The Coaching Career of Allan Record

General discussions about the 1st version of Tennis Elbow Manager

The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 25 Aug 2010, 05:27

It gets annoying sometimes that interviews seem compelled to always ask the same questions, even when they know the answers. It’s always the same one: what did you see in Darryl that others missed? Frankly, they just weren’t looking. And it’s not hard to understand why.

1990 was a golden age for American tennis. Of the top 14 players, nine were from the U.S., including five of the top six and the top three(Lendl, Chang, Gilbert). Many of them were soon to fade from the scene, but #2 Michael Chang was 17, #5 Aaron Krickstein was 22, #8 Andre Agassi was 19, and of course Darryl’s style and physique was a carbon-copy of his, only in my opinion, even at that time, he had a chance to be even better than Andre.

#10 Jay Berger(23 years old), and Jim Courier(19) were still pretty young, and of course Pistol Pete Sampras(#41, 18) was off the radar. Hard to imagine, but he was only the 13th-best American in the rankings, out of 24 in the Top 100.

Darryl Fausett was an obscenely raw talent. With so many other fantastic players to choose from, it was easy for him to be missed. Frankly the surprising thing is not that nobody else noticed, but that I did. It was, as everyone can see now, my big break. He was my first pro, 17 and frankly not even yet ready to cut his teeth at the lowest levels of the tour.

**OOC Note: Incredible difficulty. Allan Record Coach talents: +9% Mental, +3 Charisma, 95% potential detection. Talents for Darryl Fausett: +2 Early Ball Hit(Agassi is +1), +1 Fast Learner(same as Agassi), +1 Injury Resistance, Kick Serve(same as Agassi), Slice mastery, +2 Champion(same as Agassi also), Globetrotter. My goal is to do as well as possible as a coach, not just to have Fausett post a brilliant career. With the changes to Incredible mode who knows what will happen **
Zorromorph
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Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 25 Aug 2010, 05:33

January 1990

Soon I picked up another young American desperate for anybody to coach him: Steve Herdoiza(puncher). 15% commission. Steve wants to maintain a #590 ranking, and he's got the skills to do better than that. He's got Top 100-150 potential IMO.

After a couple weeks of practice, it was off to the first tournament: France F1(Clay). Off to the first tournament for Herdoiza and Fausett that is: they could hardly afford to bring me along. They did some hitting together the last week before they left, but I'm not sure how much good it did. Herdoiza won more than 85% of the sets.

Fausett lost quickly in his first professional match, 3-6, 3-6. Next up came doubles qualifying, where the duo were both off their game somewhat and got blitzed by Guidolin/Reichel(2-6, 1-6), committing twice as many errors(44) as winners(22). And it was only that competitive because they saved 15 of 21 break points.

They stayed in France the next week for another futures(Indoor Hard), and for this one both players were entered in singles. Steve faced another American in the first round of qualifying, Tony Bujan, and he looked to have the edge. I’d had him focusing on improving his serve the first couple weeks, and hoped that would pay dividends. A strong 6-3, 6-2 win over the #6 seed(including Steve’s first ace) was the first win by a player of mine at the professional ranks! Many more to come of course, but it was great to see. Darryl, meanwhile, was outclassed again, this time by Scott Clark(NZL), 3-6, 2-6.

In the second round, Steve Herdoiza faced Otakar Jurecka(CZE), in another mismatch. It was an off day for Jurecka, and Herdoiza dominated 6-2, 6-0(first bagel!). French WC Thierry Guardiola was the only man standing between him and the main draw, but unlike the other two opponents, Thierry was a good player on his way up and simply out of Steve’s class. At least it was over quickly. 1-6, 2-6 in less than an hour.

In doubles, they met up with Ouahabi/Boruszewski. Say that 10x quickly. I dare you. Of the four, only Boruszewski looked like he brought his game. Another loss, 2-6, 3-6, and they returned to the States with lots of work to do. A couple weeks off, and I needed to use them.
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Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 26 Aug 2010, 05:57

FEBRUARY 1990

I put them both to work, Steve on his abysmal on-court tactics and return of serve, and continued work on the physical base with Darryl. I’m satisfied with how he’s developed, and will turn my attention to his shotmaking soon. I also recruited a third player, Carl Chang. Carl is a short, well-rounded 23-year-old counter puncher who is capable of being significantly better than he is. He’s currently ranked #411 in the world, and wants to maintain 480 or better. Another 15% commission.

