ITST News

THE FIGHT FOR OLYMPIC GLORY ON ITST
Written by isaldor
04 Aug'20 - 18:45

WRITTEN BY MAIRON

The tournament so far

Top half

ITST no.1 and first seed Richie has sailed through his section of the draw with ease, beating Jonathan1 in R2 without dropping a game and ceding only one game to his big-hitting compatriot Bash. However, his quarterfinal opponent will present a massive difference in quality compared to the opponents he faced in two previous rounds. He is to face the 7^th seed and Wimbledon finalist Pablo Hernandez next.

Pablo has had a tricky draw so far. He faced the veteran Kenos in R2, but beat him rather convincingly, 6-3, 6-1. In the next round played his compatriot, Alex Jasmins, but defeated him in two sets, 6-2, 6-4.

The other two quarterfinalists in the top half are Vmoe and Filas, both returning to the game after long breaks, but hungry to prove themselves again. Vmoe has beat the Chilean Paolix200 in R2, and Polish veteran Don, 6-1, 6-2.

Filas has faced the tricky Portuguese player vinD, but managed to do the job in 2 sets, 6-3, 7-6. His next opponent was Ziege, who unexpectedly received a walkover vs the resident ITST mascot iNoob who woke up from his winter slumber a bit too late only to realize he missed the deadline for his match by two days. It may be too late for iNoob, who now has to wait another four years to try again, but Filas, who was less lazy than the French scientist and actually had the time to play his match, qualified for the quarterfinal by beating Ziege 6-3, 6-4.

Bottom half

The bottom half of the draw was stacked with big names. The 2^nd seed Talwoutte was upset already in the 4^th round, falling to the resurgent veteran Vramvrim, 3-6, 0-6. In the quarterfinal, Vram faced RG champion TesterAVI, who did not show any mercy to the veteran, beating him 6-3, 7-5.

Perhaps surprisingly, Rharm has reached the semifinal as well, taking advantage of Pidzi’s sudden disappearance. Pidzi had forfeited his R2 match vs Omeyer, a new but dangerous player from Poland, who beat another veteran Eloymm in three sets, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

En route to the quarterfinal with his rival Omeyer, Rharm beat TheEnd and Poland, who previously upset the 3^rd seed RetroPrime, who’s still struggling to find his form. Rharm had dispatched both of his opponents rather easily, dropping only 4 games in two matches.

In the quarterfinal, he faced his nemesis Omeyer, who beat him two times already but Rharm showed he left his demons behind him and routed the Pole 6-2, 6-1. 

  Richie vs Pablo - A blockbuster quarterfinal

Both Richie and Pablo are in good form and they have played recently in Wimbledon final, where Richie won in 5 sets. That should be an indicator enough that we’re in for an exciting and unpredictable match. Richie has plenty of experience in big matches, but may feel pressure as Pablo is currently playing great tennis. Pablo, on the other hand, has had problems to close out important matches before, and has to leave the past behind him, if he’s to beat the world number 1. 

We give the slight advantage to Richie, his recent Wimbledon title was surely a big confidence booster and he will be difficult to stop on his quest for the Olympic gold medal.

H2H

Richie 5

Pablo 0

Last match

2020 Wimbledon F. Richie won 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3

Vmoe vs Filas – the old guard fights again

A couple of months ago, no one had expected to see these two in the Tokyo Olympics QF. Vmoe has not been playing on the tour for full 3 years, while Filas played his last match almost a year ago, before returning to ITST completion at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Pidzi in the 2nd round. Considering their long breaks, they probably haven’t reached ideal form yet, though that doesn’t mean he won’t see a good match.

Vmoe has showed better results which is why we see him as the favorite to qualify for the semifinal. 

H2H

Vmoe 2

Filas 0

Last match Dubai 2017 F Vmoe won 6-2, 6-3

Rharm vs Tester – Who will be the first in final ?

The first semifinal showdown will decide who will qualify for the final and thus be guaranteed to win a medal. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Rharm and Tester. Rharm has shown massive improvement in the last couple of months but this will be the most important match of his career. Winning the match vs Tester would do wonders for his confidence, as well as proclaim his candidacy to top tier level.

On the other side of the virtual net stands the Roland Garros champion, now hungry to win the Olympic gold for Spain. Tester has everything going for him, he’s high on confidence, in great form, and already knows how to win big matches. He’s a heavy favorite yet Rharm might still present a challenge. 

This will be their first match on tour. 

Glue yourself to your screen and prepare to watch the two remaining quarterfinals and the first semifinal at Tokyo Olympics.

WRITTEN BY MAIRON

Comments