Watson on Road to Recovery

Heather Watson is set for a return to action next week after a two month lay-off with a shoulder injury.

The British number three will compete in this weeks Cagnes-Sur-Mer 100k Tournament held in France as she seeks to get some competitive action under her belt before qualification for this month's French Open. In France she will be joined by British number two Johanna Konta.

Watson will be seeking to win her second title of the year after a marvelous victory in the Dow Corning Classic in Midland. She also won the doubles title in Midland to cap off a successful week.

The Guernsey-born star's last competitive fixture was a first round loss to Virginie Razzano 6-4 6-0 at the Sony Open in Miami. Despite the last two months on the sidelines she still sits well inside the top 100 in the Road to Singapore rankings.

With the Wimbledon rankings deadline fast approaching, she will be hoping for a successful week in order to get inside the top 110 and guarantee a spot in the main draw after a lengthy lay-off last year with glandular fever meant she tumbled out of the top 100 and currently sits 122nd.

Early Round Losers Rewarded With Wimbledon Prize Increase

Wimbledon prize money will this year eclipse twenty-five million pounds for the first time followign this week's announcement that it would increase by 10.8 percent on last year's total.

Whilst both the men's and women's singles champions will receive 1.76 million pounds each, a 10 percent increase on last year, it is the early round losers who benefit the most this year.

All competitors to lose before the third round, including qualifying, will receive a prize money increase of 12.5 percent in order to try and increase financial aid for those who most require it in the tennis environment.

Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook said , "We've placed emphasis on the large group of players who need our help the most, those players who lose in qualifying and in the early rounds of the championships. We also had an eye to being competitive internationally, and we do keep our watch on what is going on in other tennis events and in particular the other Grand Slams."

This follows on from a sensational rise in recent years, with the prize money for the majority of singles players who lose in the opening three rounds rising over 100 percent over the last three years. This has a particular emphasis on first-round losers, each earning 27,000 pounds.

The rise in prize money on the lawns of Wimbledon coincides with a general Grand Slam prize money increase following players demands.

Tennis Brit Watch Week 18

ATP
Singles

Ostrava Challenger - Dan Evans (Withdrew 1st Round - Illness)

Tallahassee Challenger - James Ward (Lost Quarter-Final - Robby Ginepri 3-6 6-3 2-6)
                              - David Rice (Lost 1st Round - Antonio Veic (3)6-7 1-6)
                              - Sean Thornley (Lost 1st Qualifying Round - Andrew Carter 6-4 2-6 3-6)

An-Ning Challenger - Dan Cox (Lost 2nd Round - Nikola Mektic 3-6 4-6)
                            - Oliver Golding (Lost 1st Round - Borna Coric 2-6 3-6)


Seoul Futures - Edward Corrie (Lost Quarter-Final - Dane Propoggia 6-2 3-6 4-6)
                  - Richard Gabb (Lost 2nd Round - Marcus Daniell Retired)
                  - George Coupland (Lost 1st Round - Gengo Kikuchi 5-7 2-6)

Mostoles Futures - Josh Milton (Lost 2nd Round - Laurent Rochette 6-3 4-6 6-3)
                        - James Marsalek (Lost 1st Round - Jaime Pulgar-Garcia 1-6 6-2 6-4)
                        - Matthew Short (Lost 1st Round - Samuel Ribiero Navarrete 6-4 7-6)

Antalya Futures - Alex Jhun (Lost 1st Round - Peter Heller 3-6 2-6)

Edinburgh Futures - Toby Martin (Lost 2nd Round - Ashley Hewitt 2-6 6-3 2-6)
                        - Robert Carter (Lost 2nd Round - Liam Broady 6-3 1-6 1-6)
                        - Jonny O'Mara (Lost 1st Round - Jonny O'Mara 3-6 7-6 6-7)
                        - Marcus Willis (CHAMPION)
                        - Ashley Hewitt (Lost Semi-Final - Neil Pauffley 6-2 6-4)
                        - Brydan Klein (Lost Quarter Final - Neil Pauffley Walkover)
                        - Liam Broady (Lost Semi-Final - Marcus Willis 6-4 4-6 3-6)
                        - Neil Pauffley (RUNNER UP)
                        - Luke Bambridge (Lost 1st Round - Gavin Van Peperzeel 2-6 6-4 4-6)
                        - Adam Glynn (Lost 1st Round - Jathan Malik 4-6 3-6)
                        - Adam Thornton-Brown (Lost 1st Round - Matteo Marrai 2-6 3-6)
                        - Ryan Peniston (Lost 1st Round - Sander Gille 6-3 3-6 5-7)
                        - David Porter (Lost 1st Round - Toby Martin 0-6 3-6)
                        - Keelan Oakley (Lost 2nd Round - Marcus Willis 0-6 2-6)
                        - Tom Allen (Lost 1st Round - Keelan Oakley 3-6 3-6)
                        - Myles Orton (Lost 1st Round -  Marcus Willis 1-6 0-6)
                        - Imran Aswat (Lost 2nd Round - Neil Pauffley 3-6 3-6)
                        - Bruce Strachan (Lost 2nd Round - Gavin Van Peperzeel 2-6 4-6)

