The Boys Are Back in Town

As you know, Compassvale has terminate our rights for the court usage. It has now become the training ground for karate enthusiasts.

We have found a new home in Pasir Ris. A new blue court ala Arthur Ashe. We also had look at Farrer Park which brings back the nostalgic memories of the 90s. We have a new player on board Jermyn who was my army mate back in the days.

Lets have an update on the players:

1) Benjamin 13500 pts

He has decided to go back to his counter punching style of play again. I guess on our level of play, counter punching is probably the style that is the most effective as it produces the least amount of error and no one in this roster really has a shot good enough that will really hurt this kinda play on a consistent basis. He is also contemplating to switching to double backhand. My take is that he should go with one that he most comfortable with. A player with least amount of unforced errors. When his forehand is on form, he will construct points beautifully.

2) Nizlan 12870 pts

I change the forehand swing to make the swing slightly longer for more power and there's an improvement on the backhand (ie: thanks to Dan who keep hitting the ball to my backhand). Still cannot volley however but is pushing hard for the no 1 spot.

3) Jermyn 7800 pts

The first serve and volleyer on our roster. He is slowly catching up on points as he didnt participate in the early tourny this year. Thanks to him, me and ben have been forced to serve as such we have improve quite a bit. Lacking in stamina kills him at times but he loves to shorten points by approaching the net as many times as possible.

4) Dan 5060 pts

The youngest player in the roster is improving bit by bit. He joined SP tennis Club but soon was found AWOL by the club. He was caught watching Iraq vs Singapore live on channel 5 during the club training wearing Jumaat Jantan jersey!!!

5) Tong & Shona $6000 fine

They have attended less than 10 session this year and was subjected to $6,000 fine. The monies goes to charity and for the seats recently bought for the Pasir Ris Court. Recently they attended the session and Tong is still faster than a bullet with a terrifying back hand slice but forehand is missing however. Shona is still a great doubles player with a gd double backhand.

6) Melvin Stone Dead Forever

My newest Co-WeaPoN of MaSS DesTruKtioN

I have officially re-sign a new deal with Dunlop Sport. This time the weapon of choice is the "Biomimetic 300" which is currently used by Spanish Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco is not my one of my favourite player so he is not the reason for me to play with this new stick. One of the main reason is to have a different kinda stick to my current aerogel 500 tour. I love the power that aerogel 500 tour possess but I feel a different kinda weapon will make things more interesting and more enjoyable.

I had a review of it yesterday hitting with co-player Ben. I must say that I will need time to adjust to the new weapon because of my current aggressive playing style. It doesn't possessed as much power but very reliable on slice and lob. The control and feel is also great. However, I feel that I should have tension it lower at 53 instead of 55. As such, I feel my rankings may fall within this short period but once I get a hang of it, things could get interesting.

Plus, its a one day old racquet with lots scratches as it flew off my hand while I was trying to hit a forehand. I'm really looking forward to next Friday to hit with the Gang (esp with Dan and Tong who were missing). Dan is like me trying to figure our new weapon and my match with Tong is my favourite so far becuz of the power and pace of the game. That's how I like my tennis in playing and watching, "Power and Pace!!!!"

Burghley Open - Saturday Night Time Special

There has never been more at stake for today's Burghley Open. The no 1 spot is open to all (yes, even Tong could jump to no 1 by today)!! Unfortunately, Daniel will miss tonight's tournament as he will be leading the Great Singapore Workout held in Marina Barrage.

First up on court 3, we have Lan vs Ben. The current top 2 players. Lan has never held the no 1 spot so tonight might be the day. Ben the current top player will be looking for his placement and accuracy to be clicking tonight to stay atop. Lan who is not a big fan of night games will face a monumental task ahead of tonight's clash. Will they live up to the best match ever in November 2010?? Its Power vs Placement!!!

Next up, battle of the Latinos. Speed vs power. Matches between Tong and Lan has always been about who will cracked first!! Who will make that error?? It will be all gun blazing tennis, no holding back, heavy ground strokes trading, baseline rallies and no rest for the wicked!!!

