British Tennis Watch – Week 6

In this long-running series of articles, we will be reviewing all the action in the world of British tennis, from Grand Slams to Juniors.

We’ll be trying to cover all manner of tennis at various different levels, with a focus on British prospects. For now, though, we will be keeping our focus on Singles action, and putting Doubles to one side except for big events such as the Grand Slams.

The article is split into different levels – these levels are based on the number of points available for the winner of each tournament. For example, a tournament at ‘250 Level’ means there are 250 ranking points available for the winning player.

Please let us know if we miss anyone off by emailing me at tennis@p.ublished.com.

Week 6 : 6–12 February 2023

In this week’s edition:

Liam Broady wins a Challenger title in Lithuania
15-year-old Oliver Bonding wins a big Junior title in South America
Two British semi-finalists at a home event in Bath.

ATP/WTA Main Tour

250 Level

There was very little action for Brits at the top of the Men’s and Women’s game this week, with only one player of either gender in action at 250 Level or above. Jack Pinnington-Jones, who was in Cleveland, Ohio at the CH75 last week, turned up in Dallas, Texas at the ATP 250 event. Jack is currently at college in Texas, hence his tendency towards American events so far this year. Jack managed to scrape into the qualifying draw as an alternate after several higher-ranked players withdrew, but he was unable to make it count – he lost 6-4 6-3 in the opening round of qualifying to home hope Mitchell Kruger.

ATP Challenger Tour / WTA/ITF Futures Tour

100 Level

TITLE ALERT!

It was a fantastic week in the Lithuanian capital this week for Liam Broady, current British number six, who came through an interesting field to clinch the title at the CH100 in Vilnius. Broady only needed to defeat one seeded player en route to the title, but he did so in style: he took out Swedish second seed Elias Ymer 6-3 6-1 in the second round, breaking serve six times, before marching through the rest of the tournament without even dropping a set.

His opponent in the final was Czech player Zdenek Kolar – the pair of them had met twice before, in 2018, exchanging victories, but Broady secured a 6-4 6-4 win, facing just two break points during the entire match and winning seven of nine close games in an impressive physical and mental performance. Congratulations to Liam – he’ll rise to within the world’s top 150 thanks to that title, and replace Ryan Peniston as British number five in the process.

80 Level

Just one woman in action for the Brits at ITF80 events this week – Eliz Maloney entered qualifying at the event in Grenoble, France, and had a good week. Maloney reached the final of the ITF50 event in Loughborough at the start of January, so has enjoyed some decent early-season form so far this year. Seeded third, she won both her qualifying matches to make the main draw, and then saw off French sixth seed Chloe Paquet in the first round. Maloney was a set and a break up 4-2 in the second set before the French lady retired with a minor injury.

Maloney’s run ended rather abruptly in the last 16 – she lost 6-0 6-2 to Liechtenstein’s Kathinka von Deichmann, but the 13 points she earns from this week’s efforts will see her rise into the top 400 and edge closer to her career high ranking of 387.

75 Level

Talking of Ryan Peniston, the British number five (soon to be six!) was in action at the CH75 in Spain this week, and also had an excellent week, reaching the semi-finals on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Peniston saw off Dalibor Svrcina (who beat fellow Brit Paul Jubb in Australian Open qualifying a few weeks back) before eliminating two qualifiers en route to the semis. He then ran into Italian veteran and wildcard Stefano Travaglia, 31, in a game which proved to be a step too far for the Brit. Ryan will also move into the top 150 thanks to the semi-final berth, but Broady will go past him – at least for the time being.

70 Level

Yuriko Miyazaki was in Porto alongside Matilda Mutavdzic for the ITF70 event in the Southern European nation this week. Mutavdzic didn’t get through qualifying, but Miyazaki won her opening match before running into young Swiss starlet Celine Naef (who beat the aforementioned Eliz Maloney in the Loughborough ITF50 in January) in the second round. Naef won 6-3 6-3, but Miyazaki’s first-round win sees her edge closer to the top 150 – and she should hit a career-high ranking this week thanks to the 7 points she earned.

