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Welcome to the latest edition of the Australian File, your weekly look at the week in tennis – from an Aussie perspective.
The final week of the French Open and the start of the grass season in Britain dominate the week.
French Open
Last week we covered how the Australians went in singles. This week we focus on the doubles.
In the women’s doubles, Casey Dellacqua made the final, as she had a fantastic two weeks with her partner Yaroslava Shvedova.
Along the way they defeated the 8th and 13th seeds for the event.
In the semis, Dellacqua would defeat the second seeds, Ekatarina Makarova and Elina Vesnina, to make the final.
Unfortunately for the Aussie, after winning the first set 6-3, she would lose in three sets to Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Once they conceded a break in the second, they lost the momentum of the match and couldn’t come back.
It was Casey’s fifth defeat in a doubles final. She won the mixed doubles title at Roland Garros in 2011.
She now moves to fifth in the doubles standings for the year, and with Shvedova as a partner I expect to see Dellacqua in contention for other events. She is a star in the doubles arena.
(L-R) Runners up @caseydellacqua / @SlavaSays, winners @luciesafarova / @BMATTEK pose after the Women's Doubles Final pic.twitter.com/Utvtc9ptf2
— AmMaD (@AmmadZahid) June 7, 2015
In the men’s doubles, John Peers was the best Australian, with a third round appearance with Jamie Murray.
Peers was also the last Australian remaining in the mixed doubles with Anastasia Rodionova who had different partners for the event.
Both would make the quarter finals with Rodionova losing to the winners of the event.
ATP Challenger
A whopping five Challenger events were held last week as players competed in the events after being eliminated early from the French Open.
Four were held in Europe with one held in Asia. In two events no Aussies were involved in action.
At the challenger event in Furth, Germany, two Australians were involved with Rameez Junaid and John Millman in action.
Millman was forced to retire from the first round with a shoulder injury and Junaid was eliminated from doubles in the opening round as well.
In Gimcheon one Australian had a great week as three competed in the event in Korea.
Christopher O’Connell, after qualifying for the event, made the quarter finals at this level for the second time in his career.
Despite having chances to win in his final eight match, the New South Welshman would fall short of his first semi-final.
Finally, in Manchester, it was a big week for Australian players.
In total 8 – out of the 32 in the singles main draw – were Aussies and three made the quarter finals.
Matt Ebden would be eliminated at that stage with Luke Saville and Sam Groth making the final as they faced each other for the title.
It would be Saville’s first ATP Challenger final and Groth’s second for the year.
After being down 5-3 in the first set, Groth would fight back, and win 7-5.
He would then control the second set and claim his second title for the year.
He won in Taipei earlier in the year.
Great way to start the grass court season with a win at the Aegon Manchester Trophy challenger! @lottosportitaly pic.twitter.com/sxg4pIGzHq
— Sam Groth (@SamGrothTennis) June 7, 2015
In doubles there was further success for Australia as Chris Guccione took out the title.
He and Andre Sa would take the title after their opponents retired with a 5-3 lead in the first set.
It is his 21st Challenger title in doubles and his 27th overall.
We give you the @Aegon #Manchester Trophy doubles champions @ChrisGuccione and @Andre_Sa77 @BritishTennis #tennis pic.twitter.com/na6lbk0wdX
— The Northern (@TheNorthernMCR) June 6, 2015
ITF
Overall, 48 Australians played in 34 ITF events around the globe.
Before I get to those who did well this week, I want to pay credit to three players.
Jeremy Beale, Stefan Vucic and Marko Jovanovic travelled to obscure locations to play this week.
Beale and Vucic went to Mozambique with Jovanovic travelling to Lebanon.
In Mozambique, Beale made his first ever quarter final at an ITF event, and then made the semi-final with Vucic in doubles.
Not bad for a place that would cost more to get to than the prize money won by the two for the week.
In Thailand, 10 Australians played in the women’s event in Bangkok with a further eight playing in Croatia in Bol.
In Bangkok, South Australia’s Nicole Collie made her first ever ITF singles final, but lost to a local in the decider.
In Bol, Maverick Banes made the final for the second successive week, but would again fall short of his third ITF singles title.
The news was better in doubles as he and Gavin Van Peperzeel took out the event title.
It is the duo’s fourth title together since 2013.
In Japan, at Karuizawa, Thomas Fancutt would make his first ever semi-final at an ITF event.
At the 10,000 Madrid event, Canberra’s Alexandra Nancarrow would also make the semi-final.
After being eliminated in the opening round of the French Open, Olivia Rogowska would make the quarter finals of the 50,000 Brescia event. She is slowly inching back towards the top 100.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina Steven De Waard would make the final in doubles.
Finally Ellen Perez and Belinda Woolcock, who play college tennis in the USA, would also make the final of doubles at the 10,000 Bethany Beach event.
Rankings
After the French Open and two weeks of no rankings, plenty of players in the ATP reached career high spots on the table.
Bernard Tomic (24), Nick Kyrgios (25), and Thanasi Kokkinakis (69) shot towards the top after winning rounds at Roland Garros.
Sam Groth, after his win in Manchester, moved to a career high of 66.
John Millman, who made the final in Vicenza, moved to a new mark of 118.
Omar Jasika also moved to 324, and a new high, after his win in Korea at the ITF event.
With Tomic and Kyrgios so close in the rankings, the Australian number one spot could be switched between the two over the next few weeks.
Sam Stosur remains the Australian number one on the WTA side and is now 24 in the world.
Daria Gavrilova, who made the second round at Roland Garros, moved to a career high ranking of 42.
In doubles Dellacqua is our highest WTA player at 16 with Peers the highest in the ATP at 26 in the world.
This week
Two WTA and ATP events headline this week as the whole field starts the grass season in preparation for Wimbledon.
Join us next week for another edition of the Australian file.
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