Vero Beach Futures - Alex Sendegeya (Lost 1st Round - Francis Tiafoe 3-6 3-6)
 

Doubles

Munich - Jamie Murray (partnering John Peers) (CHAMPIONS)
            - Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins (RUNNERS-UP)

Taipei City Challenger - Jamie Delgado (partnering Gilles Muller) (Lost to Krajicek/Smith 4-6 6-7)

An-Ning Challenger - Oliver Golding (partnering Borna Coric) (Lost 1st Round - Grigelis/Mektic 3-6 (0)6-7)
                               - Dan Cox (partnering Mao-Xin Gong) (Runners-Up)

Tallahassee Challenger - Darren Walsh (partnering Adham el-Effendi) (Lost Semi-Final - Fratangelo/Krueger - 4-6 3-6)
                                     - David Rice and Sean Thornley (Lost 1st Round - Kokkinakis/Kubler 6-1 7-5)

Seoul Futures - Edward Corrie (partnering Maximilian Neuchrist) (Lost Quarter-Final - Chung/Nam 6-3 5-7 5-10)
                     - Richard Gabb (partnering Marcus Daniell) (Lost Quarter-Final - Nagau/Oku Walkover)

Sharm el Sheikh Futures - Jack Oswald (partnering Andrea Camurri) (Lost Quarter-Final Mauricio Alvarez-Guzman 0-6 1-6)

Edinburgh Futures - Luke Bambridge/Liam Broady (Lost Semi-Final - Van Peperzeel/Banes 7-6 6-1)

                              - Myles Orton (partnering Daniel Glancy (Lost Quarter-Final - Bambridge/Broady 4-6 4-6)
                              - Jonny O'Mara/Marcus Willis (CHAMPIONS)
                              - Brydan Klein (partnering Jake Eames) (Lost Quarter-Final - O'Mara/Willis 6-7 2-3 retired)
                              - Robert Carter/Ryan Peniston (Lost Quarter-Final - Griekspoor/Griekspoor 5-7 4-6)

Mostoles Futures - James Marsalek (partnering Juan Sebastian Gomez) (Lost Quarter-Final Pulgar-Garcia/Arauzo-Martinez 4-6 6-7)
                           - Matthew Short (partnering Jan Blecha) (Lost Pulgar-Garcia/Arauzo-Martinez 6-7 retired)

Antalya Futures - Alexander Jhun (partnering Yusuki Watanuki (Lost Quarter-Final Ramanathan/Ciumac 4-6 3-6)

Vero Beach Futures - Thomas Knights/James Turbervill (Lost 1st Round - Tucker/Vorster 4-6 7-6 3-10)


WTA
Singles

Gifu 75k - Naomi Broady (Lost 2nd Round - Misa Eguchi 7-6 6-7 4-6)
            - Samantha Murray (Lost 1st Round - Qiang Wang 2-6 6-7)
            - Tara Moore (Lost 1st Round - Tammi Patterson 4-6 4-6)
            - Jade Windley (Lost 1st Qualifying Round - Akiko Yonemura 6-7 6-4 2-6)
            - Emily Webley-Smith (Lost 1st Qualifying Round - Miki Miyamura 6-7 6-4 4-6)
            - Anna Smith (Lost 1st Qualifying Round -  Yuka Higuchi 2-6 2-6)

Wiesbaden 25k - Johanna Konta (Withdrew)

Sharm el Sheikh 10k - Katy Dunne (Lost Semi-Final - 6-7 4-6)
                           - Katie Boulter (RUNNER-UP)
                           - Danielle Konotoptseva (Lost 1st Round - Katy Dunne 2-6 0-6)
                           - Harriet Dart (Lost Quarter-Final - Katy Dunne 3-6 6-1 6-7)
                           - Eden Silva (Lost Quarter-Final - Katie Boulter 5-7 3-6)
                           - Francesca Stephenson (Lost 1st Round - Ola Abou Zekry 4-6 0-6)
                           - Sabrina Bamburac (Lost 2nd Round - Pia Konig 2-6 0-6)
                           - Dominique Covington (Lost Final Qualifying Round - Milica Novakovic 3-6 4-6)
                           - Savannah Sills (Lost Final Qualifying Round - Ola Abou Zekry 4-6 3-6)
                           - Aimee Gibson (Lost Final Qualifying Round - Nevena Selakovic 1-6 1-6)

