World Championship Challenge 2014
6th – 11th May 2014 At The Royal Melbourne Tennis Club
Sunday 11th May. Day Four of the Challenge. Match complete - Rob Fahey is the Champion.
A tentative start but RF took an early 3-0 lead. CR on the scoreboard 1-3. Players then traded games to 2-4 before RF won the vital seventh game 5-2. Long game before RF took his fifth set point 6/2. Tenth set and first five games to RF who played a brilliant mixture of strokes. Sixth game and CR defended two championship points with main wall dedans before RF made the third and retained his championship.
Saturday 10th May. Day Three of the Challenge. Match day 3 postponed until 0200 BST tomorrow Sunday 11th May, court deemed unfit for play.
Thursday 8th May. Day Two of the Challenge.
Both players started well but it was CR who won the critical points to reach 3-0. RF rallied but CR maintained the pressure to reach 5-1. Again RF struck back but all short-lived. CR took the fifth set 6/2. Second set and honours even as the player share the first 4 games, before RF nudges ahead 5-2. CR recovered with some outstanding shot making to 4-5, but RF made his second set point to level the match at 3 sets all.
Third set and one-way traffic as RF established a 5-0 lead. RF returned a variety of CR's serves as he tried to find some variety. CR recovered a quick game 1-5. The seventh game was close all the way before RF took his second set point 6/1, and a 4-3 lead overall. RF took the momentum into the eighth set to lead 3-0. CR rallied to 1-3, after a long fourth game in which he originally led 40-0. The players then trade the next four games 5-3. RF stepped up and took the all-important final game and a strategic five-three lead overall.
Tuesday 6th May. Day One of the Challenge.
An exceptional first day's play with enough talking points to keep everybody happy - and a scoreline which guarantees three day's play. Camden took the first two sets, Rob the final two, to leave the match finely balanced.
CR played the first set exceptionally well, winning it to love. Rob had a number of game points but it was mostly one-way traffic. The players traded the first four game in the second set allowing time for RF to find his touch. RF then reached 4-2 after a lengthy sixth game which could have gone either way; but CR pulled back to 4-all. Brilliant railroad serving by RF to lead 5-4, but CR responded to snatch the set 6/5.
Very tight start to the third set saw RF playing with more aggression; the first four games were once again shared. RF took the vital fifth before CR took a short injury break in the next game with blood above his right eye after colliding with the wall. RF kept the momentum to lead 5-2. CR recovered to 4-5 but RF won his set point at the third time of asking to take the set 6/4. The fourth set started closely, yet again the four games were shared, including an extremly long fourth. But now RF kept the momentum and extended a 5-2 lead, four games in a row. CR won a tight eighth but RF dominated the next game, holding his nerve, to win 6/3.
As the player head towards a rest day the score is two sets all after the first day's play.