50 Level

Bath hosted the latest home event for the Men and the Women this week, and for the Women it was a 50-Level event with just shy of $4,000 on offer for the winning player. The Brit progressing furthest into the main draw was 25-year-old Maia Lumsden, who had lost both of her opening round matches in Tallinn and Sunderland in January. But it was a happier home tournament for her this week as she defeated two fellow Brits, Emily Appleton and Eden Silva, to reach the quarter-finals before falling to Teresa Smitkova of the Czech Republic.

Despite being the top seed, Sonay Kartal lost in the second round after a real tussle against Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova – Kartal lost 7-6(8) 3-6 7-6(6) despite having four set points in the first set and winning more points in total throughout the match. There were also second-round berths for the aforementioned Silva as well as qualifier Amarni Banks, while Alice Gillan and Emma Wilson were the other two Brits to emerge from qualifying – although both lost their first-round matches in straight sets.

Naiktha Bains was once again trying her luck Down Under at a ITF50 event in Burnie, but she lost 6-0 6-1 to the top seed Olivia Gadecki in a very one-sided result.

25 Level

The Men’s event in Bath again offered fewer points than the Women’s, but there was more British interest as a result, and two semi-finalists in Dan Cox and George Loffhagen, both of whom are enjoying very steady starts to the year.

Cox, who reached the main draw from qualifying at the CH75 in Spain last week, dropped down a level or two this week but still picked up decent points en route to the semis. He was seeded seventh here and beat one Greek and two Brits – George Houghton and Daniel Little – before losing to German Henri Squire in the semis.

Loffhagen, who reached the final in Loughborough in Week 2 as a qualifier, had failed to back up that performance in either Sheffield or Sunderland, but did so this week in Bath. He took out a German in the first round before defeating fellow countrymen Aidan McHugh and Hamish Stewart in the second round and quarter-finals respectively. Little and Stewart, by the way, can be very proud of their weeks, too – Stewart won the UK Pro League event in Graves last week, earning himself a wildcard into this event, and his defeat of Canadian fourth seed Filip Peliwo is an excellent scalp for him. Little, meanwhile, beat Romanian top seed Filip Jianu 6-0 6-2 in a devastating performance in the second round.

There were also first round wins for Brandon Murphy, Harry Wendelken, qualifier Sean Hodkin, and wildcard Patrick Brady, while seven of the eight qualifiers for the main draw were also Brits: the aforementioned Hodkin, alongside Michael Shaw, James Davis, Adam Jones, Alexis Canter, Damian Rodriguez, and Toby Martin.

Meanwhile, the ITF25 event in Turkey, into which Felix Gill and Joseph White were entered, was understandably cancelled due to the earthquake in the country, and Ruari McLennan and Nicolas Philibert lost their first qualifying matches in Egypt.

Junior Tennis

J300 Level

TITLE ALERT!

What a difference one week makes! Last week, at the J300 in Ecuador, 15-year-old Oliver Bonding didn’t even win his first match in qualifying; this week, at the J300 in Colombia, Oliver won the title! It’s the first British winner of a tournament at this level since Jack Pinnington-Jones won in Roehampton in 2021, and the first outside the UK since Jack again in Plovdiv in 2020, and for it to be done by a 15-year-old is all the more impressive. Bonding's ranking will surge to just outside the top 50 juniors thanks to this incredible result.

Bonding’s route to the final was not easy, either – he took out the sixth seed and the tenth seed in the opening two rounds before taking out two North American qualifiers in the quarter- and semi-finals. He then faced Mees Rottgering of the Netherlands in the final, dropping the first set before coming back to win a tight match, 5-7 6-4 7-6(3).

There were, of course, other Brits involved alongside Bonding, who have been touring Central and South America over the last few weeks. 16-year-old Isabelle Lacy made the semi-finals of the Girls’ draw – an excellent result for her meaning she’ll move into the top 50 – Henry Searle reached the quarter-finals, while Ellie Blackford and Hephzibah Oluwadare both won their first-round matches as well.

