By Mason Drake
The Racquet Club of Chicago was proud to host the 2019 Bathurst Cup from May 13th – 18th. After two days of practice to get acclimated to the court, the players were more than ready to go. Australia, ably led by captain Al Ramsay, were drawn to play the #1 seeded British team and the U.S. team, led by Jon Crowell, were drawn to play the #2 French team led by their captain Tim Batten.
Team G.B., led by captain Jamie Douglas, was always going to be tough to beat and although the Australians fought gallantly, both singles matches went to the #1 seeds in straight sets.
The results were:
Ed Kay beat Al Ramsay 6/1 6/2 6/1
Jamie Douglas beat Michael Williams 6/2 6/2 6/4
Team USA were the underdogs on paper, but with some positive practice sessions were quietly confident they could produce an upset to reach the final.
The tie started well for the home team as Peter Cipriano, showing tremendous poise and courage, managed to defeat his more fancied opponent in four tight sets.
In the end, Peter Cipriano beat Nicolas Victoir 6/5 6/5 4/6 6/3.
We then had a short intermission as Racquet Club President Stuart Lansing welcomed the players before the anthems of the countries were performed.
The next match between U.S. captain Jon Crowell and #1 Frenchman Matthieu Sarlangue was a fantastic battle as Matthieu narrowly managed to squeak out the victory in four close sets.
The final line was Matthieu Sarlangue defeating Jon Crowell 6/4 6/3 1/6 6/4
Day two would prove pivotal between the U.S. and French team as the winner of the doubles match would be in a solid position to win the tie and reach the final.
The French team of Sarlangue/Victoir came out of the blocks well as their U.S. opponents, Patrick Winthrop and Todd Meringoff, were finding their feet and adjusting to the tempo of the match.
After losing the first set 6/2, the U.S. team brought their game to another level as they managed to win the second set 6/2.
They then continued their momentum in the 3rd set as they ran out to a 5/1 lead.
The French team then launched a stunning comeback as they staved off several set points in coming back to win 6/5. With renewed confidence, they jumped out to a 4/0 lead, and although the U.S. team fought back, they were unable to bridge the gap and lost the 4th set and the match.
The final score was:
Sarlangue/Victoir beat Meringoff/Winthrop 6/2 2/6 6/5 6/2.
The doubles match between the Aussies and the Brits was a great struggle as the #1 seeds won a close match and therefore reached the final.
The final score was:
Douglas/Kay beat Ramsay/Williams 4/6 6/5 6/5 6/0
Wednesday saw another enjoyable day of tennis in the reverse singles. The British team, having already secured a place in the final, made a clean sweep over the Aussies 5-0.
With the tie between the U.S. and France hanging in the balance, the U.S. captain Jon Crowell kept the U.S. hopes alive with a solid win over Nicolas Victoire. The final match of the tie featured Peter Cipriano against the talented Frenchman Matthieu Sarlangue. Sarlangue was too tough and took the win in three sets in a match that was closer than the scoreline, and pushed France through to the finals with a closely fought 3-2 team win.
The Wednesday results were:
Jamie Douglas (G.B.) beat Al Ramsay (AUS) 6/2 6/4
Jamie Giddins (G.B.) beat Michael Williams (AUS) 2/6 6/1 6/2
Jon Crowell (USA) beat Nicolas Victoir (FRA) 6/0 6/1 6/2
Matthieu Sarlangue (FRA) beat Peter Cipriano (USA) 6/0 6/0 6/2
Thursday saw the first day of the finals and the battle for third place, pitching Great Britain against France to decide the winner of the Cup and USA taking on Australia for third place.
The day featured phenomenal singles matches in both the final and the 3rd/4th playoff tie.
Team G.B. went out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the final with two convincing singles victories. Due to an injury to Nicolas Victoire, Charlie Hurstel stepped in to play for France.
The 3rd/4th playoff tie between the USA and Australia ended evenly poised at 1-1 after they split singles wins.
The Thursday results were:
Jon Crowell (USA) defeated Al Ramsay (AUS) 6/0 5/6 6/4 6/1
Michael Williams (AUS) defeated Peter Cipriano (USA) 6/2 6/2 6/4
Ed Kay (G.B.) defeated Charlie Hurstel 6/0 6/1 6/2
Jamie Douglas defeated Matthieu Sarlangue 6/2 6/4 6/1
Friday provided a real treat with some of the best matches in the tournament in the doubles. France’s pair of Nicolas Victoire and Matthieu Sarlangue faced off against Great Britain’s pair of Ed Kay and Jamie Douglas in a fantastic match showing off a mix of great power, finesse, and volleying skills. The underdog French took the tightly contested match in straight sets to stay alive for the prize.
Team USA’s pair of Todd Meringoff and Pat Winthrop faced off against the Australian duo of Ramsay and Williams. The U.S. also went through to the final day edging ahead, thanks to the fantastic volleying of Meringoff and retrieving abilities of Winthrop in an exciting match pleasing to all spectators (especially the U.S. fans).
Going into the final day of the competition team G.B. led the French 2-1 while team USA led the Aussies 2-1.
The Friday results were:
Victoir/Sarlangue (FRA) defeated Kay/Douglas (G.B.) 6/4 6/5 6/5
Meringoff/Winthrop (USA) defeated Ramsay/Williams (AUS) 6/0 6/3 6/5
Saturday, the final day of the competition, saw the reverse singles matches played with all ties in play.
The first match saw Al Ramsay, the captain of the Australia side, take on Peter Cipriano of the USA. In a great straight sets victory, Cipriano clinched the USA’s first win against Australia in many years. Congrats to the USA for securing the third place finish. The next dead rubber match was won by Pat Winthrop against Michael Williams.
In the battle for first place and the cup, Jamie Douglas was too strong in winning in straight sets against Nicolas Victoire, clinching the victory for Team G.B. Congratulations to the British! Following this deciding match, a dead rubber was contested between Jamie Giddins and Charlie Hurstel, with Giddins taking the final win.
Following the matches, all adjourned downstairs for cocktails where Jonathan Lewis and Steve Virgona presented medals to all players and the Bathurst Cup to the winning Great Britain side. A sumptuous dinner followed with wine and speeches and much merriment later at the Zebra Lounge late into the night.
Thanks to the 2019 Bathurst Cup committee for organizing the event, the USCTA and the U.S. Court Tennis Preservation Foundation for their financial support, and to John Cashman, Steve Virgona, Rob Whitehouse and Conor Medlow for marking the matches. Special thanks to Jonathan Lewis who graciously hosted all of the players on Friday night for a White Sox-Blue Jays game. A huge thanks also to the Mike Coronel and his kitchen staff who produced some fantastic meals throughout the week and sumptuous tournament dinner.
For more information, including the program, player bios and a link to the streaming click here.
Photos by Graeme Blundstone and RCOP.
