Grass Season - Nottingham Challenger - #1

Following the Futures tournaments in Florida Greg spent two weeks in Ponte Vedra Beach, recuperating from his stomach strain and getting coaching and mentoring from Todd Martin. He was accompanied by fellow tennis player and good mate Greg Oulette, who hit and trained with Greg at Todd's Tennis Academy, Dave Bidmeade having departed back to Melbourne. Then the Greg's took off for England to ply their trade on the grass courts of England and maybe Europe.

First stop was Nottingham for the first Challenger tournament there, a $75k tournament. Both Gregs managed to get into the qualifying round and both copped seeds in the first round, Jonesie getting the No.7 seed and Oulette fairing even worse, facing up against the No.1 seed. Rotten luck. Greg Jones' opponent was Irishman James Mcgee, at 25 years old now ranked at his highest ranking of 241.

It was McGee who served first, holding serve and then taking the iniative over a nervous start from Greg, breaking him to lead 2-0, then consolidating the break at 3-0. Greg settled his nerves and held serve, then forced his way back into the set, getting McGee to 15-40 and converting the opportunity to break back and then level the set at 3-3. Both players held servee to love in getting to 4-4. Then Greg forced McGee to face three break points at 0-40. McGee was up to the challenge though and, with some good serving with the new balls, he got the score back to deuce and held serve for a 5-4 lead. Games then went with serve, Greg holding to love to get the set to the tie-break at 6-6.

The grass courts of Nottingham

In the tie-break Greg took the first minibreak and raced to a 3-0 lead. McGee fought back and courtesy of a double fault from Greg the players changed ends at 3-3. At 5-5 McGee then broke Greg to bring up set point at 6-5. Greg denied him though, breaking McGee to save the set point and change ends level at 6-6. He then broke McGee again to bring up set point on his serve, winning the point and the tie-break 8-6, to pouch a very close first set 7-6.

Irishman James McGee

Greg was now serving first, and after a long tie-break first set the balls were worse for wear. McGee quickly forced Greg to face two separate break-points in the first game but Greg managed to save both. He then reciprocated, forcing McGee to 15-40 in the next game and breaking McGee to lead 2-0. McGee hit back immediately though breaking Greg to love and then, with the new balls, holding serve easily to level the match at 2-2. Serves dominated from then with only two points given up on serve with the new balls, the score going to 4-4, then Greg holding for a 5-4 lead, to put the pressure on McGee to serve to stay in the match. Both players threw everything into the next game, which went for 12 points. McGee saved two match points and Greg saved two game points before Greg brought up another break point, converting this time to win a hard fought, closely contested match 7-6, 6-4.

Relief for Greg in his first match back from a minor injury and low on confidence. Hope fully he will take new found confidence into the second round of qualifying which will be later today.