The Main Event, Tong Vs Ben. One of the biggest rivalry in north east history, two very different player despite having some blood relation. Tong will use his speed and STORM to pressure Ben to submission while Ben will use his tactical abilities to force Tong into errors?? Tong has made his intention clear to be No1 while Ben will be trying to maintain his top ranking for at least one more week.

No matter what happens it will be no holds barred, extreme rules, hell in a cell triple threat matches!!!

Review of my WeaPoN of MaSS DestruKtioN

Dunlop aerogel 500tour has been my weapon of choice for nearly 6 months now. Let me analysis the stick on how it has improve my game.

Groundstrokes: 8.5

Has great power in this racquet which compliment my baseline play. It does have a pretty decent control for a power racquet. Definitely helps in cutting down the unforced errors.

Volley: unknown

I cant comment on this because volleying is not my forte. Maybe when I learn to volley then I will a score.

Serve: 6.8

Pretty decent racquet to put serves in but this is another area I need to work on both pace and placement for the serve.

Returns: 9

This is my favourite part of the racquet. I am able to generate good power and depth for the return which keeps my opponent at the baseline for most part.

Overall Review: I must say I made the right choice as of this moment with aerogel 500tour. Currently, Dunlop is offering Biomimetic 300 which is a provides more control than the current 500 tour. Prince has always try to sign me back and offering "Rebel 95" and of cuz Technifibre Tflash is also on my mind.

I have also renew my contract with Lotto top and 3 quarter bottoms. Le coq sportif will also co-sponsor me with some tops and addidas special 3 quarter pants. Both brands apparently paid royalties to Lotto or they"ll be shoot mafia style if they dont.

Djokovic and Montfils in French Music video

Novak and Gael stars in French MV, Hello. Funny.

Shocker: Babolat ends deal with Tong

Babolat Lyon has released a statement to the press this morning stating that they have officially ended their contract with now World No. 4, Tong "Gonzo", but refusing to cite any reason to the move. Tennis Dailies spoke to Babolat's local distributing agent, Marcel Desailly to get more of the story. "Well, all I can sez, tenniz ze like football, le balls are round, you move around with zem. It was amicable, I met with him and I wished him all ze best." Desailly, the man who signed Tong to Babolat 3 years back, in a move that would see him co- developed "Magic Game", and later be endorsed like his idol and good friend, Fernando Gonzalez, by the "Pure Storm" series. It was later mentioned that the move took place because Tong refused to update his endorsement to the 2011 Pure Storm rackets, for he found the new "Pure Storm GT" to be... not as aesthetically inclined as the current "Pure Storm Tour" he is using. Oh well...

Later in Straubing, Germany...

It is true! Volkl has made an official approach to Tong enticing him with the new, the dynamic, the powerful... and not forgetting, the aesthetically driven Organix 10. It was confirmed by Volkl's local distributing agent, Matthias Sammer. "Ja! He likes. Bee Beee Zhe Fur HarSS89VN##$#" (Tennis Dailies could not make out rest of conversation.)

Can it be happening? Tong's current endorsement for "Pure Storm" expires in later 2011. Will Babolat takes a detour? Or will it be... Au Revoir Lyon, Hallo Straubing? Stay tuned to Tennis Dailies to find out more, the one Daily for your daily tennis kick!

Back from the storm/The End

Back From the Storm

We are pleased to annouce that Tong and Shona have rejoined the tour. Tong who has been away with his non-profit projects seems to have no problem adjusting back to his game. From what I have seen, he should be challenging for the top spot sooner rather than later. With his speedy agile play, who can weather this "PURE STORM"????

The End

We will no longer be part of the Sengkang world tour as the Compasspoint Karate's has taken over the court to built their karate fortress!! Burghley will be our new home..

Rankings

1) Ben - 8750

2) Lan - 8690

3) Dan - 8250**

4) Tong - 8190 *

5) Shona - 6500

* Tong low ranking due missing the first few games..

** Dan will debut with a new outfit and weapon this sunday at our new homeground "Burghley"

New Announcement: Wilson K Factor in the House!

