Sunday, September 12, 2010
Hamm Bennett 2010 - Match Report
Bennett wins; 7 -5, 6 -3
"Perfect numbers, like perfect men, are very rare." Rene Descartes
The 20th anniversary of the Hamm Bennett will perhaps not be remembered for the most scintillating of matches, although at times there was high-quality tennis to be had. Nor would it rank amongst the most compelling of battles, although there was drama here too. No, this was a match all about numbers.
In the 20th year of the contest Hamm was going for an unprecedented 5 wins in a row, a win that would have seen him soaring to 12 - 6 in the overall standings. Bennett meanwhile was desperate to restore some degree of parity to the competition, having been stuck for the past four years on 6 wins - what mathematics would consider a perfect number, Bennett would not.
Both players arrived at a windswept Charlton Park knowing that this contest was a critical one, that this time the numbers were important. This was not just a festive anniversary showpiece, this was a crucial moment in the Hamm Bennett history books.
It was Bennett who took the early initiative. Despite some thunderous Hamm serving, Bennett was returning well and was able to secure an early break. The Bennett serve, whilst lacking the awesome power of Hamm, was proving reliable, drawing Hamm into play before Bennett's crisp groundstrokes and greater accuracy allowed him to claim the points.
And both players were to be commended for their response to the Umpire's controversial decision to switch courts just a few games into the set. The first time such a decision has been taken mid-match, the Umpire was met with howls of derision from what appeared to be some sort of parakeet in the nearby trees, but with commendable stoicism from the players. Whilst the decision was perhaps unavoidable given the blustery conditions and the damaged net on the original court, it did also throw a new variable into the match. The patch of uneven ground near the T on one side gave anyone with the skill to land the ball on it an added advantage - suddenly this was about mastering the environment, as well as mastering your opponent.
But for now the pattern of play continued on the new court. Hamm's game was all about power, the booming serves followed up by raking drives from the back, and even occasional forays to the net to try to overwhelm his opponent. But Bennett had a steel about his game this year that had perhaps been absent over the past few bleak years. At this level so much of the match is played in the mind, and in the past Bennett's fiery temperament has caused him problems. The past few years have been littered with dispirited collapses, breakdowns in confidence and angry outbursts. This year he seemed composed, he seemed determined - but when the pressure was on, would he lose his cool?
The first test came towards the end of the first set. After a string of relatively easy service holds Hamm finally broke back, just as Bennett was closing in on the set. In the past a despondent Bennett might have wavered, but not this time. He broke straight back himself and held his nerve to claim the first set 7 -5. Any Hamm Bennett aficionado will tell you that winning the first set is no guarantee of victory, but something seemed different this year. This time it was Hamm who looked in trouble.
The Hamm locker - his deep-filled reserves of energy that have dug him out of many holes in the past - seemed bare. A tired looking Hamm was seemingly relying on donning a fashionable headband to try to wrest back some control of the match. But the Bennett juggernaut rumbled on.
Hamm, normally so composed, was suddenly making uncharacteristic errors, handing Bennett points. A forehand blasted long, a backhand sliced into the net - this was a rattled Hamm. Bennett meanwhile was peppering the rough area of the court at every opportunity, using every tool at his disposal to gain the upper hand. Hamm had no answer and Bennett raced to a massive lead. And here was the final test of nerve - could he close out the match, could he break Hamm's grip on the title, and break the sequence of perfect numbers for which Hamm was aiming?
Hamm battled, he clawed back a couple of games, but this time it really was only delaying the inevitable. The match ended when Hamm double-faulted on match point to hand victory to his opponent. The winning sequence was not to be extended, the perfect numbers were ruined. This time the only 6 that mattered was Bennett's 6 games in the final set.
This was not the result that those who like mathematical symmetry would have wanted. Rather than the perfect numbers of 12 - 6 in the overall standings, it was 11 -7. Rather than 5 wins in a row for Hamm in the 20th year, it was Bennett breaking the sequence. But perfect numbers, like perfect men, are rare, and this was not a year for Hamm to achieve perfection. Instead it was Bennett who broke his recent duck and threw the competition wide open again - rather than Hamm stretching out to an almost insurmountable lead, this was the result that put Bennett right back in the hunt. Perhaps this is just what the tournament needed.
And in the end that is of course the more important thing - the perfect numbers may have gone, and we may not have seen the perfect tennis this year, but for the tournament perhaps this was the perfect result.