Antalya 10k - Eleanor Dean (Lost Quarter-Final - Olga Doroshina 3-6 5-7)
                 - Mollie Crouch (Lost 1st Round - Oceane Dodin 1-6 4-6)

Doubles

Gifu 75k - Jade Windley/Samantha Murray (Lost 1st Round - Rika Fujikawa/Tamarine Tanasugarn 1-6 3-6)
              - Emily Webley-Smith (partnering Ekaterina Bychkova) (Lost 1st Round - Naomi Broady/Tara Moore 6-7 7-5 10-5)
              - Naomi Broady/Tara Moore (Lost Quarter-Final - Rodionova/Gajdosova 2-6 5-7)
              - Jocelyn Rae/Anna Smith (Lost Semi-Final - Hsieh/Doi 4-6 2-6)

Sharm el Sheikh 10k - Katie Boulter (partnering Nina Stojanovic) (CHAMPIONS)
                                 - Eden Silva (partnering Elena Van Der Sypt) (Lost Semi-Final - Boulter/Stojanovic 3-0 retirement)
                                 - Savannah Sills (partnering Tereza Melicharkova) (Lost Quarter-Final Dunne/Dart 2-6 0-6)
                                 - Dominique Covington/Aimee Gibson (Lost 1st Round - Harriet Dart/Katy Dunne 2-6 3-6)
                                 - Harriet Dart/Katy Dunne (Lost Semi-Final - Dong/Konig 3-6 1-6)
                                 - Sabrina Bamburac (partnering Nevena Selakovic) (Lost 1st Round - Dong/Konig 6-4 5-7 6-10)

Antalya 10k - Eleanor Dean (partnering Saray Sterenbach) (Lost Semi-Final - Lee/Fomina 3-6 1-6)
                   - Mollie Crouch (partnering Mariana Mayer Humberg) (Lost 1st Round - Dean/Sterenbach 2-6 1-6)

Sunday 4th May
Katie Boulter lost to Nina Stojanovic 6-3 4-6 3-6 (Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Jamie Murray/John Peers beat Colin Fleming/Ross Hutchins (Final - Munich)

Saturday 3rd May
Darren Walsh/Adham El-Effendi lost to Fratangelo/Krueger 4-6 3-6 (Semi-Final - Tallahassee)
Anna Smith/Jocelyn Rae lost to Hsieh/Doi 4-6 2-6 (Semi-Final -  Gifu)
Katie Boulter beat Katy Dunne 7-6 6-4 (Semi-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Marcus Willis beat Neil Pauffley 6-1 6-3 (Final - Edinburgh)
Katie Boulter/Nina Stojanovic beat Dong/Konig 6-4 6-2 (Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Colin Fleming/Ross Hutchins beat Brown/Knowle 6-3 6-2 (Semi-Final - Munich)

Friday 2nd May
Darren Walsh/Adham El-Effendi beat Skugor/Veic 6-4 2-6 10-7 (Quarter-Final - Tallahassee)
Ed Corrie lost to Dane Propoggia 6-2 3-6 4-6 (Quarter-Final - Seoul)
Dan Cox/Mao-Xin Gong beat Meffert/Puetz 6-1 6-1 (Semi-Final - An Ning)
Anna Smith/Jocelyn Rae beat Imanishi/Inoue 7-5 6-2 (Quarter-Final - Gifu)
Katie Boulter beat Eden Silva 7-5 6-3 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Neil Pauffley beat Brydan Klein by withdrawal (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)
Liam Broady beat Julien Cagnina 6-1 2-0 retirement (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)
Katy Dunne beat Harriet Dart 6-3 1-6 7-6 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Ashley Hewitt beat Maverick Banes 4-6 6-2 6-3 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Dan Cox/Mao-Xin Gong lost to Bolt/Whittinggton 4-6 3-6 (Final - An Ning)
Marcus Willis beat Gavin Van Peperzeel 7-6 6-4 (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)
Katie Boulter/Nina Stojanovic beat Silva/Van Der Sypt 3-0 retirement (Semi-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Katy Dunne/Harriet Dart lost to Dong/Konig 3-6 1-6 (Semi-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Jamie Murray/John Peers beat Butorac/Klaasen 7-6 6-2 (Semi-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Neil Pauffley beat Ashley Hewitt 6-2 6-4 (Semi-Final - Edinburgh)
Marcus Willis beat Liam Broady 4-6 6-4 6-3 (Semi-Final - Edinburgh)
James Ward lost to Robby Ginepri 3-6 6-3 2-6 (Quarter-Final - Tallahassee)