Finally after much negotiation, Dan has signed with Wilson for his racquet. He will begin to use his new Wilson K Factor K Six Two from the next game onwards. Now the tour finally has every player using a top player racquet. This will surely improve his game and I can't wait to face him.

Back from Vietnam

I'm back from Vietnam. Was there to visit the province of An Giang, 250km west of Ho Chi Minh City. The villagers gave me a warm welcome and gave me a ride to the Nui Sam Mountain. I created a foundation for the poor people there so they can live better. I have also built a tennis court in Chau Doc, An Giang. Possible venue for Sengkang ATP to travel there for tournaments in the future.


Tennis court that I built in Chau Doc, An Giang, Vietnam

I have also signed with Lacoste Vietnam as my alternative apparel sponsor as an appreciation for my efforts in the foundation. So I will now be wearing both Lacoste and Adidas (my existing sponsor) for future games.

Last Saturday was the first time I missed a tennis game, but as promised, I will be back and be ready. So see you guys in Compass Centre Court tomorrow.

DAN VS LAN

Battle of upcoming player Dan vs Skk no 2 Lan. Dan has been showing signs of improvement of consistency in his game. The game on 12 March 2011 was no different. Dan won a magnificent point after a long phenomenal rally forcing an Lan to make an unforced error of his backhand. That rally was definitely play of the day.

Dan was playing with great defence forcing Lan to to take an extra shot to finish off the points. Sometimes that tactic pays off as Lan would make unforced errors. On the number of winners won, Lan has an advantage with his persistent power play pushing Dan way back to the baseline. The number of unforced errors are equal between the 2 players.

The crowd were also treated to some "mini-tennis" before the game came to a close after an hour plus of relaxing tennis I must say.....

Racquets

How do you define "Love at first sight"? The answer: Tecnifibre T-Fight 320 VO2 Max

Being a HEAD user the past year has improved my game tremendously. But I always like to have another top racquet in my bag with a different string tension, so I can switch them around as and when I like. Which brings me to the question. Which other racquet should I get to complement my HEAD YouTek Radical MP?

I considered the Prince EXO3 Graphite 93 as well as the Roger Federer's Wilson BLX Six-One Tour. Both are awesome control-oriented racquets with nice cosmetics. spider-web green for Graphite and classy red, black, gold for the Six-One Tour.





It was always between the two, but the Tecnifibre T-Fight 320 VO2 Max changed everything. The cosmetics is wicked. Samurai face, fiery red and black. ATP Pros Fernando Verdasco and Janko Tipsarevic were marketed to use this racquet previously. And nobody here actually uses Tecnifibre, which makes it really unique. It now leads the race for me to sign, to complement my current HEAD racquet. But no hurry at the moment. Not before Dan gets his Wilson "Skunk".



Lan, you might want to share your ideal racquets too?

One hour of Pulsating Tennis

Yesterday, Ben & Lan decided to try out the newly laid out centre court at CompassHeights. I must say PCK did a great renovation job!! The surface makes it easier for the players to play excellent tennis.

The sell-crowd was treated to a short but a marvellous match by both players. Though both players did not hit top gear, they still produce plenty of good shots. Among them are Ben's excellent block shot from a clear winner from Lan, Lan signature's forehand winner down the line, and Ben's slice backhand aka Dimitrov's backhand.

Tong and Shona were held up at Christchurch for rebuilding works in that part of the world. Dan was promoting the relaunch of "FIRE DISCO" at Sentosa as he makes an appearence via Satellite!!

Sidenote: Ben injured his wrist.. Still awaiting test results from Tekong Medical Centre...

Burghley Open

After a 3 weeks break, the 3 amigos (Ben,Dan & Nizlan) decided to travel to Burghley for some action pack tennis. We got the brothers of destruction (Ben & Dan) wearing matching red outfit for the match. Looks like they're out for blood.

As expected, in the beginning, the players were rusty. It didnt take long for normal play to resume. Ben with his usual charismatic all round play (forehand, backhand, volley and dropshots). Dan was also evolving as a player with his increase in pace of shots, net play, improved forehand and his signature double backhand. After recovering from my wrist injury, I was free to play my normal aggressive game with a mixture of defensive shots. No particular player stands out today as everyone was evenly matched.

