It took more than half an hour to get through the first five games when Ajeet Rai played Jacob Bradshaw in Playford this afternoon, with each of those games going to at least one deuce, and the last of them having five. Just 14 minutes later the set would be over.
Rai served first and, although he hit two aces, the second of which saved the first of two break points brought about by Bradshaw’s beautiful forehand return, he still needed to hit a backhand winner down the line to get to deuce. Bradshaw then got the advantage with a beautiful cross-court forehand return before handing Rai the game with three errors in a row. Bradshaw was in even worse trouble than Rai, losing his first three points through unforced errors before he forced Rai to hit forehand returns into the net, either side of his own inside-out forehand winner. It took until after the third deuce before he could serve consecutive unreturnable serves to win the game, and he then faced a couple of those himself before he forced Rai to hit a backhand into the net and give up a second break point in the game. He was able to convert that with a forehand winner down the left sideline.
The next game started with a double fault, but there was plenty to look at with four great rallies – two short, one medium and one of 20 shots to start. It was longest in the match, if not the best, and Rai ended it with a backhand into the tramlines. He was forced into errors to lose the two short ones, but a backhand into the net from Bradshaw took them to deuce. Rai then lost the 12 shot rally next up with an overhit forehand, and his attempted drop shot to save the game point went into the net. As I wrote above, the fifth game was the longest in the opening group, and it was comfortably the longest in the match. The highlights all came from Bradshaw, with a fabulous cross-court backhand return of the second point; a beautiful cross-court backhand winner to get to the fourth deuce; and a lovely forehand lob to get to the fifth. After that, though, came two great serves, and Bradshaw’s backhand returns of both went over the baseline. The game had taken seven minutes and 15 seconds.
Bradshaw hit two aces in the next game, but Rai’s 50 second hold to love which followed, needing just four serves, was more impressive. Bradshaw hit another ace to end his own hold to love before forcing Rai into a forehand error to get to deuce in the next game. Two return errors, the first forced but the second definitely not, got Rai the game, but Bradshaw only lost the first two points before he served out the set after 45 minutes, Rai ending the good rally on the last point with a backhand into the net.
Rai hit a beautiful forehand drop volley to win the opening point in the second set, but was unable to hold his serve. He was able to break back in the fourth game after Bradshaw won the third of the three great rallies which started the game with a beautiful backhand winner down the line, and then held serve to regain the lead. He had a quick check from the physio during the change of ends, but had a proper medical time-out two games later to have treatment on his troublesome lower back. It must have done a lot of good, because he immediately broke Bradshaw to love, the highlight being the shot of the match, a fabulous forehand return down the line to win the third point.
That left Rai serving for the set, but he didn’t get near it, his only success coming from a beautiful cross-court backhand volley to save the first break point. Bradshaw started the next game with an ace, which Rai followed with another fabulous cross-court backhand return, but he lost the best rally of the match after 18 shots when he hit a backhand into the tramlines. A backhand into the net from him to end a great short rally on the next point gave Bradshaw the chance to serve out the game, and he levelled the scores with a cross-court forehand winner. Rai had to save a break point in the next game when he was forced to end another great rally with a backhand that went wide, and he got to deuce with a beautiful forehand winner down the left sideline. A stunning cross-court backhand winner then gave him the advantage, and he completed the game with an ace.
That was nothing compared with what we saw from Bradshaw as he served to force a tie-break, starting with an ace and finishing with two more. The tie-break itself was all one-way traffic, with Rai losing all his serves and getting a point only because Bradshaw hit an inside-out forehand into the tramlines. A backhand forced into the net from Rai gave Bradshaw five match points, and he converted the first with a fabulous cross-court backhand winner. The final score was 6-4, 7-6 (1), and the match took an hour and 34 minutes.