Autumn in the States 2017 #5

The next Challenger tournament on the calendar took Greg to Stockton in California. Playing in qualifying he did not get the best of draws, but still a winnable match, up against his peer, 28 year old Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez. Not as successful in the Juniors as Greg, Gonzalez had since been a consistent performer and had successfully made the transition to the ATP tour, attaining a top 100 ranking, with a ranking high of 70 attained in June 2014. However, since mid 2015 Gonzalez's tennis has been in slow decline and this year his ranking has slipped to a current low of 460. Now on the come-back trail he was required to play qualifying and will be a tough match for Greg. 

Eve Zimmerman Tennis Centre

Serving first, Greg was quickly into the first game but Gonzalez pegged him back to deuce and forced Greg to save break point to hold serve. Greg again had game points in his second service game, but was again forced to deuce and then had to save two break points, to get the score to 2-1. He then forced Gonzalez to face a break point, but Gonzalez denied Greg, games going to 2-2. But Greg was serving at below 50% and Gonzalez was attacking his second serve, this time breaking Greg on the second opportunity to go a break up, then hold serve to consolidate his lead at 4-2. Greg was again under the pump in his next service game, and saved multiple break points, but could not win two points in a row, eventually being broken after saving five break points, to trail 2-5. Gonzalez  served out the next game to win the set 6-2.

Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez

The first game of the second set saw Gonzalez maintain his momentum, getting Greg to 15-40, Fighting back Greg got the game back to deuce but could not create a game point, and lost his serve to trail 0-1, then 0-2 as Gonzalez  held serve confidently. The third game was another marathon game for Greg, as he saved 8 break points and had multiple deuces, but again could not get the vital game point, dropping serve again, to go 0-3 down. He could not make any in-roads on Gonzalez serve, with Gonzalez running away with the set at the end, to win the set 6-0, and the match with a lop-sided score-line of 6-2, 6-0.
Greg said he had not played badly, his serve improving throughout the match, and that the score did not reflect the match, nor his effort in saving a mammoth 17 break-points, but still not making any headway in the match. He said the match was a strange one with no tournament atmosphere at all - it was the last match on late in the day, they had no ball boys and the only spectator was Gonzalez's coach.