Next session will be held at the newly renovated centre court at compassheights. However, Dan will be missing in action. He will be attending some gathering at FIRE DISCO. E-tong might make his first appearence this year (maybe Shona too).. Adios

Under Destruktion!!!!

It's no secret that the condition of the centre court is in a bad shape. With enough funds from the fund raisings match we had last year, we decided to pump in some cash for some destruktive renovation for the centre court. The court will be closed until the 21 February 2011.

As such, Ben and Nizlan will play an exhibition match tonight before the reno works began. We might be joined by former skk no 1 E-tong if he can get a flight from Haiti. Currently, flights are fully booked for CNY. Dan will on military duties.

FYI, the reno works will be done by Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd...

Ranking & Updates

Ranking as 5 February 2011

1) Benjamin - 10, 250

2) Nizlan - 8,455

3) Dan - 8,205

* 4) Etong - 7,100

** 5) Shona/Melvin - ####

* Tong has registered back with the Sengkang ATP. His drop in rankings is due to his absence in this season early round games due to his project in Haiti. I believe once he is back and running, he should be running for top spot again.

** Shona and Melvin has yet to register for this year Sengkang ATP masters.

Its obvious that Ben has open up a gap at the top of the rankings. The press who has been writing about Ben's all rounder playing style (volley, slice backhand, forehands, smashes and whatever kinda shots..) noted that the other players will have some catching up to do. Dan has quietly but surely close his sights on the no 2 spot. Well done Dan. And the review from the CCK friendly show that Ben is indeed top of his game now and Dan has shown that he cam hang out with the best. Will we see Tong soon?? Stay tuned to find out!! Have a great weekend!!

Friendly Match

During the Chinese New Year period, Dan and myself were invited to Choa Chu Kang for a friendly hitting session with our cousin, the CCK number 1 at Yew Mei Green Condominium.



The match was a much closer affair than I thought. My cousin trained under a coach for a few months and then ditched the coach. I expected him to dominate, but our standards were close. Well, for myself I never had a coach. And I don't need one.

The rallies were superb against my offensive baseliner opponent. I expected him to run to the net more, but I was the one who had a greater court coverage. I played a pretty all-rounded game, with some angled shots and volleying. Midway through, it rained for a short 5mins when Dan was playing our uncle John Mcenroe who made a cameo appearance. Dan slipped and fell, injuring his knee but he played on in good spirit. He may not be the most technical player, but surely he is the fittest of us all.



I got to demo the popular Rafael Nadal racquet, the Babolat AeroPro Drive. It is a very forgiving racquet, with good power and easy to generate topspin. Babolat has a decent range of racquets with nice designs but unfortunately I'm not a fan of the players who use Babolat. (Roddick, Tsonga, Fognini etc.) and that's why I chose Head racquets (Murray, Djokovic, Tomic, Haas etc.)

Overall, the session was solid. Let's hope the Sengkang game can resume soon, with Dan just days away from purchasing his new Wilson racquet.

The Drivin Rain!!!

Today's game has been cancelled due to the heavy showers that has been ongoing since yesterday. It's best time for indoor activities in this kind of weather but sadly we have yet to have an indoor court.

Ben who's been fired up for today's game after Andy Murray makes it to the Australian Open Finals against another head racquet user's Novak Djokovic would surely be disappointed to see today's event cancelled. Dan is the wise one sensing weather is not on tennis side decides to party the night away at Spark's Disco. Myself as badly as I wanna hit, kinda love the rain as I able to catch some sleep and some chill out time. Tong was also schedule to make an appearance after some busy project in Haiti but the committee manage to inform him it's best he stay in Haiti due to the bad weather here. While Shona will be flying back to Ipoh and Melvin enjoying his life after tennis with a promotion.

For all the fans, who had got the tickets for today's game, refund would be made available at Compassvale Height enquiries corner.