Week 7

Chang reached the SF in Costa Rica F2 before he joined us, then headed off to Australia F1 where he was the top seed in the main draw. He started off against John Arbanas(AUS), obviously tired from the long journey. Why he wanted to go halfway around the world – literally -- to play a futures event is beyond me, and Arbanas has a fairly solid baseline game. Carl eked out a first-set tiebreak, then was broken to begin the second set … but he broke Arbanas back immediately. After a long game later in the set, he broke and had a chance to serve it out … but this time the Australian broke back. Carl got it done the very next game, surprising me with a 7-6(4), 6-4 win in a match I really think he should have lost.

Alex Windisch(DEU) was up next, and Chang was mostly back to full strength for this one. Another close victory, 7-5, 6-4. In the quarters, he ran into fast-rising qualifier Todd Woodbridge(AUS), who served up a double bagel. Still a productive trip, and it convinced me that Carl is ready to move up to the Challenger circuit.

Meanwhile, Herdoiza and Fausett faced off in the first round of qualifying at Israel F1. Herdoiza was clearly the favorite, and Fausett’s rhythm was also somewhat off. A quick 6-2, 6-0 romp for Steve(0:53). In the next round, another American waited(Brett Hansen-Dent). No contest, 6-0, 6-1. Back to the final round of qualifying, where the foe was 5th-seed Alexandre Strambini(CHE). A flat start spotted Strambini the first three games, but Herdoiza rallied to post a 6-4, 6-3 win, advancing to the main draw!

In doubles, Herdoiza/Fausett faced off with Spottl/Munoz, and showed how far they’ve come already in posting a pretty easy win, 6-2, 6-3.

Week 8

Steve Herdoiza met Nicolas Becerra(ARG) in the first round at Israel F1. A close one, but he got through by a final of 6-4, 7-5. Then he joined Fausett for their first doubles match, against Aguilera/Wang Jr. Aguilera is ranked #42 in the world, and he made this match no contest. 2-6, 1-6.

Herdoiza’s second-round singles foe is 5-seed Michael Walker(HKG), a lefty. Steve took advantadge of his weak serve to win again, 6-3, 6-2. Walker had only eight winners. In the quarters, Chilean Jose-Antonio Fernandez loomed as a sterner test. Fernandez was an inferior athlete, but his shot-making was superior. Athleticism won here, 6-4, 6-4. Also, Herdoiza was given a wild card into the main draw at Israel F2!

Over at the qualifying for Israel F2(Cement), Darryl Fausett was facing off against Seung-Ho Ji, both players looking like they hadn’t had enough sleep the night before. It was ugly, ugly tennis. Darryl made a run at the first set, but lost in straights again 5-7, 2-6.

Herdoiza faced another step up in competition for his Israel F1 semifinal, with German Andre Timme, finalist in Panama a couple weeks ago, across the court. A S/V player with good touch at the net and a consistent serve, Timme stopped his run, 4-6, 3-6.

There was still another matter to take care of: doubles qualifying at Israel F2. Hilton/Parmar were the opponents. I’m not sure what happened in this match. My duo looked lifeless at first, then came roaring back, only to collapse in the match TB. 4-6, 6-3, 0-1(10-6).
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Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 26 Aug 2010, 22:39

MARCH 1990

Week 9

Israel F2(Cement)

Steve Herdoiza had a big athletic edge against Shan Jiang(CHN), and made use of it in the first set. He nearly wasted his wild card, but survived a poor second to put the hammer down 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1. American Ryan Blake was next, and it was no contest: 6-1, 6-3 to Herdioza. Spanish qualifier Marc Lopez brought a solid all-around game to the quarters, and Steve watched an early lead and three set points wave good-bye in the first, falling in a tight and disappointing one 5-7, 5-7. Lopez is the better player, but Herdioza had a real shot at the upset and failed to take advantadge.


Week 10

Did some practice sets between the three players this week. Fausett is still the worst of the three, but can compete with them both now, winning a quarter to a third of the sets. Herdioza and Chang are both ranked at 509 …


Week 11

Barletta CH(Q)

Carl Chang is the #2 seed, and his first foil is Tomas Tenconi(ITA). A natural clay-courter with a heavy ball, Tenconi is clearly a player headed up and frankly he ought to be able to dispose of Carl pretty easily. He did just that after an even start, sending Chang quickly out of the draw in his first attempt at a challenger, 3-6, 2-6.

