11 Dec 2008
Ben Davis makes quarters at Orange Bowl

Picture: Ben Davis
(by James Jordan)

One week on from reaching the semi-final of the prestigious Eddie Herr tournament at the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida, Ben Davis reached the U16 boys’ singles quarter-finals of the Orange Bowl in Miami before being forced to retire due to injury.

Ben, a Radlett tennis club member since the age of four and runner-up in this years U16 Nationals, set up the quarter-final clash with American Shane Vinsant after seeing off Bjorn Fratangelo, also from the States, 7-5 7-5 in the third round.

Ben’s fine run was eventually brought to an end today when he retired with a knee ligament injury sustained in the second set, landing awkwardly after jumping to retrieve a smash.

Ben prepared for the tournaments at the Saddlebrook resort under the watchful eye of LTA head coach Paul Annacone*, who said “Ben has been a pleasure to work with. He's done a good job both on and off the court. He has a good attitude and is a good worker and smart thinker.

Ben's groundstrokes have been solid all week. We have spent a little extra time working on his forehand and his serve. The forehand is coming along well and he is really trying to use it as weapon. The serve looks good, I have just tried to emphasize how important it is to work on Hitting Targets when serving. Make sure the pre-serve routine is the same and the target is clear.

The back hand looks good, he does a good job using this as a stabilizing shot and when the opportunity presents itself, uses the down the line well to open the court. His volley technique is solid, he just needs to get a little more comfortable being up there.
His footwork and competitiveness are both exemplary. He covers a lot of court and continues to fight extremely well. Both of these attributes will become more & more important as he develops. He has the solid base built, now he must work to be more "patiently aggressive".

*Paul Annacone is a former world no.12, best known for coaching Pete Sampras and Tim Henman. He now works as Head Coach of Men’s Tennis for the LTA