Thursday 1st May
David Rice/Sean Thornley lost to Kokkinakis/Kubler 1-6 5-7 (1st Round - Tallahassee)
Richard Gabb lost to Marcus Daniell 5-7 retired (2nd Round - Seoul)
Edward Corrie beat Gengo Kikuchi 6-2 6-4 (2nd Round - Soul)
Naomi Broady lost to Misa Eguchi 7-6 6-7 4-6 (2nd Round - Gifu)
Richard Gabb/Marcus Daniell withdrew against NagaoOku (Quarter-Final - Seoul)
Dan Cox/Mao-Xin Gong beat Baluda/Kravchuk 6-3 6-3 (Quarter-Final - An Ning)
Tara Moore/Naomi Broady lost to Rodionova/Gajdosova 2-6 5-7 (Quarter-Final - Gifu)
Katy Dunne beat Emma Laine 6-2 6-1 (2nd Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Harriet Dart beat Csilla Argyelan 6-0 6-0 (2nd Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Eden Silva beat Elena Van Der Sypt 7-6 7-5 (2nd Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Katie Boulter beat Sri Vaishinavi Peddi Reddy 7-6 6-3 (2nd Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Sabrina Bamburac lost to Pia Konig 2-6 0-6 (2nd Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Edward Corrie/Maximilian Neuchrist lost to Chung/Nam (Quarter Final - Seoul)
Eleanor Dean lost to Olga Doroshina 3-6 5-7 (2nd Round - Antalya)
Jamie Delgado/Gilles Muller lost to Krajicek/Smith 4-6 6-7 (Quarter-Final - Taipei City)
Marcus Willis/Jonny O'Mara beat Liam Broady and Luke Bambridge 6-1 6-4 (Semi-Final - Edinburgh)
Jamie Murray/John Peers beat Dlouhy/Pavic 4-6 7-6 10-6 (Quarter-Final - Munich)
James Marsalek/Juan Sebastian Gomez lost to Pulgar-Garcia/Arauzo-Martinez 4-6 6-7 (Quarter-Final - Mostoles)
Eleanor Dean/Saray Sterenbach lost to Lee/Fomina 3-6 1-6 (Quarter-Final - Antalya)
Katy Dunne/Harriet Dart beat Sills/Melicharkova 6-2 6-0 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Marcus Willis/Jonny O'Mara beat Van Peperzeel/Banes 7-6 6-1 (Final - Edinburgh)
Alexander Jhun/Yusuke Watanuki lost to Ramanathan/Ciumac (Quarter-Final - Antalya)
Jack Oswald/Andrea Camurri lost to Maamoun/Alvarez-Guzman 1-6 0-6 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Eden Silva/Elena Van Der Sypt beat Bogoslavets/Peddi Reddy 6-0 6-4 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
James Ward beat Jason Kubler 2-0 retired (2nd Round - Tallahassee)
Katie Boulter/Nina Stojanovic beat Morgina/Laine 6-2 6-7 10-5 (Quarter-Final - Sharm el Sheikh)
Matt Short/Jan Blecha lost to Pulgar-Garcia/Arenas-Gualda 6-7 retired (Semi-Final - Mostoles)
Joshua Milton lost to Laurent Rochette 6-3 4-6 6-3 (2nd Round - Mostoles)
Darren Walsh/Abham El-Effendi beat Altamirano/Rybakov 6-4 7-6 (1st Round - Tallahassee)