Cuba F??

Off to Cuba for Herdioza and Fausett: Herdioza is the top seed in the qualifying draw, just shy of making it on his merits. He started his qualifying run with lefty Bruno Soares of Brazil. Soares is slow and weak physically, which has prevented him from so much as getting to the final round of qualifying yet this year. Steve took it easy for this match(50% energy spending). Perhaps a little too easy. Despite being broken twice at love in the first set, Herdioza still won it eventually,6-4, 4-6, 7-5, but he had to go all out in the third to do it. Overconfidence was dangerous here. He had to fight off multiple break points in his first two holds of the final set, then break Bruno in the final game of the match. It should never have come down to that.

The next foe was Aleksandr Slovic, and there would be no taking it easy here. Slovic, a Serbian 17-year-old prodigy, is actually the favorite here. It was a rout, 2-6, 1-6, quite a disappointment after a SF and QF in the previous two events to not even qualify here.

Darryl’s continuing search for his first professional match win(or set, for that matter) ran into fellow American Adam Peterson. Adam was seriously off his game, and it looked early like Fausett might break through here. He served for the first set at 5-4, but couldn’t get the job done, choking at critical point in his first-ever pro tiebreak, then dropping his serve immediately to start the second. 6-7(4), 2-6, an opportunity lost and a clear case of mental collapse, not really believing he had the game to do it.

Cuba F1(Q)

Herdoiza/Fausett met Sela/Chang in the doubles, and had a bit of drama as Darryl had to fight off a stomach infection a couple of days before. They were ready to go on match day though, and cruised 6-1, 6-2.


Week 12

Cuba F1

Herdoiza/Fausett’s first-round opponent was Pehar/Zhu, and the first half of that duo, American Mirko Pehar, was unquestionably the best player on the court. My guys pulled off a pretty significant upset, knocking them off 7-5, 6-1 for their first main-draw doubles victory. The win also knocked both of them out of singles qualifying for Cuba F2 …

In the quarterfinals, they faced a similar foe to their first-round win in Kellner/Parmar. A strong and a weak player compared to their relatively solid partnership. Herdoiza’s 11% experience boost would hopefully help get them through. Again they found the winning formula, 6-3, 6-2. The semis were a different story. Going up against Veronelli/Martin, they both had a rough day out there and lost 5-7, 1-6.


Cuba F2(Q)

Carl Chang was still in the draw, and he met up with Chilean Adrian Garcia. It was only pure luck that he was able to extend it to three sets, losing 4-6, 6-1, 3-6. Garcia converted only 4 of 22 break points.

Carl and his new doubles partner, John Sullivan(USA), made their debut here, matching up with Friedman/Lee. Nobody looked good in this one. It was a poor start for the new partnership, losing 3-6, 3-6.

Herdoiza/Fausett met Joffe/Pedersen and had more success, edging them 6-4, 7-6(2) to qualify again.

My last player recruit came this week, with Czechoslovakian Martin Strelba(23, Defender) the fourth in my stable. At #45 in the world, he’s a major coup and will give me some experience coaching a player who can get into major events. He offers a 10% commission, and wants to maintain a ranking of 53rd or higher. His best result this year is a second-round finish at Acapulco: he lost in the first round at all of the big events he’s entered, Australian Open and the Miami & Indian Wells Masters.


Week 13

Cuba F2

Herdoiza/Fausett took on Delgaldo/Naldi to start with in the round of 16. Their winning ways continued against the third seeds, 6-4, 6-1. Delgado was the second-highest-ranked doubles player in the draw, so this was an excellent win. The quarters brought Weal/Larsson, and Herdoiza used a 10% exp boost. Another routine one, 6-3, 6-3.

