There is plenty of home interest on Court 1 at the University of Bath Sports Training Village on Thursday as the Aegon GB Pro-Series tennis tournament reaches its latter stages.
Team Bath MCTA’s Lisa Whybourn is first on court as she looks to reach the last eight of the women’s $25k competition.
Her match against Georgia’s Mariam Bolkvadze will be followed by a men’s quarter-final between Ireland’s Sam Barry and Richard Gabb, another Team Bath MCTA player.
Both will also contest their doubles competitions in the afternoon, with Gabb and partner Scott Clayton – the number one seeds – looking to book their place in the final.
Whybourn made the most of her wildcard entry to the women’s singles main draw by recording an impressive 6-3 6-4 victory over number eight seed Dia Evtimova of Bulgaria on Wednesday.
University of Bath student Emma Hurst, who had battled through two qualifying rounds to reach the last 32, saw her excellent run ended by number two seed Ana Vrljic, the Croatian winning 6-0 6-1.
The only other British player to join Whybourn in the last 16 was Freya Christie, whose reward for a 6-4 6-2 win over Greece’s Despina Papamichail is a meeting with Italy’s Alice Matteuci on Court 2.
Christie is also Whybourn’s partner in the women’s doubles and they showed great spirit to beat the number three seeds – Belgium’s Elyne Boeykens and Nora Niedmers of Germany – 2-6 6-2 10-4 on Wednesday. They will now face Dutch duo Indy De Vroome and Arantxa Rus in the quarter-finals.
The men’s $15k singles competition saw all seven remaining seeds win their matches on Wednesday, meaning the standard of play promises to be extremely high in the quarter-finals.
Gabb eased to a 6-1 6-4 win over Jonny O’Mara on Wednesday and will be looking to continue his fine form against number six seed Barry.
The Team Bath MCTA player had to dig deep to reach the men’s doubles semi-finals with Clayton after a battle against Belgium’s Joris De Loore and Michael Geerts. The Brits lost the first set 6-1 but took the second 7-6 before winning the decisive third-set tie-break 10-7.
Gabb and Clayton will now face fellow Brits Lloyd Glasspool and Joshua Ward-Hibbert for a place in the final.
In total, 18 matches will take place at the Sports Training Village on Thursday, with the action getting under way at 10am.
Yesterday’s results:
Men’s
Tom Kocevar-Desman (SLO) [1] 6-4 6-3 Lloyd Glasspool (GBR)
Mats Moraing (GER) [8] 6-3 6-2 Joshua Ward-Hibbert (GBR)
Richard Gabb (GBR) [4] 6-1 6-4 Jonny O’Mara (GBR)
Sam Barry (IRL) [6] 6-3 6-2 Matthias Wunner (GER)
Luke Bambridge (GBR) 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) Joel Cannell (GBR)
Filip Peliwo (CAN) [3] 6-0 6-3 Robbie Ridout (GBR)
Michael Geerts (BEL) [7] 6-1 6-2 Adam Thornton-Brown (GBR)
Joris De Loore (BEL) [2] 6-1 6-4 Riccardo Sinicropi (ITA)
Women
Ana Bogdan (ROU) [1] 6-4 6-2 Melanie Stokke (NOR)
Greet Minnen (BEL) 6-2 4-6 6-2 Tara Moore (GBR)
Diana Marcinkevica (LAT) 7-6(7) 3-6 6-2 Steffi Carruthers (SAM)
Pemra Ozgen (TUR) [7] 3-6 7-6(0) 6-4 Karen Barbat (DEN)
Marie Benoit (BEL) [4] 7-5 6-4 Katharina Lehnert (PHI)
Gioia Barbieri (ITA) 6-4 6-3 Sofie Oyen (BEL)
Freya Christie (GBR) 6-4 6-2 Despina Papamichail (GRE)
Alice Matteucci (ITA) [6] 7-5 6-2 Cristiana Ferrando (ITA)
Arantxa Rus (NED) [5] 6-2 6-2 Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE)
Conny Perrin (SUI) 6-1 6-4 Mia Nicole Eklund (FIN)
Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 3-6 7-6(6) 6-3 Nora Niedmers (GER)
Indy De Vroome (NED) [3] 6-0 6-1 Emily Arbuthnott (GBR)
Lisa Whybourn (GBR) 6-3 6-4 Dia Evtimova (BUL) [8]
Mariam Bolkvadze (GEO) 4-6 6-3 6-1 Ema Lazic (GBR)
Elyne Boeykens (BEL) 6-4 6-3 Klaartje Liebens (BEL)
Ana Vrljic (CRO) [2] 6-0 6-1 Emma Hurst (GBR)
Order of Play Thursday 12 November
Court 1
1 Starting at 10:00 – WS – R16 – Lisa Whybourn v Mariam Bolkvadze
2 Followed By – MS – QF – Richard Gabb [4] v Sam Barry [6]
3 Not Before 12:30 – MS – QF – Tom Kocevar-Desman [1] v Mats Moraing [8]
4 Not Before 14:00 – WD – QF – Sarah Beth Askew /Olivia Nicholls v Emily Arbuthnott / Ema Lazic
Court 2
1 Starting at 10:00 – WS – R16 – Freya Christie v Alice Matteucci [6]
2 Followed By – MS – QF – Luke Bambridge v Filip Peliwo [3]
3 Not Before 12:30 – MS – QF – Michael Geerts [7] v Joris De Loore [2]
4 Not Before 14:00 – WD – QF – Gioia Barbieri /Cristiana Ferrando v Greet Minnen / Sofie Oyen
Court 3
1 Starting at 10:00 – WS – R16 – Ana Bogdan [1] v Greet Minnen
2 Followed By – WS – R16 Jasmine Paolini v Indy De Vroome [3]
3 Not Before 12:30 – WS – R16 – Diana Marcinkevica v Pemra Ozgen [7]
4 Not Before 14:00, Court TBA WD – QF – Mariam Bolkvadze / Sviatlana Pirazhenka v Valentini Grammatikopoulou / Diana Marcinkevica [2]
Court 4
1 Starting at 10:00 – WS – R16 – Marie Benoit [4] v Gioia Barbieri
2 Followed By – WS – R16 Arantxa Rus [5] v Conny Perrin
3 Not Before 12:30 – WS – R16 – Elyne Boeykens v Ana Vrljic [2]
4 Not Before 14:00 – WD – QF – Indy De Vroome / Arantxa Rus v Freya Christie / Lisa Whybourn
Court 5
4 Not Before 14:00 – MD – SF – Scott Clayton / Richard Gabb [1] v Lloyd Glasspool / Joshua Ward-Hibbert [4]
Court 6
4 Not Before 14:00 – MD – SF – Luke Bambridge / Jonny O’Mara [3] v Sam Barry / Filip Peliwo [2]
Live scoring is available at www.lta.org.uk/agbps and the full order of play can be found at itftennis.com/procircuit, along with the results so far.
Report courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.
