cut severely off the back wall to gain the decisive advantage. A last gallery chase later, Taylor-Matthews slid the ball down Fahey’s backhand to win the chase and the match.
The quarter-final results clear up the standings in the World Race, with just the semi-finals and the British Open still to play. John Lumley and Nick Howell are mathematically assured of their place in the Eliminators, with Lumley guaranteed to be first seed. Taylor-Matthews extends his lead over Virgona, now over 6,000 points, meaning Virgona would need to make at least the British Open final to retain a chance of qualification. Taylor-Matthews trails Fahey for the third Eliminator spot by just 56 points, meaning any separation between the two at the British Open, or a Taylor-Matthews win in the IRTPA Players’ Championship semi-final, will be key in determining the seedings.
Play continues on Saturday with the two semi-finals. The tournament win conclude with the final on Sunday.
Match results:
12:15 PM: John Lumley (2) def Bryn Sayers (8) 6/5 6/0
2:00 PM: Camden Riviere (1) def Rob Shenkman (7) 6/4 6/4
4:15 PM: Nick Howell (3) def Steve Virgona (5) 1/6 6/3 6/4
6:00 PM: Ben Taylor-Matthews (4) def Rob Fahey (6) 6/5 4/6 6/4
Order of play for Saturday (all times EDT):
3:30 PM: Camden Riviere (1) vs Nick Howell (3)
5:15 PM: John Lumley (2) vs Ben Taylor-Matthews (4)