In the semis for a second straight week, and waiting for them were second-seeds Galimberti/Pavicevic. A serious off day for Herdoiza dampened their chances significantly. They lost the first three games, rallied to win the next three, but it was pretty much downhill from there. A second straight loss at this stage, 4-6, 2-6.
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Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 29 Aug 2010, 23:46

APRIL 1990

Week 15

Monte Carlo Masters(Clay)

After just a week of work, Strelba headed off to Monte Carlo with his usual doubles
partner, Patrick Galbraith. They were seeded sixth, and met Peric/Elgin in the first round. Strelba was broken at love to start things off, but they got stronger as the match went on and won it 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Next they faced Chesnokov/Volkov. Both Russians are powerful baseliners, and they fell behind 4-1 in the first, but somehow found a way to win the next five games and take the set. It was a short-lived spurt of life, as they got dominated the rest of the way to lose it 6-4, 3-6, 2-6.

In singles, Martin Strelba’s first-round opponent was Croatian Ante Nakic-Alfirevic, a 22-year-old lefty with a much more consistent, well-developed baseline game. Strelba played well, but not well enough to avoid another first-round exit, 6-7(2), 4-6.

Barcelona 500(Clay)(Q)

4th seeds Strelba/Galbraith met Brighten/Schukin in their first test. 6-0, 6-2, no contest. Lin/Sinner went quickly as well in the final round, 6-2, 6-2.

Cardiff CH(Indoor Hard, Q)

Carl Chang was the top seed in another qualifying draw. Facing off against Andrei Rybalko(UKR), Carl rolled 6-1, 6-3, a much needed win for his confidence. The second-round opponent was lefty British qualifier Alex Bogdanovic, who had a stronger mental game at just 19 years old but was definitely behind Carl in physical development. Chang got through again, 7-6(0), 6-3. He got bombed in the final round though, 1-6, 4-6, despite winning the first three games of the second set.

Spain F5(Indoor Hard)(Q)

Darryl Fausett’s quest for a win ran into Swedish journeyman Bjorn Borg. New tournament, same results: 2-6, 4-6.

Herdoiza/Fausett had to qualify again, though they were up to 2nd seeds this time. Zipris/Farcas were not imposing foes, but Herdoiza had a serious off day. No cause for alarm, they still took it 6-3, 6-1.


Week 16

Barcelona(500, Clay)

Another disappointing match for Strelba in the first round. His opponent was Jimmy Arias(USA), a slightly superior and lower-ranked player, a very winnable opportunity. But Martin picked the wrong day not to bring his A game, and lost 3-6, 5-7. Martin’s ranking dropped like a rock afterwards, all the way down to #198. If I can’t pull that up in a hurry, he’s gone. These are the kinds of matches he really needs to win.

Warder/Bergstrom were the first-round doubles foe in Barcelona, and Strelba/Galbraith sure didn’t look like qualifiers in annihilating them 6-2, 6-0. Camporese/Shiras awaited next. A very tight match, and they had to survive a couple of set points against in the first set to survive in tiebreaks, 7-6(1), 7-6(1). In the quarters, top seeds Jim Grabb and David Pate awaited: they are one of the top teams in the world, both ranking in the Top 10. Perhaps not much of a contest on paper, but they acquitted themselves surprisingly well on the court. After twice going up a break and then losing it in the first set, they lost a tense tie-break and a tough battle 6-7(5), 4-6.

Spain F5(Indoor Hard)

Steve Herdoiza’s first match was the #6 seed: Croatian lefty Tomislav Prpic – an llness the day before had him still a bit off-balance going into it, but athletes have to fight through such things. Fortunately it wasn’t a contest: 6-1, 6-0. Viktor Nagy(HGY) was up next, and he made a better match of it. Better, but not good enough. Herdoiza won again, 6-4, 6-3.

Wild card Susheel Narla(IND) was another solid win in the quarters, 6-3, 6-3, and Herdoiza earned his second semifinal berth of the year! This also earned him a wild card into the main draw at Spain F6. American Kent Kinnear was the next hurdle, an excellent volleyer who naturally spent as much time attacking at the net as possible. Steve was not without weapons though, a decent passer at this point with somewhat more power and speed physically. It was an excellent first set, the kind of match that makes tennis great. Two players of different styles, each trying to find an answer for the others strengths and minimize their weaknesses. A back and forth struggle, with each having their moments and chances. Kinnear won 16 of the last 17 points on his serve to end the first set with a win in the tiebreak. Down a break in the second, Herdoiza won eight straight points to get back in it, then broke twice later in the set to send it to a decisive third. Again Kinnear got off the fast start, and this time there was no reply. 6-7(4), 6-3, 2-6 in 1:42, a tough loss that keeps him from the final. The better player did win, even though it was close.

