| Podlewski Pushes British No. 19 Flanagan in Bolton |
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| Monday, 15 January 2007 18:17 |
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Oscar Podlewski continued his start to the 2007 season by reaching the second round of the Tropicana British Tour event in Bolton, where it took top seed and eventual champion Ian Flanagan to stop him. Oscar, the 18-year-old from London, defeated Joshua Girling 6-2, 6-3 in the first round before going down 6-4, 6-4 to Flanagan, currently ranked No. 19 in Britain. Flanagan, who celebrates his 25th birthday on January 15, shot to fame in 2004 when he reached the third round at the Stella Artois Championships, upsetting former Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis in the process. And it was the experience of the Nottinghamshire player that proved too much for Oscar on this occasion. Oscar began the match in positive fashion, breaking Flanagan early to take a 2-0 lead. However, Flanagan broke back by chipping balls in play, and did so again at 4-4 to establish his authority. The second set was a similar story, with Flanagan breaking at 4-4 before serving out the match. Despite the defeat, Oscar was pleased with the way he played. “I had a clear game plan in my head and I knew that I had to unsettle him from the start,” said Oscar. “When I was broken at 4-4 in the first set, he relaxed and realised the match was his. “I lost the match because of the problems in my head. I didn't play badly, I played the right way and I am getting more comfortable being at the net.” Oscar now heads to Sunderland for the Great Britain ₤15,000 Futures, where he meets Juho Paukku in the second round of the qualifying competition. Meanwhile, Flanagan defeated Simon Roberts of Lancashire in the final in Bolton. |