Wednesday 30th April
Tom Knights/James Turbervill lost to Tucker/Vorster 4-6 7-6 3-10 (1st Round - Vero Beach)
Naomi Broady beat Eri Hozumi 6-3 6-4 (1st Round - Gifu)
Tara Moore lost to Tammi Patterson 4-6 4-6 (1st Round - Gifu)
Samantha Murray lost to Qiang Wang 2-6 6-7 (1st Round - Gifu)
Tara Moore/Naomi Broady beat Emily Webley-Smith/Ekaterina Bychkova 6-7 7-5 10-5 (1st Round - Gifu)
Anna Smith/Jocelyn Rae beat Sema/Sema 6-0 6-2 (1st Round - Gifu)
Edward Corrie beat Soong Jae Cho 6-4 4-6 6-3 (1st Round - Seoul)
Richard Gabb/Marcus Daniell beat Bodhidatta/Wachiramanowong 7-6 7-5 (1st Round - Seoul)
Eden Silva beat Disha Satish Agarwal 6-0 6-1 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Jamie Delgado/Gilles Muller beat Chuang/Yu 6-1 6-4 (1st Round - Taipei City)
Marcus Willis beat Keelan Oakley 6-0 6-2 (2nd Round - Edinburgh)
Eleanor Dean beat Kimberley Zimmermann 6-2 6-3 (1st Round - Antalya)
Alexander Jhun lost to Peter Heller 3-6 2-6 (1st Round - Antalya)
Bruce Strachan lost to Gavin Van Peperzeel 2-6 4-6 (2nd Round - Edinburgh)
Neil Pauffley beat Imran Asway 6-3 6-3 (2nd Round - Edinburgh)
Jack Oswald lost to Mauricio Alvarez-Guzman 0-6 1-6 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Liam Broady beat Robert Carter 3-6 6-1 6-1 (2nd Round - Edinburgh)
Colin Fleming/Ross Hutchins beat Cabal/Farah 6-1 6-4 (Quarter-Final - Munich)
Mollie Crouch lost to Oceane Dodin 1-6 4-6 (1st Round - Antalya)
Ashley Hewitt beat Toby Martin 6-2 3-6 6-2 (2nd Round - Edinburgh)
Matt Short lost to Samuel Ribeiro Navarrete 4-6 2-6 (2nd Round - Mostoles)
Dan Cox lost to Nikola Mektic 3-6 4-6 (2nd Round - An Ning)
Katie Boulter beat Alija Merdeeva 6-0 6-1 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Liam Broady/Luke Bambridge beat Myles Orton/Daniel Glancy 6-4 6-4 (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)
Robert Carter/Ryan Peniston lost to Scott Griekspoor/Kevin Griekspoor (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)
Francesca Stephenson lost to Ola Abou Zekry 4-6 0-6 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Harriet Dart beat Anna Bogoslavets 6-2 6-0 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Eleanor Dean/Sarah Sterenbach beat Afanasyeva/Kazimova 6-3 6-3 (Quarter-Final - Antalya)
Brydan Klein beat Jathan Malik 1-6 6-3 6-4 (2nd Round - Edinburgh)
Alexander Sendegeya lost to Ty Trombetta 4-6 3-6 (2nd Round - Vero Beach)
Jamie Murray/John Peers beat Satschko/Struff 64 6-3 (1st Round - Munich)
Matt Short/Jan Blecha beat Villacorta-Alonso/Ruano 6-1 6-2 (1st Round - Mostoles)
Myles Orton/Daniel Glancy beat Sille/Cagnina 7-5 7-5 (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)
Marcus Willis/Jonny O'Mara beat Brydan Klein/Jake Eames 7-6 3-2 retired (Quarter-Final - Edinburgh)

Tuesday 29th April
Jade Windley/Samantha Murray lost to Rika Fujiwara/Tamarine Tanasugarn 1-6 3-6 (1st Round - Gifu)
George Coupland lost to Gengo Kikuchi 5-7 2-6 (1st Round  - Seoul)
Oliver Golding lost to Borna Coric 2-6 3-6 (1st Round - An Ning
Edward Corrie/Maximilian Neuchrist beat Soon Woo Kwon/Duck Hee Lee 6-2 6-0 (1st Round - Seoul)
Dan Cox beat Hyeon Chung 4-6 6-3 6-3 (1st Round - An Ning)
Richard Gabb beat Sun-Yong Kim Jr. 3-6 6-3 6-4 (1st Round - Seoul)
Katy Dunne beat Danielle Konotoptseva (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Jack Oswald/Andrea Camurri beat Petersen/Morozov by walkover (Sharm el Sheikh - 1st Round)