First up in doubles for Herdoiza/Fausett was a testy win over Pablo Amado/Susnjak, 6-3, 7-5. Both were removed from Spain F6 qualifying after this win, though Herdioza was awarded a wild card for his singles performance this week. The QF brought Koellerer/Miniusi, another testy one. My boys had a tough day serving, but were a little more efficient in the rallies, grinding out a 6-4, 7-5 win.

In the semis, Jaite/Guzman awaited. A horridly bad day for Fausett, but Herdoiza spent a 21% xp boost as he was maxed out. Martin Jaite(ARG) is the #28-ranked player in the world in singles(17th so far this year), but he hasn’t done much in doubles, this being his first tournament in the last three months. We’re still looking for the first final after dropping this one 3-6, 3-6.

Spain F6(Clay, Q)

Carl Chang was the top seed, and first met Bruno Fragoso, and fell behind a break early against his Portuguese opponent. He rattled off the last five games of the first set though, and closed it out 6-4, 6-2. Franz Stauder(DEU) looked like an easy mark in the next round, and that looked on course for the first set. After that, Carl’s game fell apart, and he needed a third-set rally to avoid disaster 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. American clay-court specialist Dennis Schmid was the final hurdle to the main draw, and there was no drama this time: 6-3, 6-2.

In doubles, Sullivan/Chang met Printzlau/Zwetch. It came down to a match TB, and they came up short, 3-6, 6-3, 0-1(5). Meanwhile, Herdoiza/Fausett ran into Donato/Schmid, and Herdoiza had a rough day. Not their best effort, but they had enough at the end to overcome a horrid second set, 6-4, 1-6, 1-0(3).

Roma Masters(Clay, Q)

Seeded fourth, Strelba/Galbraith begin another qualifying attempt against Pearce/Mikheev, and pushed past them 6-4, 6-3. Veronelli/Furusho waited in the money round, and Strelba looked like the only really sharp player on the court. It probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway: this was a waltz, 6-0, 6-4.


Week 17

Roma Masters(Clay)

Canadian qualifier Martin Larendeau(177th overall) was the first-round obstacle for Martin Strelba, who really needs to end his four-match losing singles losing streak. He’s not going to get a better opportunity than this. It wasn’t easy, but he pulled through 7-6(3), 6-4. The next round, world #3 Boris Becker figured him for an easy mark – but Strelba took the first set! Halfway through the second, Becker unfortunately figured things out just in time, but Strelba put a heck of a scare into him before falling 6-4, 1-6, 3-6.

In the doubles bracket, Woodforde/Cahill raced to an early lead and grabbed the first set, but Strelba/Galbraith didn’t fold. They broke Woodforde at love in the final game of the match to eke out a tough 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 win. Sixth seeds Kratzman/Riglewski were up next, and despite a 10% xp boost for Strelba, they lost after saving two match points to force a tiebreak in the second set and leading it 3-0. The final score was 6-7(5), 6-7(5).

Spain F6(Clay)

Carl Chang’s first match was against Serge Soulie(FRA), who ruined a potentially even and entertaining tussle between a pair of qualifiers by having himself a horrid day. Give him a F for this one. Carl took it in a glorified walk-over, 6-2, 6-2. Next was Federico Sanchez(ESP), and both players only had their B game for this one. Chang’s clearly superior athleticism was decisive, 6-4, 6-4. Croatian 3-seed Emanuel Rasberger was up next, and the best you can give either player for this display is a C+. Rasberger is a little smarter player with more consistent ground strokes, and he’s a natural clay-courter. He’s also much weaker physically. Chang dropped the first set, but was in control after that, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

The semis brought the top remaining player in the draw, 2-seed George Cosac(ROU). Cosac was much better from the baseline, a clay-court natural, and had a more consistent serve. Carl was not without options as a faster and stronger player, and he also looked much better rested and prepared to play. It didn’t matter. He had to save two match points in his final service game to even get on the board. 0-6, 1-6.

