USA Spring Tour 2011 - Update #7

After the loss in the final round of qualifying at Indian Wells, Greg spent a few days training with Todd Woodbridge at the Indian Wells Centre, along with Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic. He then had a few days off, resting a sore right elbow which he had "tweaked" during serving practise.

On Wednesday, 16th March, he departed for Miami to attend a cumpolsory three day course for all new ATP Members, at the ATP University, doing a short course on the ATP and it's working. After that he is planning to play in the qualifying for the Miami Masters, which commences on Monday 21st, but he did not make the cut for the draw, so is flying back to Australia for some training and to play in a Futures tournament.

Extract from ATP website:

Seventeen Players Graduate From ATP University In Miami

There were 17 graduates from the ATP University programme, which was completed on Saturday, 19 March at the Mayfair Hotel & Spa in Miami.

The ATP University is an informative and interactive workshop consisting of classroom presentations by ATP executives and industry specialists. The curriculum provides a thorough knowledge of ATP operations and the skills necessary for a productive and lasting career.

The ATP University was implemented in 1990 to ensure that over time, professional tennis benefits from a more well-rounded responsible tennis professional. More than 790 athletes have completed the program since its inception.

 Canadian Milos Raonic won the ATP IQ competition, a game testing the players’ knowledge of the ATP and the topics covered during the workshop, while Australian Greg Jones came runner-up.

ATP University 2011 Graduates: Carsten Ball (Australia), Tomasz Bednarek (Poland), Richard Berankis (Lithuania), Lester Cook (United States), Marco Crugnola (Italy), Sebastian Decoud (Argentina), Greg Jones (Australia), Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia), Mateusz Kowalczyk (Poland), Filip Krajinovic (Serbia), Adrian Mannarino (France), Michal Przysiezny (Poland), Milos Raonic (Canada), Igor Sijsling (Netherlands), Tim Smyczek (United States), Izak van der Merwe (South Africa) and Horacio Zeballos (Argentina).

USA Spring 2011 - Update #6

The second and final round of qualifying at Indian Wells, California presented a very tough task for Greg, up against his Commonwealth Games final vanquisher, 26 year-old Indian Somdev Devvarman, currently ranked near his highest ranking at 84. Revenge would be sweet for Greg but very difficult to attain.

Serving first Greg held his serve but was soon under the hammer as Devvarman brought up break points in Greg's next service game, breaking to lead 2-1, then holding for 3-1. Greg could not consistently serve a first serve and Devvarman was returning those he did get in very well, again breaking Greg to take a stranglehold on the first set at 4-1. Devvarman served out the set 6-2.

Greg started the second set confidently, holding to love but again on his next service game faced two break points against him. He rallied to hold and games went to 3-2, Greg leading. Then Greg had a break-point opportunity on Devvarman's serve but was denied, games even at 3-3 and then 4-4 in the second set. Devvarman upped the ante and pressured Greg into giving up another break point. Greg could not save again and Devvarman took a 5-4 lead to serve for the match.

Greg managed to get Devvarman to 30-40 but Devvarman saved the break-point to get back to deuce. Greg again brought up break-point but Devvarman saved again, then brought up match point, converting to win the set 6-4 and the match 6-4, 6-2.

Player's lounge

A day of a few missed opportunities and disappointment for Greg who would have dearly loved to qualify for an ATP Master event but perhaps was denied by the vagaries of the draw.



USA Spring 2011 - Update #5

Indian Wells, east of Palm Springs in California, was the venue for Greg's next tournament. Indian Wells is a ATP Masters 1000 tournament, into which Greg had gained entry to the qualifying. Greg's first round match was against veteran 34 year-old Austrian Stefan Koubek. Koubek is currently ranked 202 but has a high rank of 20 and has been a regular in the top 100 for the past 12 years, so it will be another stern test for Greg, but one which is not insurmountable.
Koubek started serving and easily won the first four points against a nervous Greg. Greg also held serve for 1-1 and then in the 3rd game had Koubek at 15-40, converting the break to take a surprise 2-1. Greg held for a 3-1 lead and then forced Koubek to 0-40. Koubek respondd to get back to deuce but Greg brought up another break-point and won the point to go a double break up at 4-1. Greg then served out the set 6-2, having had to face no break points in the set.

In the second set Koubek again held and then brought up a break point opportunity on Greg's serve, which Greg managed to save, games going with serve to 2-2. Greg then again broke Koubek to lead 3-2, then 4-2, games going to 5-3. With Koubek serving to stay in the match Greg got him to 30-40 and had match point. Koubek saved three match points before Greg was able to break him and win the set 6-3, for a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 win.

A good confidence boosting win for Greg. He served well in the 1st set but dropped off at the initial stages of the 2nd before improving towards the end of the match. He will play his next match tomorrow.