Daniel Cox/Mao-Xin Gong beat Buchanan/Storck 7-5 6-1 (1st Round - AnNing)
Sabrina Bamburac beat Alexandra Riley 6-3 7-5 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Ashley Hewitt beat Daniel Glancy 6-4 6-2 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Eden Silva/Elena Van Der Sypt beat Tsyganova/Kadagidze 6-2 6-0 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Joshua Milton beat Michael Bois 7-5 7-6 (1st Round - Mostoles)
Neil Pauffley beat N. Vijay Sundar Prashanth 6-3 6-4 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Savannah Sills/Tereza Melicharkova beat Alfredsson/Sablijarevic 6-1 6-2 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Imran Asway beat Constantin Belot 6-3 3-6 6-2 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Marcus Willis beat Myles Orton 6-1 6-0 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Brydan Klein beat Jonny O'Mara 6-3 6-7 7-6 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Robert Carter beat Nicolas Rosenzweig 6-1 6-1 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Toby Martin beat David Porter 6-0 6-3 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Alexander Jhun/Yusuke Watanuki beat Muradashvili/Vartanian 6-2 6-2 (1st Round - Antalya)
Eleanor Dean/Saray Sterenbach beat Crouch/Mayer 6-2 6-1 (1st Round - Antalya)
Katy Dunne/Harriet Dart beat Dominique Covington/Aimee Gibson 6-2 6-3 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Katie Boulter/Nina Stojanovic beat Riley/Rigozzi 7-5 6-2 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Sabrina Bamburac/Nevena Selakovic lost to Dong/Konig 6-4 5-7 6-10 (1st Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Ryan Peniston lost to Sander Gille 6-3 3-6 5-7 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Bruce Strachan beat Simon Ede 7-6 4-6 6-4 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Luke Bambridge lost to Gavin Van Peperzeel 2-6 6-4 4-6 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
James Marsalek lost to Jamie Pulgar-Garcia 1-6 6-2 4-6 (1st Round - Mostoles)
Adam Thornton-Brown lost to Matteo Marrai 2-6 3-6 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Keelan Oakley beat Tom Allen 6-3 6-3 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Matt Short beat Juan-Samuel Arauzo-Martinez 6-4 7-6 (1st Round - Mostoles)
Jathan Malik beat Adam Glynn 6-4 6-3 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Robert Carter/Ryan Peniston beat Belot/Ducourau 2-6 6-4 10-3 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Liam Broady beat Scott Griekspoor 6-7 6-2 6-0 (1st Round - Edinburgh)
Brydan Klein/Jake Eames beat Liniger/Prashanth 6-3 6-7 10-6 (1st Round - Edinburgh)

Monday 28th April
Emily Webley Smith/Ekaterina Bychkova beat Mahiro Date/Yuki Ukai 6-1 6-1 (Final Qualifying Round - Gifu)
Oliver Golding/Borna Coric lost to Grigelis/Mektic 3-6 (0)6-7 (1st Round - An Ning)
Eden Silva beat Disha Satish Agarwal 6-0 6-0 (Final Qualifying Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Savannah Sills lost to Ola Abou Zakry 4-6 3-6 (2nd Qualifying Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Aimee Gibson lost to Nevena Selakovic 1-6 1-6 (2nd Qualifying Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Dominique Covington lost to Milica Novakovic 3-6 4-6 (2nd Qualifying Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
Sabrina Bamburac beat Anastasia Tsyganova 6-2 6-3 (2nd Qualifying Round - Sharm el Sheikh)
James Marsalek/Juan Sebastian Gomez beat Alberto Santos Bravo/Rafael Mazon-Hernandez 7-6 3-6 10-1 (1st Round - Mostoles)
Colin Fleming/Ross Hutchins beat Bracciali/Seppi 6-3 7-5 (1st Round - Munich)
Matt Short/Jan Blecha beat Carl Stefan Privee Boudeguer/Jamie Fermosell 6-3 6-2 (1st Round - Mostoles)
James Ward beat Dennis Nevolo 6-1 6-1 (1st Round - Tallahassee)
David Rice lost to Antonio Veic (3)6-7 1-6 (1st Round - Tallahassee)

Sunday 27th April
Jade Windley lost to Akiko Yonemura 6-7 6-4 2-6 (1st Qualifying Round - Gifu)
Emily Webley-Smith lost to Miki Miyamura 6-7 6-4 4-6 (1st Qualifying Round - Gifu)
Anna Smith lost to Yuka Higuchi 2-6 2-6 (!st Qualifying Round - Gifu)  

Saturday 26th April
Sean Thornley lost to Andrew Carter 6-4 2-6 3-5 (1st Qualifying Round - Tallahassee) 

Sports Ladder (21st-28th April)

UP - Greg Rutherford - Greg Rutherford is unfortunately always likely to go down as the forgotten man after the Super Saturday of London 2012 after collecting a gold medal alongside the poster boy and girl Mo Farah and Jess Ennis. As well as sharing his gold medal success he also, until this week, shared the British long jump record with Chris Tomlinson. However, this week he leapt a huge 8.51m to claim the British crown for himself during an event at the Olympic Training Centre.

UP - Couch and Barrow - All the talk during this weeks World Series diving event was about Tom Daley and which medal he would win. Well it turns out the answer is none as he finished fifth. Instead it was the women's pair of Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow who led the way for Britain, picking up a superb silver medal with 321.24. They weren't the only pair who leapt to success as Rebecca Gallantry and Hannah Starling narrowly took the bronze medal with a 302.88.

UP - Paddy Power - Paddy Power have become the ultimate trolls of the sporting world this year with a spat of hilarious and controversial publicity stunts and television adverts. After condemning David Moyes to unemployment last weekend with their Grim Reaper stunt they capitalised on the sacking, erecting a statue of Moyes outside of Anfield thanking him 'For Services to Liverpool Football Club'. They may be making enemies but at least they're doing it in humourous style.