These high-level junior tournaments in South America switch from Hard to Clay courts next week, so it remains to be seen if this group of youngsters will continue their exploits in the Tropics.

J200 Level

13-year-old Hannah Klugman reached the quarter-finals of the J200 this week in Germany, and is on the verge of moving into the junior top 100 despite only having been eligible for these types of tournaments since last February. Her run this week included two demolitions in the opening two rounds before a real tussle against junior world number 12 Nikola Bartunkova, 16, who eventually went on to win the title. Klugman fell 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 7-5 to the girl three year her elder; the young Brit is certainly one to keep an eye on for the future.

There were a few Boys involved in Germany too, most notably Freddy Blaydes, who reached the second round. Viktor Frydrych (as a direct entrant) and Luke Hooper (who made it through qualifying) were eliminated in the first round.

J100 Level

Another British Hannah, Hannah Read, made the quarter-finals this week – of a J100 event in Manacor, Spain. Read, the fifth seed, fulfilled her seeding before retiring with an injury in her quarter-final against the top seeded Spaniard, Ariana Geerlings. In the Boys’ Singles, Roy Keegan was seeded eighth and won one match before also exiting with an injury in the second round – we wish both youngsters the best with their recoveries.

J60 Level

Josh Manuel made the final of the J60 in Bloemfontein this week – the second successive final that he has made in South Africa. It’s unclear whether the final has been played as of the time of writing, but regardless, another good week for the 17-year-old. Countryman Max Castle made the quarters, while in the Girls’ draw, Serena Manca also reached the quarter-finals as the fifth seed.

Elsewhere, in Poland, Kyle McKay (as third seed) and Finbar McGarvey both reached the quarter-finals before narrow straight sets defeats.

J30 Level

There was a home J30 event in Liverpool this week – there’s one next week, too – and so a chance for some young British players unable to travel internationally to show their mettle on home soil.

In the Boys’ draw, it was an all-British final as Jay Johnson-Hauldren triumphed 7-6(4) 6-4 over Sebastian Harrison to clinch the title. It’s Jay’s first ever ITF Junior title, and easily the furthest he’s ever progressed into a tournament at this level, so congratulations to him. The 16-year-old will leap from outside the world’s top 1500 to inside the top 900 with the 30 points that the title will bring him. Harrison will also be happy with a great run to the final; he’ll pick up 18 points for his efforts.

There was also a semi-final appearance for qualifier Jakob Bonnett in his first ever ITF Junior tournament; he beat the top seed, Brit Ilias Hirani Worthington in the last 16. Toby Clarke, Conor Flynn and Samuel Chadwick all made appearances in the quarter-finals.

In the Girls’ draw, the furthest progression was made by Jacquelin Ogunwale (Hephzibah’s sister), who reached the semi-finals as the fifth seed. There were further quarter-final berths for wildcard Heidi Crncan, sixth seed Brooke Black, and unseeded Elizabeth Evans.

Elsewhere, Sirena Was made the semi-finals in Sri Lanka, with Sergiy Rafiee losing in the second round and Josh Hinton losing in the first, while in Kuwait, Issah Ali picked up one win before exiting in the second round.

LTA British Tour

23-year-old Liam Hignett won the Grade 2 event in Stirling this weekend, defeating 37-year-old French veteran Nicolas Rosenzweig in three sets in the final. Hignett, who failed to make it out of qualifying for any of the three UK-based ITF25s so far this year, will be pleased to have gotten back to winning ways with a decent run here. Shout outs for 17-year-old Jack Deveney and 28-year-old Jordan Reed-Thomas for reaching the semis.

In the Women’s Singles, 15-year-old Teodora Prisadnikova won the title, beating 16-year-old Lois Newberry in the final. They were joined by 15-year-old Allegra Davies in the semi-finals, as well as an American youngster.