Tennis Club serve up whitewash

With Newcastle still harbouring hopes of promotion it was vital that they overcame one of the weaker sides in their current division. They did exactly that with Hull not registering a solitary win.

It was Mike Tang who got the ball rolling for Newcastle as he maintained his remarkable singles record of not losing a set so far this year. After saving two break points in the first game, Tang barely had to get out of first gear and sauntered to 6-1 6-1 victory. There was even a bit of showboating with more than one Pete Sampras-esque smash. It can only be a matter of time before Tang is made number one on the team rather than second as against Hull.

Tom Loughran, playing at number one, overcame a first set scare to win 2-6 6-4 6-0. His opponent began ludicrously well and didn’t miss a forehand.

However, he was never going to keep that level up for the match and Loughran did well to dig deep and get the win with his backhand in particular causing all sorts of problems. Meanwhile, Ben Mynard and Alex Mooney, playing at numbers 3 and 4 respectively, comfortablyW won their doubles match 6-4 6-1 but the score line may be slightly harsh on their opponents who played their part in some thoroughly entertaining points.

After the turnaround, it was Loughran and Tang who joined forces to win their doubles match with the same ease as in the singles, 6-1 6-1. With Loughran being left-handed, the two of them complemented each other’s games well and made a really good team.

Tang provided the big ground strokes from the back of the court and Loughran gave the pair more subtlety and guile around the net. Their quick-fire victory meant that the win was assured before the other singles matches had been completed.

Alex Mooney kept the momentum going winning his singles match comfortably 6-2 6-0. His combination of good ground strokes and clinical volleying helped to make light work of his opposite number and he can be very satisfied with his day’s work.

However, it was team Captain Ben Mynard’s match which provided the most drama and entertainment from the afternoon. Having gone a set down, Mynard somehow managed to overcome a dogged opponent to win 2-6 7-6 and 10-6 in the deciding championship tie-break.

Mynard looked dead and buried having lost the first set very tamely. His frustration boiled over and his racquet bit the dust on more than one occasion.

He continued to try to get himself going but his opponent refused to go away. Mynard, to his credit, however, managed to turn the match around in the second set tie-break and forced the victory in the championship tie-break to decide the winner.

Overall, it was a very satisfying victory for Newcastle, albeit in a match they would have expected to win. The team will now be hoping they can carry this momentum forward in the coming weeks in their pursuit of promotion.

Next week Newcastle have to travel to Sunderland where they will host bottom of the league York. York are yet to register a single win from their opening seven matches so Newcastle will be hopeful of another big win to keep the pressure on table-topping Durham. The two are set to meet in the last match of the season on 14 March, a match that could well prove to be a title decider.