USA Spring 2011 - Update #4

The quarter-finals of the Dallas Challenger saw Greg face up against 27 year-old American Alex Bogomolov, currently ranked 152, with a top100 high rank of 97.
Bogomolov served first but it was Greg who took the immediate advantage, breaking Bogomolov and holding serve to lead 2-0. Howeve on the back of some bad serving by Greg it was Bogomolov who won the next 5 games to lead 5-2. Greg started to get back on track and held his next service game but could not stop Bogomolov from serving out the set 6-3.
With Greg serving first in the second set games got to 1-1 before Bogomolov  again broke Greg to go a break up and consolidate for a 3-1 lead. Greg slowly started getting into the game but was still struggling with his first serve percentage. Games went to 2-4 when Greg pressurised Bogomolov and brought up a couple of break-point opportunities. He managed to convert and was back in the match, serving a little better and holding serve to match Bogomolov and take the set to the tie-break at 6-6. In the tie-break it was Bogomolov who got the early break and then went ahead to 5-2, then 6-2 up with four match points. But Greg was not done yet. Four scintillating points later, with some dynamic winners Greg had saved those match points, winning 6 points in a row to come from the death and win the tie-break 8-6 and level the match at 1 set all. If only Greg could move and play like that every game.
Bogomolov unfortunately did not get too despondent in the third set, holding serve and then at 2-1 up breaking Greg to lead 3-1 and then 4-1. Greg served well to hold serve and games went tp 5-3 with Bogomolov serving for the match at 5-3 up. He got to 40-15 and again had 2 match points on his own serve. Greg again responded and saved the match points and, after multiple deuces, broke Bogomolov to get back on serve. Again Bogomolov did not drop his game, despite having 6 match points denied, and got Greg to 15-40, facing another two match points, He saved the 7th but a slighlty wide forehand saw Bogomolov finaly prevail, winning the exciting match 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 to progress to the semi-finals.
An up-and-down match for Greg, who dod not serve as well as he can but played quite well. He said the most positive aspect of the match was his body language and that he kept positive and kept fighting to the end.
All his matches were live-streamed on the Internet by Front Row Tennis, at http://www.frontrowtennis.com/, and can still be accessed and viewed by login on and signing in. It was a high quality feed with good commentary and inetrviews with the players. Good watching.

USA Spring 2011 - Update #3



Indoor Courts



Greg took to the indoor hard courts for his second match round in the Dallas Challenger against rising USA star, wild card recipient Denis Kudla. The 18 year-old Ukrainian born Kudla, who reached a junior high ranking of 3 last year and is now at an ATP career high ranking of 483, had a good 1st rond win and will be a tough test for Greg.

Both player's 1st serves were not firing in the set, Greg at a poor43% for the set, and it was Kudla who took the advantage, over powering a mis-firing Greg to get a break up and then serve out the first set 6-3.
A set down, the woes continued for Greg and he agin found himself a break down at 2-4. He set about righting the matter but still could not find that elusive first serve. Greg held for 3-4, then broke Kudla to get back into the set at 4-4. But Kudla pounced on some more poor serving and broke again, to serve for the match at 5-4 up. But Greg was tenacious and got Kudla to 15-40, only to see Kudla hold to deuce. Again Greg brought up a break point and this time converted to deny Kudla the match. Greg held and took the set to the tie-break. He got an early lead and ran away with the tie-break, winning it 7-3 and levelling the match at 1 set all.

Greg now had the impetus and after a long game broke Kudla to go 1-0 up. An even longer service game ensued for Greg, unable to serve a first serve. He saved three separate break points before closing out the game on the fifth deuce to lead 2-0. After that he started playing a lot more confidently, holding to go 3-1 up.At 4-2 he again forced Kudla to break point, converting to get a double break up and then served out the set, to win a close match 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2.

Not Greg's best performance but a well fought match in which he never gave up.

USA Spring 2011 - Update #2

First round of the doubles in the Dallas Challenger saw Greg and partner Marinko Matosevic, playing together for the first time, up against Turk Ilhan Marsel and the experienced Slovakian Ivo Klec.
Greg and Marinko fell behind a break early but rallied to level at 3-3. The Turk/Slovak combination brought again however and won the first set 6-4.
The second set was a tight affair again, with both teams swopping break before they Australians got the decisive break to serve out the set 6-3, levelling the match at 1-1 and taking it into the match tie-break.
In the match tie-breaker it was the opposition who went ahead early, stretching their lead to run out 10-4 winners, Ilhan getting revenge on Greg for the singles loss earlier in the day.

USA Spring 2011 - Update #1

After almost weeks off from tournament playing, spent training and hitting, it was off to Dallas, Texas for a $50k Challenger tournament. Greg's first round draw presented him with a very tough assignment, up against the No.7 seed, 23 year-old Turk Ilhan Marsel. Ilhan is currently ranked 120 but recently became the first Turkish player to break into the top 100, with a high ranking of 87 in January this year.

Greg served first and was immediately under the hammer, saving break point twice to get to 1-0 up. Games went with serve after that, with Greg struggling to hold. He was slowly getting on top of Ilhan's serve but was not able to a number of 0-15 and 0-30 cnahce to break-point, games going to 6-6. Greg's serve was not firing in the tie-break and he was broken multiple times, keeping close initially to Ilhan by breaking him back, but Ilhand prevailed, winning the tie-break 7-4 and the first set 7-6.

A change of racquet for the second set saw Greg get immediate results and he broke Ilhan first game to go 1-0 up. Greg held serve and then broke Ilhan again to get a double break up 3-0. Greg then was forced to save break-point to hold for a 4-0 lead, serving out the set 6-2 and levelling the match at one set all.

Ihand held his first serve in the second set, before Greg again broke him to take a 2-1 lead. Greg held and then broke Ilhan again to take a stanglehold 4-1 lead. He served out the set 6-2, to record a very good win against a top 100 player. A great result.

Greg plays his first round doubles match later today, partnering fellow Aussie Marinko Matosevic.