UP - Rajiv Ouseph - It isn't often that the loose-wristed sport of badminton makes the sports ladder but this week Rajiv Ouseph collected Britain's first singles medal for four years when he last won a bronze medal. This time Ouseph was able to go one better, collecting a silver medal to go alongside his European Team Championship medal of the same colour from February. Perhaps in four years time he can go one better and get the gold.

UP - Broady Siblings - It's a rare occurrence that we get to applaud British tennis success but this week we got to congratulate not one, not two, but four British Champions for the first time since 2008. Whilst Eleanor Dean won in Antalya and Alexander Ward won in Heraklion it was the two Broady siblings that led the way. With Liam winning in Bournemouth and Naomi winning in Namangan it was a fantastic weekend for them and British tennis. Success clearly runs in the family.

DOWN - Giro d'Italia - For many casual fans the Giro d'Italia is considered the second largest annual cycling event behind the Tour de France. Yet British interest will be decidedly short for this years event after a number of key withdrawals this week. Both Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins have joined Mark Cavendish in skipping this event in order to prepare for the Tour. At least it leaves us guessing between Wiggins and Froome for the Tour.

DOWN - Emile Heskey - Don't you just hate it when the public start a petition to get you knighted and the government throw those plans back in your face? The problems of the common man ey? Well that's what happened this week to Emile Heskey as a petition set up by Daniel McCarthy to get the England legend knighted was turned down by the government. Come on Mr Cameron, I know its a knighthood and everything but where's your sense of humour!

DOWN - Wirral Cricket Club - As a cricket club, you know you're having a bad day at the office when you have more ducks than a Chinese restaurant. Wirral's week was absolute quackers as they bowed out of a Cheshire League Division Three fixture with just three runs. It gets even worse if only one of those comes from your batsman and the other two are from extras. At least they saw the funny side, tweeting some old legends for some coaching advice.

DOWN - Jose Mourinho - He used to be the man who just oozed charm. The man we all loved for his quirky but brilliant nature. Since his return though he has just become increasingly dislikable. Whether it was his permanent delusion that they weren't in the title race, or the way he accused West Ham of '19th Century football', before playing in an identical way on multiple occasions. His multiple touchline runs and celebrations have lacked class and, to me at least, he is no longer the 'Special One'.

DOWN - Rafael Nadal - Well, well, well. Mr Nadal seems to be tumbling down the ladder in recent weeks doesn't he? Another huge loss on clay to further dent the world number ones confidence as he fell this week to Nicolas Almagro in Barcelona for the first time since 2003, ending a 41 match unbeaten run. This was also the first time he has lost to his fellow Spaniard. With the French Open approaching rapidly Rafa needs something to change, and fast.

Nadal Shock as Win Streak Ended

The crowd at this week's Barcelona Open were treated to a shock on Friday as eight time Champion, Rafael Nadal, crashed out of tournament for the first time in eleven years.

The 'King of Clay' had won each of his last 41 matches in Barcelona, only previously losing to Alex Corretja in his debut tournament of 2003. As well as that, the Spaniard had previously lost just two sets in all 41 of those victories.

But his three set loss to fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro doubled this tally as he was defeated 2-6 7-6 6-4 in the quarter-finals. This was also the first time that Almagro had ever managed to beat Nadal in ten previous meetings.

The match started in routine fashion as Nadal broke his fellow countryman twice to claim the first set 6-2/ However, from there the tide began to turn as Almagro made less sloppy errors, finding much more epth in the court than Nadal.

A tight second set was decided by a tie-break and it was Almagro who emerged victorious, taking only his second set off the 13 time Grand Slam Champion to force a decider.

With momentum firmly behind him, Almagro pushed on, capitalising on some wayward serving from his opponent to get the vital break and eventually serve out the match to book a place in the semi-finals against the Columbian Santiago Giraldo.

This is by no means the first shock of the year for Nadal who, after enduring a phenomenal 2013, has suffered a number of uncharacteristic losses already. His third round loss to Alexandr Dolgopolov in Indian Wells and his defeat last week in Monte Carlo to David Ferrer suggest he is not as his best as he prepares for the French Open.

And with significant ranking points to defend in recent weeks, Nadal will have to look much sharper on the clay courts of Madrid in two weeks time if he is to fend off the challenge of Novak Djokovic for his world number one position.

100 Posts - Thank You!

Well we've made it. Triple figures. One hundred posts. And first thing is first, I want to thank you guys. Without you guys I would have no audience and no feedback so for that I am eternally grateful. Since I started last March I didn't anticipate how supportive everyone would be and I hope you will all continue to support me as I pursue this career in sports journalism.

