Simon Proud Of His Own Tennis Path
Simon Proud Of His Own Tennis Path
Oct062016
Tennis investigators are examining whether a match at this year’s Wimbledon was fixed after suspicious betting patterns were reported.
The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which was set up in 2008 to detect any corruption, has not revealed which match it is investigating.
The TIU is already investigating a US Open first-round match between Vitalia Diatchenko and Timea Bacsinszky.
“Both are the subject of routine, confidential investigation,” it said.
The TIU said it received 96 alerts from July to September, including the two alerts from Wimbledon and the US Open.
Alerts come from regulators and betting organisations, who can report matches if they notice suspicious betting patterns.
“It is important to appreciate that an alert on its own is not evidence of match-fixing,” added the TIU.
It states that unusual gambling patterns can be explained by factors other than fixing, such as incorrect odds setting, player fitness, playing conditions and well-informed betting.
British number one Johanna Konta reached the China Open quarter-finals by beating world number six Karolina Pliskova for the first time.
Konta, ranked 14th, saw off the Czech 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) in a rain-delayed match in Beijing.
Konta, 25, led 4-1 when the players were forced off, returning to win the first set in just 23 minutes on court.
Pliskova levelled after converting her seventh break point, but the Briton recovered to win a final-set tie-break.
She will face either fourth seed Simona Halep or home favourite Zhang Shuai in the last eight.
The gutsy victory, completed in two hours and seven minutes, maintains Konta’s hopes of reaching the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore.
She is 11th in the standings, with only the top eight qualifying for the tournament, which takes place from 23-30 October.
Konta could also break into the world’s top 10 for the first time if she continues her run at the China Open.
She would join Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Jo Durie as the only Britons to achieve the feat on the WTA Tour.
World number one Angelique Kerber is out of the China Open after losing to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
The German, who won the Australian and US Opens this year, saved two match points against the 16th seed but lost 6-3 7-5.
Challenger of the Year selection keeps pleasing players and fans
In order to run a world-class tennis tournament like the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Mons, Belgium, it helps to have someone in charge that has played in many of them.
Enter Dominique Monami. During her 10-year career, she peaked at No. 9 in the WTA rankings in 1998 and won four singles titles. Since moving on to become the tournament director at the Ethias Trophy, she’s drawn from her time on tour to offer everything that a player could need during their week in Mons.
The tournament debuted in 2005 and with her help, was selected as a 2015 Challenger of the Year (along with events in Braunschweig, Germany, and Monterrey, Mexico). Not only has it become one of the most popular tournaments among players on the ATP Challenger Tour calendar, it’s also a local favourite with nearly 20,000 people turning up every year to watch the tennis.
“I think my past experience helps me to better understand the needs of the players and make a schedule that’s fair for everyone. I’m also working with my team to help the players as much as possible outside the court,” said Monami. “We offer cinema tickets, golf and free food with delicious sweets. My hope is that the players feel good here so they play at their top level and want to come back next year. Many of our players come back year after year.”
One of those players is Belgian No. 2 Steve Darcis, a two-time finalist making his 11th appearance this year at the Ethias Trophy. He regularly practises in Mons and the tournament’s stadium has become familiar territory to him.
“It’s tough to find a better Challenger,” said Darcis. “The stadium is almost full all the time, especially when Belgians play. The atmosphere is very nice, the food is great too and the people working there are doing everything they can for the players.”
The tournament has served as a springboard for several players who went on to reach the highest levels of the sport. Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals in 2005, while former champions Ernests Gulbis (2005), Janko Tipsarevic (2006) and David Goffin (2014) have all gone on to crack the Top 15 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
For the Belgian players competing here, it also offers a rare opportunity to play in front of a home crowd.
“I have family and friends come all the time because I usually play too far away,” said Darcis. “It’s great for me to play in front of the people I love.”
Dutch player competes in biggest Challenger main draw to date
After graduating from college this year, Sem Verbeek is now ready to graduate onto a pro tennis career.
The 22 year old from the Netherlands took another step towards that at this week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Stockton, California. Verbeek received a main draw wild card for his success as a player at Stockton-based University of the Pacific and fittingly drew reigning NCAA champion Mackenzie McDonald in the first round. Although he lost in straight sets, he said the match was an experience that will serve him well.
“Coming home is always a great experience, especially getting to play at this level. There’s a lot to learn, but that’s what makes these matches exciting,” said Verbeek. “Obviously the result sucks, but that’s what makes you more hungry to go out there and work hard.”
Verbeek completed his senior year on the team with an 18-2 record, earning him a selection as West Coast Conference men’s tennis Player of the Year. But while he hopes to one day have a similar record on the ATP World Tour, he admitted there will be a steep learning curve initially.
“The biggest difference is the base. They hit the ball a little harder and a little bit faster than college players. They reach a level of tennis that I have in me, but find hard to produce consistently now,” said Verbeek. “The opportunities lie in some very small corners and these guys take advantage of them because they’re professionals.”
Verbeek kicked off his pro career last month and has played four tournaments so far, all in California. He’ll now head back to the Netherlands to train and figure out his next tournaments, but is the optimistic that this is the beginning of a long career.
“There are some mental and technical errors that I can’t make anymore at this level, so that’s what I’m working on now to make these types of matches mine,” said Verbeek. “I’m excited to get this process started and get to work. It’s going to take a lot of improvement on my part, but I’m ready for it. This is what I want to do.”