Williams into Victorian Open singles and doubles finals with dual victories over Hudson
Booth to defend singles title; Woods-Casey and Chapman to defend doubles titles in finals
Michael Williams has secured his place in the finals of both the singles and the doubles of the Victorian Open, overcoming stiff resistance from Ben Hudson in both competitions at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club on Saturday. Defending singles champion Kieran Booth and defending doubles champions Chris Chapman and John Woods-Casey secured easy victories in their respective semi-finals.
As the event being held at one of the few two-court venues in the world, the semi-finals of the Victorian Open saw the unusual phenomenon of both matches kicking off simultaneously. On the North court, defending champion Kieran Booth played local professional John Woods-Casey in a rematch of the previous edition’s final at Ballarat. Woods-Casey struggled to maintain control of Booth’s railroads, setting up shot after shot onto the forehand back wall for Booth to eat up. When he did get into a rally, Woods-Casey found himself outmatched as Booth extracted severe cut from the quick Melbourne court. After giving up the first three games easily, the fourth was an even battle between the pair, with Woods-Casey starting to find some effective counter-play. But then Booth wound up his force, unleashing at the main wall and breaking away once again. He took the set shortly thereafter, having not dropped a game. Woods-Casey didn’t win a game until he was 0/2 down in the second set. He would only win one further, finding it difficult to break through the numerous deuce games, with Booth winning through to yet another final.
Meanwhile on the South, Michael Williams was challenged by the unseeded Ben Hudson. The play was chaotic, with Hudson playing unpredictable shots that left Williams scrambling around trying to keep the play going. However, departing from the ordinary playbook meant Hudson gave plenty of opportunities to Williams, who took an early three-game lead. Hudson restored a bit more control, putting Williams back on the defensive again. Even so, Williams had an answer for every one of Hudson’s kill shots, turning the tables and waiting for an error from his opponent instead. The games were evenly shared through the back half of the first set, with Williams holding on courtesy of his early lead.
The second set saw a long opening game featuring seven deuces as the two continued to prove evenly matched. They remained locked in an unflinching battle throughout the set, with the ball zipping through the air between their respective volleys. Hudson was all over the court, chasing everything down with his quick feet, while Williams kept up the pressure with his lack of errors. No more than a game separated them throughout, with the players only able to make reasonable progress when at the service end. As the set progressed, both recognised the importance, picking off gallery chases where possible. The set ran to a deciding game, with the match decided by a sequence of hard-hit slap volleys from Williams, causing Hudson to make the error when trying to dig out the ball on the half-volley.
Hudson and Williams returned to the South court a few hours later — interspersed by some plate and B-grade matches — for the doubles semi-finals. Hudson partnered Kieran Booth, while Williams teamed up with Oliver Pridmore. Williams and Pridmore combined well; Pridmore swept up everything at the back of the court with ease, allowing Williams to press forward on the volley. Pridmore’s return of serve put Booth under immediate pressure on the forehand, varying the length to pull him up the court and out of position, with Hudson failing to drop in behind. Pridmore and Williams went ahead early, holding firm as Pridmore was able to easily cover anything Booth put onto the tambour, despite dropping to the floor to do a barrel roll on multiple occasions. Booth and Hudson’s best chances to remain in the set came in the long 2/4 game, but Pridmore and Williams were making few errors, and Booth’s raw power was being beaten by Williams’s spike volleys at the net. Pridmore and Williams took the last game comfortably, then broke away to a 3/0 lead in the second set, doing most of the work from the hazard end. Booth and Hudson stole back a game with a rally where Hudson spent half the reste lying prone next to the forehand side of the net. A rare sequence of errors followed from Pridmore and Williams, allowing their opponents to draw level at 3-all. Booth then joined the party on the floor with a couple of forward dives trying to retrieve a ball next to the main wall, sliding on his backside into the main wall each time. With his confidence in the forehand side shaken, Pridmore and Williams pressed on through the last few games to secure their place in the final.
Back on the North court, the other doubles semi-final saw the local pro team and defending champions Chris Chapman and John Woods-Casey play the interstate professionals Jackson Pastoor and Alex Marino-Hume. Pastoor and Marino-Hume were not prepared for the shot quality they were facing from the Melbourne pros, who were asking questions with every ball they played. Chapman and Woods-Casey were effortless in their movement; no ball was left uncovered and any slight inconsistency from their opponents was quickly pounced upon. Pastoor and Marino-Hume’s unforced error count hurt, providing a gift to Chapman and Woods-Casey that they scarcely needed. After winning two points in the opening game, Pastoor and Marino-Hume would win just one further point in the whole set. The second set was better for Pastoor and Marino-Hume, picking off two games as Chapman and Woods-Casey relaxed slightly, knowing that their progression to the final was assured.
Play concludes on Sunday with the singles and doubles finals, alongside finals for the plate and B-grade competitions.
Match results:
11:45 AM (North): Kieran Booth (1) def John Woods-Casey (3) 6/0 6/2
11:45 AM (South): Michael Williams (4) def Ben Hudson 6/3 6/5
4:00 PM (North): Chris Chapman & John Woods-Casey (1) def Alexander Marino-Hume & Jackson Pastoor 6/0 6/2
4:00 PM (South): Kieran Booth & Ben Hudson lost to Oliver Pridmore & Michael Williams (2) 2/6 3/6
Order of play for Sunday (all times AEDT):
10:30 AM (North): Kieran Booth (1) vs Michael Williams (4)
2:00 PM (North): Chris Chapman & John Woods-Casey (1) vs Oliver Pridmore & Michael Williams (2)