Top men start their challenge for $15k tennis title

The $15k men’s singles tournament gets under way in earnest on Tuesday as the week-long Aegon GB Pro-Series Tennis Event at the University of Bath ramps up.

 

After two hard-fought days of qualification, the last 32 men are now in place and all 16 first-round matches will take place during another busy day of competition at the Sports Training Village.

 

Number one seed Tom Kocevar-Desman of Slovenia will start his title bid against Germany’s Tom Schonenberg, while Joris De Loore – the number two seed from Belgium – faces British qualifier Mark Whitehouse.

 

Neil Pauffley, fresh from winning last week’s Aegon GB Pro-Series Tennis Event in Taunton, faces number three seed Filip Peliwo.

 

The highest-ranked British player is Team Bath MCTA’s Richard Gabb and the number four seed will be hoping for plenty of home support when he plays Belgium’s Laurens Verboven on Court 2.

 

Also competing at her home venue on Tuesday is University of Bath Sport & Exercise student Emma Hurst, who faces Mexico’s Sebastiani Leon in the second round of qualifying for the women’s $25k tournament.

 

Hurst, a 2014-15 Trendell Sports Scholar and Dual Career athlete, took part in one of Monday’s best matches – a 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory over fellow Team Bath Tennis player Sarah Beth Askew.

 

Hurst’s latest match is first on Court 6, with all of Tuesday’s action getting under way at 10am. There are 28 matches scheduled, including four in the men’s doubles round-of-16, and entry is free to spectators.