When I cast my eyes back to the year just gone its quite surprising how much I have developed and learnt since starting my writing. What initially started out as a single match report on an international friendly between Brazil and Russia has developed into a full-blooded sports blog covering a huge variety of sports from Tennis and Golf to Darts and Curling. This in turn extended out of just writing as I now work with an excellent and dedicated team on the University Radio Nottingham Sports Show and am part of the growing Nottingham Forest and Notts County Podcast, as well as working, albeit irregularly, on my YouTube channel.

The big question I have to ask myself now is where do I see the blog going in the future? Well one thing that is for certain is that I will be doing everything in my power to maintain a regular stream of new material in order to try and entertain you guys and myself. I currently have two main projects, one being the 'Sports Ladder' which has been a major part of the blog for a number of months now. The other is my new 'Tennis Brit Watch' project which began almost alongside my one hundredth post.

The Sports Ladder for me is definitely one of the most enjoyable projects i've ever embarked on. By keeping a close eye on sports stories every day, it has enabled me to stumble across some of the strangest and wackiest stories in the world of sport. Only this week for example the story of Pablo Larrazabal and his golf course hornet incident proves the ridiculous and unpredictable nature of the sporting world. But for me one of the highlights is unearthing sportsman that perhaps wouldn't usually get the recognition they deserve. The likes of Ben Maher, Tai Woofinden, Rowan Cheshire and Yulia Lipnitskaya are all names that, had I not done this feature, I would probably never have heard of, so its great that this can promote the achievements of these individuals and others.

But what of the new feature, the 'Tennis Brit Watch'? For me tennis is a sport closer to my heart than most others as it is the one I grew up playing and watching. Whilst for a few years I lost touch with the tennis world the blog and the opportunities that come alongside it have completely rekindled my love for the sport. It was mainly my work this year for SEaT Capital that re-lit this fire but also a growing discontent with the media attention shown to British tennis players. Everyone knows Andy Murray but many people would fail to recognise a single other British male, despite the fact that British doubles players occupy 10% of the top forty players in the World.  My aim, alongside a few select others is to try and boost the recognition for these lesser known athletes amongst both fans of sport and the public in general. The feature is only in it's first week but seems to have been supported well so far and I shall look to develop this over the coming months.

Of course, outside of these two regular features there will still be other blogs for those of you more interested in other sports. Football is of course a major talking point an with the World Cup soon upon us I'm sure that will take centre-stage for a few months throughout the summer. Alongside this I intent to begin increasing my output of opinion pieces. These require more development and research than many of my current reporting pieces which are why they are more rare but hopefully as I continue to develop their numbers will increase.

The other question that many of you have asked me in recent weeks has been the disappearance of my YouTube channel and why this has happened. The simple reason for this is that I was struggling to fit filming and editing it alongside my writing, my radio work and my degree. I was also not completely happy with the content I was creating and felt that I could do better so have decided to step away from it for the foreseeable future to decide how best to take it forward. I have a number ideas so it is by no means dead and buried but do not expect anything to emerge any time soon.

So that just about wraps up my centenary update. I hope you guys have learnt how much I enjoy working on these pieces and projects and I hope you enjoy them just as much. More than anything else though I want to thank all of my readers for your fantastic and consistent support and I will continue to listen to and act upon any criticism or feedback you have on my work. Until the two hundredth post, I return to my sporting ways and leave the diary-style blogs to those who don't use as many 'I's' as I have in this blog.

Thanks y'all!

Rusedski To Coach Youngster Edmund

Former British number one, Greg Rusedski, has been announced as the new coach of promising youngster Kyle Edmund.

Edmund is the highest ranked British teenager and having recently broken into the top 300 in the world, has opted to recruit the former world number four as he aims to rise further.

Rusedski has begun his post immediately, travelling with the nineteen year old to a challenger event in Vercelli. Edmund has already won four matches after coming through qualifying before defeating fourth seed Alijaz Bedene 6-3 6-2 in the opening round.

Edmund's appointment replaces his previous coach, Colin Beecher who works for the LTA and had worked with Edmund to earn him a spot on the GB Davis Cup team in February.

But current LTA Chief Executive Michael Downey believes this is the right decision, telling the BBC, "I think this is great that this has happened. No disrespect to Colin Beecher, who did great work, but change sometimes should happen. I think it reflects very highly that not only did Kyle look for a change but that Greg wanted to step up and take on this challenge. Greg has stepped over the line, and said 'give me the keys'."

Edmund is next in action on Thursday in the second round of Vercelli, where he faces the hardened French veteran David Guez for a place in the quarter-finals.

Published on SEaT Capital.