Junior Davis/Fed Cup Report
Junior Davis/Federation
Cup Asia/Oceania World Group Qualifying
Tournament
We three Kiwi umpires, Tony Brosnahan, Canterbury; Matt
Burrell, Wellington; and Chris Temu, Auckland, arrived at
Melbourne Airport on Tuesday 14 April at 8, 9 and 10 am, and
made our way to the city's Southern Cross (Spencer Street) Station
on the $16 Skybus.
Tennis Officials Australia had arranged our train tickets, and
we boarded the 12.50 service to Shepparton, population 35,000 in
the Goulburn Valley, 3 hours to the North.
After the coolish temperatures in NZ, the 27C Victoria day was
quite something for April, and it made our 20 minute stagger
from Shepparton Station to the Country Comfort Hotel a bit tiring.
Matt and Chris shared a room, and I shared with Mark Harrison
of Melbourne whom I knew slightly, but got to know very
well during 6 nights in a studio room. We went for a walk and
got the lie of the land, visited the grasscourt club and
settled down early for our 9am report in the morning.
There were 16 girls teams competing for 4 qualifying spots in 4
pools in the Junior Fed Cup, and 15 boys teams for 4 spots in 4
pools in the Junior Davis Cup, the top 4 teams in each travelling
to Mexico later in the year for the World Group Finals.
Shepparton's grass courts are a short walk across the park
from the hotel, and I was umpiring a Fed Cup match between India
and the Phillipines, but Chris and Matt were at the other venue,
Tatura which was 20 minutes by car, where they played 7 matches per
day to Shepparton's 8 (there was a bye in the NZ Boys' Davis Cup
Group caused by Burma/Myanmar withdrawing).
Chris and Matt also had Fed Cup matches, Japan vs Hong Kong, and
Uzbekistan vs Chinese Taipei.
The NZ Davis Cup boys unluckily drew the top seeds, Korea first
up, and had a titanic tussle, with Chester Espie losing
closely in straight sets, but Jaden Grinter played a huge match,
tiebreaks each way in the first two sets, then snatched
victory 9-7 in the third advantage set. Umpire Ande Hutchinson
earnt his money that day! The doubles started very late, and after
Korea won the first set in a tiebreak, Grinter and Jamie Yates
stormed back noisily 6-4 in the second, but were broken early in
the final set, and at 2-4 play was suspended at 5.45pm due to
darkness, and unfortunately Korea wrapped the match up 6-3 the next
morning.
The NZ girls beat Thailand, but only due to a big effort in
final set of the doubles, after the singles were shared.
We had a dinner at our hotel in the evening, with about 150
people present!
Day 2, Thursday, Matt (Davis Cup) and Chris (Fed Cup) were at
Shep, and I was off to Tat to umpire Japan boys vs Chinese Taipei,
which they won 3-0, although the doubles was last
match finished and lasted over 2 hours! NZ boys had the bye,
and the girls had a disppointing loss to Chinese Taipei after a
resounding first-up victory 6-0,6-1 to Leela Beattie in the number
2 singles match, Briar Preston lost her number one singles after
winning the first set, and Leela partnered Emily Fanning to a
second set tiebreak loss for the overall loss.
The night's dinner venue for the tournament folk was a few
kms south of Shepparton at a large woolshed restaurant by a lake
and miniature railway, and featured a sheep-shearing demonstration,
where some of the players (and officials) were able to try their
hand at the art of machine shearing, to the delight of the hundred
or so onlookers!
Day 3, a highlight for Matt and I , as we were scheduled for the
Show Courts at Shepparton, umpiring the Aussies - me the girls
(captained by Alicia Molik) vs 2nd seeds China, and Matt the
boys (captained by Pat Rafter) vs the higher seeded Japan team.
Home venue and neutral umpires must have suited the locals, as they
both triumphed in 2-1 upsets with convincing doubles wins. Chris
had another day at Tatura, where the NZ girls where stunned by
Uzbekistan, although 3 of the 4 sets they lost in the singles were
tiebreaks, and the doubles straight sets - if they had just won one
more set they may have qualified to the quaterfinals, as each team
beat the others, and it was a mathematical countback the girls
missed out on. The unseeded NZ boys played with real purpose and
beat 8th seeds China 3-0, showing true grit in 3-setters and
tiebreaks that went their way, so they qualified second behind
Korea.
Another dinner night at the Country Comfort for everyone,
ensured all were fresh and rested for the CRUCIAL SATURDAY KNOCKOUT
MAKE-OR-BREAK day!!