Steve Herdoiza started another run against Diego Lozano(ESP), waltzing by 6-3, 6-1. 16-year-old Nicolas Kischkewitz(FRA) already has two QFs to his name this year, but he is a couple steps behind Steve across the board. That didn’t stop him from getting up a break early, but Herdoiza pulled through 6-3, 6-4. In the quarters, Massimo Ardinghi(ITA), who has five QF this year, four in futures and one at the Bratislava CH a month ago, had a sixth chance to advance further. Herdoiza is the better overall player clearly, but Ardinghi is a clay-court specialist and made things interesting before Steve advanced, 7-6(2), 6-4.

A third shot at a semifinal, this time against Xavier Avila who had already dismissed two seeds. A bad day for both players, and Steve used a 12% xp boost. He had a very sizable edge athletically, and cruised 6-3, 6-1 into his first final! Romanian second seed George Cosac was the obstacle to his first shot at a title. This was Cosac’s first futures event: he’s been playing Challengers all year, but never advancing past the second round. It looked pretty even going in: George has a more consistent game, while Steve has the physical edge and a bigger serve. The match was very competitive, and left little doubt that the best two players were facing off in the final. In the decisive final set, he had break chances in three of Cosac’s first four service games, but couldn’t take advantadge. Finally he got it done in the last game of the match, breaking at love to claim the championship 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. 2 hours 17 minutes, and well worth the price of admission.

Herdoiza/Fausett met top seeds Agafonov/Hunt in the first round, and thumped them impressively, 6-2, 6-1. Next up were Calvelli/Strambini, and they didn’t get anything close to my boys’ best effort. After dominating the first set, they fell behind 4-0 in the second, then turned it on to win the next three games, but they couldn’t get all the way back. A match TB decided it, and it was a total disaster. 6-1, 4-6, 0-1(1). Very disappointing.
Zorromorph
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Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 01 Sep 2010, 00:40

MAY 1990

Martin Strelba’s second-round finish pushed him up to #155, still more than 90 rankings spots below his break-even point. He’s been bringing in enough money that I’ll be traveling with him for a while to try to get him back up where he needs to be. Meanwhile, Steve Herzoida’s win at Spain F6 vaulted him to 334th(+119), and I hired a trainer(Thomas Schneider, 25% Rally, 20% Physical, 3% Other) to work on the next week which three of the guys have off. Strelba’s dime of course, he’s the only one who can afford it.

Week 18

Madrid Masters(Clay, Q)

This event and the French Open are critically important. If Martin doesn’t do well here, I can probably kiss his contract good-bye. 5-seed Igor Zelenay was the first-round qualifying obstacle: not the best draw. A tight match was expected: Igor is stronger, while Martin is in his element on clay and has a significantly better mental game. Confidence-wise, Strelba was very happy with how he played in Roma. Zelenay served for the first set at 5-4, but Strelba broke and got himself into a tiebreaker. He lost it though, and trailed 5-1 in the second. Incredibly, he got himself back into it, leading 40-0 with a chance to get back on serve … and then Igor won the last five points of the match. 6-7(4), 3-6, a very damaging loss.

Top seeds in doubles, the first obstacle was Petrovic/Gilderry. A 6-1, 7-6(3) win assured that the trip would be worth something. Bradaric/Holm held three first-set points in the money round, but all were saved and Galbraith/Strelba went on to take the tiebreak. 7-6(3), 6-1.

Week 19

Madrid Masters(Clay)

Strelba/Galbraith survived Van Rensburg/Dilaura in the first round, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. 8 seeds Davis/Noah looked in command for the second round, but Scott Davis couldn’t continue at 2-4 in the opening set, an unfortunate break for us. In the QF, top seeds Leach/McEnroe, the best doubles tandem in the world, obliterated them 1-6, 3-6.

Kuwait F1(Cement)(Q)

Darryl Fausett met Herve Grenier(FRA), and looked to have a chance for his first win. Grenier comes in 4-13 on the year, never advancing past the second round of qualifying. Fausett has a notable physical edge, but lacks in his shot-making from the baseline in this matchup. Even so, I was surprised that he took the first set decisively, and mostly cruised to his first professional match win in seven tries, 6-2, 6-4!! The key difference was his ability to effectively attack Grenier’s second serve, winning 18 of 26 points there.

