Nov. 13, 2008
Former Illini Rajeev Ram used a solid service game and smooth volleys to roll to the second round of the JSM Challenger at Urbana's Atkins Tennis Center with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Phillip Simmonds. It's the second straight year Ram has moved on to round two, and tomorrow he faces 5th seed Kevin Kim.
"I played a good match today," Ram said. "It's always nice to play on these courts obviously. I served pretty well and actually didn't get broken tonight. It makes things a lot easier when I don't lose my serve."
Another former Illini was not as lucky on Wednesday, as GD Jones fell to Ryan Sweeting in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Jones held a 4-2 lead in the third, up a break, but lost the final four games.
"He just played a lot better at the end," Jones said. "The last four games just went by so fast. I don't really know what happened."
The match was a return to the Atkins Tennis Center courts for Jones after battling injuries during the previous two Champaign Challengers. But in a rare occurrence for him at home, he lost two matches in one day, falling in doubles late Wednesday night.
While Tuesday saw three top seeded players fall in the first round, the three seeds in action Wednesday got through, although not without some scares. 2nd seeded Bobby Reynolds used his familiarity with the Atkins courts to defeat Dusan Vemic, 6-4, 6-4. #3 Robert Kendrick lost the first set to the talented Kristian Pless, but recovered and cruised to win in three. And Wayne Odesnik, the tournament's sixth seed, needed two tiebreaks, and over three hours, to eliminate former Miami Hurricane Todd Widom.
Taylor Dent also picked up a victory on Wednesday night, his first match win since February 2006. The former world number 21 was a 6-3, 7-6 (3) winner over 1999 Challenger Champion Frederic Niemeyer. Dent has battled back problems for the last two years, and showed slight signs of rust during the match before pulling through.
Admission in to the $50,000 2008 JSM Challenger of Champaign-Urbana is free on Thursday. Tickets for the quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday and Saturday will be $5 for general admission, and $3 for students. For Sunday's finals, tickets will run $7 and $5. Tickets are available at the door, or by calling (217) 244-3318. More tournament information can be found at www.illinoischallenger.com.
Wednesday's Results:
Main Draw Singles, First Round:
#6 Wayne Odesnik (USA) def. Todd Widom (USA) 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (0)
Nikita Kryvonos (USA) def. Scoville Jenkins (USA) 7-6 (4), 6-2
Prakash Armritraj (IND) def. Izak Van Der Merwe (RSA) 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (4)
Ramon Delgado (PAR) def. Matwe Middelkoop (NED) 6-3, 6-0
#2 Bobby Reynolds (USA) def. Dusan Vemic (SRB) 6-4, 6-4
#3 Robert Kendrick (USA) def. Kristian Pless (DEN) 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1
Ryan Sweeting (USA) def. GD Jones (NZL) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
Rajeev Ram (USA) def. Phillip Simmonds (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Taylor Dent (USA) def. Frederic Niemeyer (CAN) 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Main Draw Doubles, First Round:
Brian Battistone/Dann Battistone (USA) def. Harsh Mankad/Ashutosh Singh (IND) 7-6 (6), 6-7 (6), 10-6
Somdev Devvarman (IND)/Izak Van Der Merwe (RSA) def, GD Jones (NZL)/Connor Roth (USA) 6-1, 3-6, 10-8
Alex Kuzentsov/Ryan Sweeting (USA) def. Stephen Amritraj (IND)/Frederik Nielsen (DEN) 7-5, 6-1
Thursday's Highlighted Matches: (all times after 12PM approximate)
12:00PM - Ilia Bozoljac vs. Frank Dancevic
1:30PM - #2 Bobby Reynolds vs. Ramon Delgado
4:00PM - Rajeev Ram vs. #5 Kevin Kim
6:00PM - Dennis Nevolo/Ruan Roelofse vs. Lester Cook/Kevin Kim
6:30PM - #8 Kevin Anderson vs. Michael Russell
7:00PM - Frederic Niemeyer /Taylor Dent vs. #3 Robert Kendrick
Quotes:
Robert Kendrick: "I've just been healthy for a while. My body feels good. I've had two great weeks now, and hoping for a third. It's hard to keep yourself motivated all this time. But I'm hitting great, it was just hard to get running and on my way in the beginning."
"It's tough, for sure. I haven't had that feeling before. It's all about getting ready, and getting prepared. You have to eat well for so many days in a row. You can't have a bad day, or a rough night out for several days in a row. Hopefully I can have another good week and then shut it down for the year."
GD Jones: "It was a great experience for me. I just wish I could have won."
Rajeev Ram: "I just had to come out with full intensity and concentration. He's capable of some incredible tennis, so I just had to raise my game at certain points. And I was able to do that tonight and get a good win."