"Perfect numbers, like perfect men, are very rare." Rene Descartes
The 20th anniversary of the Hamm Bennett will perhaps not be remembered for the most scintillating of matches, although at times there was high-quality tennis to be had. Nor would it rank amongst the most compelling of battles, although there was drama here too. No, this was a match all about numbers.
In the 20th year of the contest Hamm was going for an unprecedented 5 wins in a row, a win that would have seen him soaring to 12 - 6 in the overall standings. Bennett meanwhile was desperate to restore some degree of parity to the competition, having been stuck for the past four years on 6 wins - what mathematics would consider a perfect number, Bennett would not.
Both players arrived at a windswept Charlton Park knowing that this contest was a critical one, that this time the numbers were important. This was not just a festive anniversary showpiece, this was a crucial moment in the Hamm Bennett history books.
It was Bennett who took the early initiative. Despite some thunderous Hamm serving, Bennett was returning well and was able to secure an early break. The Bennett serve, whilst lacking the awesome power of Hamm, was proving reliable, drawing Hamm into play before Bennett's crisp groundstrokes and greater accuracy allowed him to claim the points.
And both players were to be commended for their response to the Umpire's controversial decision to switch courts just a few games into the set. The first time such a decision has been taken mid-match, the Umpire was met with howls of derision from what appeared to be some sort of parakeet in the nearby trees, but with commendable stoicism from the players. Whilst the decision was perhaps unavoidable given the blustery conditions and the damaged net on the original court, it did also throw a new variable into the match. The patch of uneven ground near the T on one side gave anyone with the skill to land the ball on it an added advantage - suddenly this was about mastering the environment, as well as mastering your opponent.
But for now the pattern of play continued on the new court. Hamm's game was all about power, the booming serves followed up by raking drives from the back, and even occasional forays to the net to try to overwhelm his opponent. But Bennett had a steel about his game this year that had perhaps been absent over the past few bleak years. At this level so much of the match is played in the mind, and in the past Bennett's fiery temperament has caused him problems. The past few years have been littered with dispirited collapses, breakdowns in confidence and angry outbursts. This year he seemed composed, he seemed determined - but when the pressure was on, would he lose his cool?
The first test came towards the end of the first set. After a string of relatively easy service holds Hamm finally broke back, just as Bennett was closing in on the set. In the past a despondent Bennett might have wavered, but not this time. He broke straight back himself and held his nerve to claim the first set 7 -5. Any Hamm Bennett aficionado will tell you that winning the first set is no guarantee of victory, but something seemed different this year. This time it was Hamm who looked in trouble.
The Hamm locker - his deep-filled reserves of energy that have dug him out of many holes in the past - seemed bare. A tired looking Hamm was seemingly relying on donning a fashionable headband to try to wrest back some control of the match. But the Bennett juggernaut rumbled on.
Hamm, normally so composed, was suddenly making uncharacteristic errors, handing Bennett points. A forehand blasted long, a backhand sliced into the net - this was a rattled Hamm. Bennett meanwhile was peppering the rough area of the court at every opportunity, using every tool at his disposal to gain the upper hand. Hamm had no answer and Bennett raced to a massive lead. And here was the final test of nerve - could he close out the match, could he break Hamm's grip on the title, and break the sequence of perfect numbers for which Hamm was aiming?
Hamm battled, he clawed back a couple of games, but this time it really was only delaying the inevitable. The match ended when Hamm double-faulted on match point to hand victory to his opponent. The winning sequence was not to be extended, the perfect numbers were ruined. This time the only 6 that mattered was Bennett's 6 games in the final set.
This was not the result that those who like mathematical symmetry would have wanted. Rather than the perfect numbers of 12 - 6 in the overall standings, it was 11 -7. Rather than 5 wins in a row for Hamm in the 20th year, it was Bennett breaking the sequence. But perfect numbers, like perfect men, are rare, and this was not a year for Hamm to achieve perfection. Instead it was Bennett who broke his recent duck and threw the competition wide open again - rather than Hamm stretching out to an almost insurmountable lead, this was the result that put Bennett right back in the hunt. Perhaps this is just what the tournament needed.
And in the end that is of course the more important thing - the perfect numbers may have gone, and we may not have seen the perfect tennis this year, but for the tournament perhaps this was the perfect result.
Labels: 2010, Bennett, Hamm, tennis