7-seed Sandeep Kirtane(IND) was next. Very similar comparison as the first round, except Kirtane is a little more well-rounded as a player and a little more successful. Darryl attacked his serve relentlessly, breaking more often than Sandeep held, and won decisively again 6-3, 6-3. The money round brought top seed David Adams(ZAF), a much more accomplished player than the other two, particularly mentally and in the return and net parts of the game. Darryl was still superior athletically, but I was still pleasantly surprise to see him rebound from an early break down to take the first set in a competitive tiebreak. Adams had a chance to even it up, serving at 5-3 for the second set, but Darryl out-dueled him in a long game to break back and forced another tiebreak. That one was Adams the whole way, setting up a dramatic final set to decide who would qualify.

Darryl had a significant edge in conditioning and stamina, so the longer the match went on, the more it would play into his hands. David Adams broke right away, continuing his momentum, but he’d led in both of the first two sets also so I knew Fausett could come back. It didn’t happen this time. He came up short of what would have been a pretty significant upset, 7-6(4), 6-7(2), 2-6. This one came down to experience more than anything else. Adams did a much better job of converting his break chances(42% to 19%). Darryl played well enough to win otherwhise.

Top seeds again, Herdoiza/Fausett faced off with Williamson/Camradt and got through, 6-3, 6-2. Second seeds Sullivan/Chang went up against Eriksson/Avila, a low-quality match almost all the way around, with Sullivan the lone exception. They had just enough to win it, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(6).

Week 20

French Open(Clay)(Q)

Martin Strelba was the #19 seed for the qualifying draw, and obviously he absolutely needed to make it through. Wild card Stephane Matheu(FRA) hadn’t made a main draw in any tournament so far, and that didn’t change: Strelba won 6-1, 7-5. Bogdan Buneci(ROU) took the first set, but Martin was back in control in the third set when he had to retire, 4-6, 6-3, 2-0 ret.

Clearly our collaboration was not going to end well. No point in waiting any longer – I cancelled the contract with Strelba, and replaced him with a more capable and talented player. Countryman Petr Korda(CZE, 22), with a 7% commission. Only half of Strelba’s, but Korda is much more polished and talented. He’s currently ranked 51st, but to succeed I need to get him up to 28th. So far this year he’s 44th – there’s definitely some work to be done.

Kuwait F1(Cement)

Carl Chang was the last DA, and began against Min-Kyu Han, winning easily 6-4, 6-0. Ofer Sela(ISR) pretty much laid down and died for him in the next round, 6-1, 6-0. That set up a very interesting match against David Adams(ZAF), who of course had edged Fausett in the final round of qualifying, and also knocked out the tournament’s top seed in the first round. Adams looked very sharp, as he has for all of his matches here: Carl was just a bit off his game. He rallied from 4-1 down to even the first set, only to get broken in the final game and lose it anyway. The second set was virtually a carbon copy. 5-7, 5-7 Chang falls here, just another upset victim.

Steve Herdoiza was the #2 seed, and met Howard Joffe(ZAF) in the first round. An off day for Steve, but he still managed to get through, 6-3, 7-6(4). Rodrigo Faria(BRA) got rolled quickly, 6-2, 6-0. Qualifier Piet Norval(ZAF), a left-handed net player with impressive touch and an accurate serve, was a definite step up in the quarters. This was his best result on the year, but he had won both matches so far in straight sets and impressively so. Herdoiza didn’t do any better, quickly and badly losing 2-6, 0-6 to snap his seven-match winning streak.

Sullivan/Chang were up first in doubles against third seeds Agafonov/Hunt, and of the four only Chang was ready to play. Again they went to a match TB, and again they won it there, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0(6). Serrano/Kilderry made it three straight decided that way, and this time their luck ran out. 6-7(5), 7-5, 0-1(5).

Herdoiza/Fausett started against 2-seeds Schukin/Saric. 10% xp boost for Herdoiza, but Fausett was only at 74%, much worse than the other three. Surprisingly, they still walked through, 6-2, 6-3. In the second round, Crabb/Montoisy offered even less resistance, taking only two games. In the semis, they both had a bad match against Serrano/Kilderry, but a 12% xp boost for both attempted to make up for that. Evidently it wasn’t necessary … they surrendered only three games this time.

Their first doubles final was against Eltingh/Del Rio, and it was a wipeout: 6-1, 6-0, and it was a total cakewalk all the way through to this title.