Matt and I were again deployed as neutral umpires, this time me
with Rafter's Aussies vs surprise qualifiers Hong Kong, and Matt
for Molik's Aussie girls vs Korea. On the show courts, we each had
a linesperson - about 12 had arrived from Melbourne the previous
evening. Each Aussie team won, although the girls had to dig
deep after losing their first singles, so both Aussie teams were
off to Mexico, having made the final four! Chris was at Tatura
umpiring a straighforward Boys tie. The Kiwis weren't so lucky, the
girls already missing the quarters, were at Tatura and beat India
fairly comfortably, but the boys became the feature match at
Shepparton, also against India, who were the 2nd seeds in the
competition. Jamie Yates was outgunned in the number 2 singles, but
then up stepped Grinter again, and after dropping the first set,
beat the top Indian player 6-2 in the 3rd set, setting the scene
for another dramatic doubles - the winner booking a trip to Mexico.
Grinter and Yates took on the top Indian pair, and lost a tight
first set 6-4, and were down an early break 1-2 in the second. Up
went the volume and the quality, and the boys played on adrenaline
to be up a break themselves late in the set, then relinquish it
again to find themselves in a high-stakes tiebreak. Great returns
and fierce serving won them the tiebreak 7-4, and it was game
on for the final set! The Kiwi boys broke immediately and went
up 2-0, and continued on to 4-2 in the decider, and the
supporters dared to wonder if they had done it.......but the Indian
duo, who got even louder than the Kiwis (apparently Fed
Cup players on nearby courts were frequently startled by the
yells of self-encouragement by all the boys) dug deep,
and playing some breathtaking shots, including a netcord between
the Kiwis on a vital point, managed to reel off 4 straight games to
knock the stuffing out of the fiesty boys in black. A real
heartbreaker, but a tie to remember.
That evening, 3 buses and a number of cars took the participants
(and the 3 Kiwi umpires) to Kyabram Fauna Park about 40 km away,
for a BBQ dinner and interact with some of the exhibits.
Unfortunately, most of the furry things were stuffed - the koalas
having all perished in the January heatwave, and the kangaroos -
except for one - all asleep in other parts of the park, but the
guests did get to handle some large lizards, baby possums, and a
couple of friendly pythons who proved a big hit - especially with
the squealing girls.
Sunday, the penultimate day, semi finals for some, jostling for
positions for all of the other teams. I was despatched to Tatura to
preside over a 5th-8th Fed Cup match between Thailand and Korea,
Matt was also there doing a boys match, and Chris had a day at
Shepparton umpiring Hong Kong girls vs Chinese Taipei. The Kiwi
girls beat Kazakhstan 2-1 without Leela Beattie who had injured her
wrist the previous day, and the boys lost a tough one - adjacent to
my court at Tatura - against Japan 1-2, playing without Jaden
Grinter who had sustained a leg injury after Saturdays heroics
against the Indians.
The Kiwi umpires were invited to a BBQ at a Tatura
committee member's house back over there, and we went in a couple
of cars with Referee Wayne Spencer, Pat and Linda O'Rourke and
one or two others, and it was nice to be in anomgst the life and
soul of such a lagre and vibrant club - around 20 courts - in a
town of 3,500 people.
Finals day, Monday, and most people were packing up their
things and checking out of the hotel. Chris was off to Tat again,
to umpire a Davis Cup match, but Matt and I were again given Aussie
matches at Shepparton - mine the final of the Fed Cup, with Aussie
playing the top seeds Japan, and Matt the Davis Cup 3rd/4th playoff
vs the Indian boys.
My final, with 4 linespeople, was a bit of an anticlimax,
as the number 2 Aussie injured her leg at 1-5, and retired at 1-6,
0-1. Out stepped the number 1's, and the Japanese girl never let
the Aussie settle, pulverising her 6-1, 6-0 - even Molik was
pretty stunned! I had finished both singles before most courts had
finished their first. The Aussie girls claimed the dead doubles
rubber, so lost 1-2 overall, and I went over and watched Matt
chairing the Aussie/India boys where there was a similar result
(closer scores, though) against the Australians. As umpires were
beginning to depart, I was roped in to chair a dead rubber doubles
of China vs Chinese Taipei boys (my 19th chair of the week). This
was the only match still being played, while the presentation
ceremony happened on the showcourt through the fence from us. It
was shortlived, however, as one of the Chinese boys hurt his back
while up 4-3 in the first set, and had to retire with his team
having won both singles matches. The boys' final was very exciting,
with Korea winning the first singles, Uzbekistan the second, Korea
the first set in the doubles, before the Uzbeks stormed back to win
convincingly in the final set. The Kiwi boys beat an even more
depleted Hong Kong team, to make 7th place, and the girls lost
their 9th/10th place match to Chinese Taipei.
All in all, it was a great experience for us all, and the Kiwi
umpires were all thrilled with their achievements. Chris departed
Monday evening to stay with relatives in Melbourne, Matt left early
Tuesday on the airport shuttle, and I cadged a lift with Ande Hutch
on Tuesday for my evening flight to Christchurch.
Tony Brosnahan - ITF White Badge Chair Umpire NZL
