Vallat, Long qualify for Champions Trophy main draw
Vallat impresses after 18 deuces in 1 game; Long sheepish after deciding game thriller
Bertie Vallat has continued his string of upsets to secure qualification into the main draw of the 2025 Champions Trophy, joined by Darren Long in a final game thriller following the conclusion of the qualifying matches at the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace on Wednesday.
Bertie Vallat continued his form from the first day into his match against Levi Gale, winning the first couple of games before a fightback from Gale. The match was a battle of railroads and cut-volleys — anything less than perfect on either shot made it too easy for the opponent. Gale fought back into the game to reach 3-4 before the match descended into a tug of war with no clear winner. The eighth game lasted half an hour featuring 18 deuces, as chases were a readily available commodity but neither player could capitalise on their chances. Gale finally broke the cycle with a rare grille, but Vallat responded well, picking up the next three straight games as he started to get the better of the long rallies. Vallat won four of the last five games to put one foot in the door of the main draw.
Vaughan Hamilton then eased past Louis Gordon in the first match of the day of group B. Gordon could not find a reliable serve, often hitting his railroad long and allowing Hamilton to find chases with ease. From the hazard end, Hamilton never gave Gordon the width to dial in his forces as Hamilton was clearly the dominant player in open play, with his shot-making proving superior as he swept up any overhit balls from Gordon. Hamilton’s win set up a play-off against Darren Long for a place in the main draw at the end of the day.
Vallat then secured his place in the main draw by defeating Thomas Durack, who was already out of contention following two losses on day 1. The first four games were even, as Vallat was slightly passive at times, but from 2-all his spirit reawoke. His newly rediscovered form helped him take the next six games and then qualification having won all of his matches.
A pair of dead rubber matches followed, starting with Louis Gordon and Jack Josephs. Gordon’s pace was higher than anything Josephs had experienced before, tagging him twice early in the match as the local pro struggled to pick out the ball early enough. Nevertheless, Josephs gritted out the first half of the match, going toe-to-toe with his higher ranked opponent on the floor game. But Gordon finished strong, blasting through the last five games as his radar came good. In the second dead rubber, Gale was too strong for Lewis Williams with his adaptation to the Royal Tennis Court and determination to play well whatever the circumstances shining through despite no longer being able to qualify.
The last match was a straight shootout between Hamilton and Darren Long, with the winner progressing to the main draw. Hamilton was out of the blocks fastest, quickly reaching points for a four game lead before Long could get on the board. He knocked Long off his railroad game plan that he had employed almost exclusively for the past few months. Long leant on his deep experience to battle back into the game, which became an all out slog, winning one game at a time as they edged towards the finish line. Both put away their forcing instead aiming for a deep length into the corners made more difficult by the width of the court. Hamilton was stuck at the hazard end while up 8-7, before finally slotting two galleries to return to the service end at 8-all 30-all. Long beat the first with a perfectly angled thick boast to bring up match point. Then, still with a second gallery chase, Long skied an ill-directed shot off the dedans penthouse, only for the ball to fall directly into the last gallery, winning the chase and the match. Hamilton dropped his racket on the floor in disbelief, while Long looked literally gobsmacked, bringing his hands to his face as his jaw dropped. He sheepishly accepted the applause from the crowd, embarrassed by the shot that brought him a main draw entry.
Immediately after the match, Royal Tennis Court head professional Nick Wood drew the positions of the qualifiers in the main draw. Long drew sixth seed Bryn Sayers while Bertie earned another round against Robert Shenkman following their previous outings at the top recent amateur events.
Play continues on Thursday with the first four quarter finals, with the second set of two quarter finals on Friday for the lucky losers among the top four seeds. Tickets are still available in limited supply for the remaining days play and are available via this link.
Match results:
2:00 PM (Group A): Levi Gale lost to Bertie Vallat 5/9
3:00 PM (Group B): Vaughan Hamilton def Louis Gordon 9/2
4:00 PM (Group A): Bertie Vallat def Thomas Durack 9/3
5:00 PM (Group B): Louis Gordon def Jack Josephs 9/5
6:00 PM (Group A): Lewis Williams lost to Levi Gale 3/9
7:00 PM (Group B): Darren Long def Vaughan Hamilton 9/8
Final qualifying standings:
Group A:
Bertie Vallat (3 wins, qualifies)
Levi Gale (2 wins)
Lewis Williams (1 win)
Thomas Durack (0 wins)
Group B:
Darren Long (3 wins, qualifies)
Vaughan Hamilton (2 wins)
Louis Gordon (1 win)
Jack Josephs (0 wins)
Order of play for Thursday (all times BST):
2:30 PM: Bryn Sayers (6) vs Darren Long
4:15 PM: Robert Shenkman (5) vs Bertie Vallat
6:00 PM: John Lumley (1) vs Leon Smart (4)
7:15 PM: Ben Taylor-Matthews (3) vs Nick Howell (2)