Kuwait F2(Cement)(Q)

The day after winning the Kuwait F1 Championship, Herdoiza/Fausett were back on court to qualify(top seeds again) at F2, facing off with Berard/Zipris. A tougher start, but they dominated the last set to win 7-5, 6-0. Sullivan/Chang met Hui/Chen, and their flair for the dramatic nearly cost them. 6-4, 1-6, 1-0(4) … that second set was one to forget.


Week 21

French Slam(Clay)

A rough draw for Petr Korda, who faces #7 Boris Becker in the first round. He put up a whale of a fight, winning a tense second set and forcing a breaker in the third, but Boris came up with the goods when he needed them to win it. I was sure it was over, but Korda broke in the final game of the fourth set to force a decisive fifth … but he definitely looked like the more fatigued man out there. Becker had a chance to break at 2-2, but couldn’t capitalize, and Petr went ahead in the very next game! Unfotunately, Boris broke back immediately at love. At 4-5, he had an uncharacteristically error-riddled game, and Petr finally won it on his third match point, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4!! A big, big upset, and one that shows he definitely is fully capable of being Top 30 material as is his goal.

In the second round, clay-court specialist Diego Perez(URU) was not expected to provide more than a moderate challenge: Korda is a better all-around player, and Perez has a notably weak serve. 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. In the third round, Jonas B. Svensson(SWE) lurked, and he had yet to lose a set. 8% xp boost for Korda. He dropped the first, then lost a tiebreaker after holding three set points in the second, and it looked over. Just like with Becker in the first round though, Petr refused to fold, rallying to force another fifth set against one of the fittest players in the world. Svensson broke right away to go up 3-0, and Korda missed two points to break back. A solid run and a great effort ends 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6. He could have won it, but just a little short. Still a very encouraging tournament for Korda’s prospects.

Kuwait F2(Cement)

Steve Herdoiza, top seed, started vs. American Brandon Coupe, and he had to save several set points in the first before winning it, 7-5, 6-2. Bill Behrens, another countryman, also had only one good set in him before falling 7-6(2), 6-0.

Carl Chang was the 7-seed, and he faced Nigerian Sulieman Ladipo first for an easy 6-3, 6-0 decision. Miguel Pastura(ARG) got one of Carl’s worst efforts, which made a one-sided matchup on paper quite even. Chang just survived, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The quarterfinals brought the first meeting between Steve Herdoiza and Carl Chang. Herdoiza won a pretty tight battle, 7-5, 6-3, with the difference being a much more effective 2nd serve. Swedish lefty Michael Ryderstedt, the 4-seed, went up 4-1 before Steve rallied to win it 6-4, 6-1, taking 11 of the last 12 games.

That left a final matchup against Melvin Tong(HKG). I’m not sure how he did it, but Tong pulled off a pretty shocking upset, 5-7, 4-6.

Herdoiza/Fausett came within a millimeter of blowing their winning streak in the first round after last week’s title. A disastrous second set necessitated a match TB, where they had to save a match point before surviving 6-3, 0-6, 1-0(9). Serrano/Finnberg were up next, and they won only a single game.

Furusho/Dev Varman went down 7-6(5), 6-0, and it was on to the final. Monnecchi/Muzalewski came out extremely flat, and after the first few games they didn’t offer much resistance, 6-3, 6-0. Another doubles crown for the fast-rising pair.

Sullivan/Chang met Flores/Tavares, and Carl was still worn from his second-round singles match. They lose here 5-7, 4-6.
Zorromorph
crazy of the little yellow ball
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Messages: 77
Gaming Since: 07 Sep 2006, 06:53

Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Curtis » 04 Sep 2010, 00:36

I like the way you describe WHY the matches worked out a particular way, such as: "This one came down to experience more than anything else."

I notice that none of your players seem to be developing nemeses. When I coach, it seems like there's always one opponent who shows up in every tournament I attend, and we always end up facing each other. After a couple months of losing there's a couple months where it's a toss-up, then a couple months of beating them, then they fall back, we move on and someone else takes their place.
Curtis
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Re: The Coaching Career of Allan Record

Postby Zorromorph » 04 Sep 2010, 08:06

Thanks for the comment, and that is interesting. It just hasn't developed yet(the nemesis thing) and I have seen it happen a lot in the past as well. More likely of course once players get to the narrow field of the ATP events.
Zorromorph
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crazy of the little yellow ball
 
Messages: 77
Gaming Since: 07 Sep 2006, 06:53


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