From scrambling to realize entry into tournaments to ending the season with a record-setting 10 titles, British doubles staff Julian Cash and Henry Patten made a shocking affect on the ATP Challenger Tour this 12 months.
“It’s been a little bit of a blur however we’ve had a pair days at dwelling and I believe it’s set in a little bit bit,” Patten instructed ATPTour.com. “A reasonably loopy accomplishment, surpassing all of our expectations for certain. It looks like not that way back we had been attempting to hustle our means into some Challengers over the summer time.”
In May, Cash and Patten had been ranked outdoors the Top 300 within the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings. After receiving a wild card into the Surbiton Challenger, their season began to vary course. Despite by no means teaming on the Challenger stage earlier than, Cash and Patten collected their maiden Challenger title on the grass courts of Surbiton. They didn’t cease there.
The duo received titles on all three surfaces this season, together with a surge on the North American arduous courts, the place they collected six titles: Granby, Columbus, Fairfield, Las Vegas, Charlottesville, and Drummondville.
With time operating out on the season, Cash and Patten had been inching nearer to surpassing the Challenger doubles titles document, which was set in 2012 by twin brothers from Thailand, Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana. At the Andria Challenger in November, the Britons claimed their record-breaking crown after which completed the season on a powerful observe on the Maia Challenger, the place they captured their tenth title and prolonged their match-winning streak to 12.
“I believed that we may go a good distance, however perhaps not so rapidly,” Cash mentioned.
“We each had success on the doubles court docket other than one another, we had been lucky to pair after we did. I couldn’t have imagined the six months we’ve had. Six months in the past, breaking data and enjoying the Australian Open was positively not on the desk.”
The British duo went from enjoying largely ITF Futures occasions to breaking Challenger Tour-records within the span of six months. A couple of of their 10 titles maintain a particular place of their hearts, together with their first crown, which got here on dwelling soil.
“Our first title in Surbiton stands out as a result of that was actually out of blue,” Patten mentioned. “We accepted a last-minute wild card and it was our first Challenger. To win that one, it form of began this entire loopy journey. Granby was particular too, our first match after grass, it gave us quite a lot of perception for the remainder of the journey. And then in Maia, on clay, a floor that neither of us are that acquainted or snug on. We simply labored actually arduous all through the week and it was a good way to complete the 12 months. Those three stand out for me.”
Julian Cash (left) and Henry Patten are topped champions on the Maia Challenger. Credit: FPT/Sara Falcao
Now contained in the Top 70, the Britons cite their faculty careers as an enormous a part of their growth. Cash competed at Mississippi State University his freshman 12 months earlier than transferring to Oklahoma State University, the place he earned All-American honours. Patten, who’s a Colchester native, had a standout profession on the University of North Carolina-Asheville, the place he was the Big South Conference participant of the 12 months for 3 consecutive years.
“I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be right here with out faculty tennis,” Patten mentioned. “Professional tennis wasn’t actually on my radar till my final couple years in school. It’s the perfect coaching floor as you’re competing and coaching nearly daily.”
Cash, who hails from Brighton, believes their types of play feed off one another nicely and attributes their off-court friendship as a part of what’s led to their fast rise.
“We get alongside nicely off-court, that helps massively,” Cash mentioned. “It would’ve been powerful to do with simply anyone. I believe our video games complement one another nicely. Our strengths and weaknesses mix to be a well-rounded staff. Also, the lefty-righty combo [Patten is left-handed] has quite a lot of profit on the doubles court docket and we’re in a position to utilise that.”
Cash and Patten hope to have a little bit downtime this month to unwind from a whirlwind season. Both of them get pleasure from golf and padel, whereas Patten enjoys enjoying chess, Cash claims he would fairly follow his interest of throwing darts as he ‘doesn’t have the mind’ for chess, he claimed whereas cracking amusing.
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