Lastly, I will to wish my fellow tennis mates, Tong, Ben, Dan, Mel and Shona a Xin Nian Guai Le and Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Greetings from Tong

You cannot be serious! This certainly is not retirement. In Chile, you don't quit the game, only the game quit you. That was definitely not the last backhand. I am embarking on a journey to encourage kids in Haiti to go to school via the free rice program through our painting group. My double forehand girlfriend has seemingly decided to tag along on this beautiful journey. And like the old man says, there is always a calm before the storm, enjoy the

to be continued...

Fine Display by the Chia Brothers...

2011 began with the shocking retirement of 2 players from the tour. However, the remaining trio vow to carry on nevertheless. After 2 weeks break, we had a warm up game last week. This week however was a the proper start to the season.

Ben display some fine backhands and volleying as well as charging up to net. However, he seems to be missing his forehand early on. I was pretty much under the caution early on with some of Ben's deft touches and all the unforced errors on my side. Ben even dropped his racquet showing signs of frustration. Usually, Im the one showing lots of negative emotion on court. Late on in the game however, Ben found his forehand and the rallies are getting from side to side front and back. It seems that both me and Ben has found what was missing early on. The sad part was it lasted only ten minutes and the match was halted.

Story of the day belong to Dan. While Ben might be the best player today, Dan has shown much improvement in his game play. While Ben has been ranting on his new volleying kinda game, Dan quitely show how it is done effectively. I must say even though its not part of Dan's gameplay, he has to be the best volleyer on the tour. Dan started slowly but later on manage to hit winners and force error in his game against me. That just got me fire up and I blast past him great forehand winners of my own. Once a whipping boy now a class of his own.

Rating of Players as of 22 January 2011's game:

Ben: 7.5

Dan: 7

Nizlan: 6.75

Next week promises more great tennis from the last 3 survivor of sengkang ATP. Until then, take care until next time.

Triple Threat

As mentioned in the earlier article by Ben, Tong has decided to pulled out from the tour to pursue his other interests in life. On behalf of the tour, we would like to thank him for all the months of dedication. He was the player that held the no 1 rankings for the longest period and his unorthodox style of tennis would be missed. Also special mention to Shona who has also pulled out.

Now, the last 3 players on the field are to resume the tour back on 16 January 2011. Expect some rusty hittings and rallies after a pretty long break. Dan will be expecting to unveil his new weapon of choice soon. Will we see Dan propel to the summit of the rankings?? After all, he had been voted the player of the week previously. Ben has been evolving into an all rounder with his wide variety of plays and shot making. The pundits sees he will end this year at no 1 pretty comfortably leaving the other 2 fighting for second spot. That leaves us to myself having recovered from a wrist injury.It would be interesting if I choose to play my normal aggressive baseline tennis or the newly adopted pusher play while I was nursing the wrist injury.

Though the field has been depleted by numbers but the last 3 warriors are roaring to have a go in the great triple threat season where winners take it all. Stay tuned to find out more latest development.

Shocking News

Sengkang number 2, Tong has announced yesterday that he is quitting tennis. The fast running retriever felt that enough was enough, and has lost the drive to continue. The distractions off tennis has taken its toll on him and he has lost the joy of playing tennis altogether.

He will venture into his hobby fishing as well as his small business which he started out with his friends. This probably also mean Shona is taking the same path. In an overnight twist of fate, the tour has lost 2 out of its 5 active players. It is so depleted, they can't even compete in doubles now.

Tennis Dailies can only wish him all the best in his endeavours. Maybe one day he will be back on court, but I'm not harbouring too much hope on that.

Meanwhile, the rest will continue to play their passions out and hopefully they can find new players to join the tour.

Rankings

Rankings as at 10 January 2011

1) Benjamin- 9545

2) E-tong- 9100 *

3) Nizlan - 8785 **

4) Daniel - 7365

5) Shona - 7210

6) Mel - Suspended

* Tong was 300 deducted points for skipping 31/12/2010 and turning up late on 01/01/2011.

** Nizlan failed to defend his 500 points after getting thrashed by Tong and losing to Ben.

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