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Alexander Ward reaches Bangkok Semi final

Glenys Furness
Tennis

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By Glenys Furness

  • Alexander Ward makes the semi final in Bangkok Challenger
  • Lloyd Glasspool reached the quarter final

Bangkok, Thailand- Alexander Ward reached the semi final in the Bangkok 3 challenger, taking out seeded players along the way. Lloyd Glasspool made the quarter final.

Ward faced a tricky first round opponent, drawn against the third seed Yuichi Sugita. The Japanese player did not get off to the best of starts, as Ward broke serve to take the set 6-3. The seed fought back in the second set to break the Brit and level up the match, taking the set by the same score 6-3.

The final set saw Ward playing really well, as the Japanese was not able to get a look in on serve. The Brit dominated the set and took it with a ‘breadstick’ 6-1 to go into the next round. Next up for Ward was Adrien Bossel. The Brit was run close in the first set as the Swiss stayed close, however Ward got the necessary break to close out the set 7-5. The second set proved easier for the Brit and he moved into the quarter finals 6-3.

The quarter final had Ward playing against the seventh seed Ze Zhang. The Brit continued where he had left off and broke the seed to take the first set 6-4. The Chinese player was not going to let Ward have everything his own way though, and dominated the second set to take it 6-1. The final set was to prove a great set of tennis, with Zhang keeping close to the Brit until right at the end, where Ward secured a break of serve and sealed the match 7-5.

In the semi final Ward played Sam Barry. The Irishman had the better start and dominated to take the set 6-2. The Brit stayed with Barry in the second set and forced a tiebreak. However, the Irishman was able to dominate the breaker 7-3 to end the amazing run of Ward.

Liam Broady drew the top seed Sam Groth in the first round. After the Brit had taken the first set with a break of serve 6-4, the Australian retired handing Broady the match and a spot in the next round. In this match the Brit faced Sam Barry a qualifier who navigated to this stage defeating a wild card. The Irishman had little difficulty in disposing of Broady, losing only four games en route to the next round. 6-4, 6-0.

Glasspool had made it through qualifying and into the main draw. The first round he faced Andrew Whittington, the Brit lost only four games on his way to the second round, taking the match 6-4, 6-0.

The second round had the Brit up against the fourth seed Lukas Lacko. The first set proved to be a very tight affair, and headed to a tiebreak. Glasspool did extremely well, and in a very close breaker, edged ahead to take it 7-5. In the second set Glasspool found himself against an increasingly struggling seed. The Brit was up 4-1 when the Slovakian retired from the match, handing the Brit a place in the quarter final.

At the quarter final stage the Brit found himself against the sixth seed Alexander Sarkissian. The American was in no mood to fall to the Brit and dominated the match, taking both sets 6-2 to bring the run of Glasspool to an end.

In Geneva Dom Inglot was playing with Marin Draganja. The Brit/Croatian team drew the fourth seeds in the first round. The seeds just happened to be Colin Fleming and Jonathan Erlich.

In the first set Inglot & Draganja managed to break the Brit/Israeli twice on the way to a comfortable first set score 6-3. The second set proved closer as Fleming & Erlich managed to keep the set close. Going toe to toe with the non seeds, the Brit/Israeli team forced a tiebreak. In the breaker Inglot & Draganja kept it tight eventually taking the breaker 7-5 to move into the quarter finals.

Inglot has had to team up with different partners lately as at the last event played together Robert Lindstedt picked up an injury. It appears this is still effecting Lindstedt, as Inglot tweeted that he would be missing the French Open for the second year in a row.

In the quarter final Inglot & Draganja played Mariusz Fyrstenberg & Santiago Gonzalez. The Polish/Mexican team got the better start as they created break point chances on Inglot & Draganja, taking the one needed to seal the first set 6-4. Although in the second set the Brit/Croatian team finally made break point chances, all were snuffed out by their opponents. Eventually Fyrstenberg & Gonzalez secured two breaks of serve and took the set 6-3.

Neal & Ken Skupski were also playing in Geneva. The Brits drew the third seeds Steve Johnson & Sam Querrey. In the first set the Brits stayed with the Americans, forcing a tiebreaker. Unfortunately the seeds dominated the breaker taking it 7-1. The second set was still close, with the Americans securing one break of serve needed to seal the set and the win 6-4 to end the challenge of the Skupski Brothers.

Next week Brits will be in action in Paris for the French Open. Play commences 10am BST 23rd May 2016