1995 Real Tennis World Championship

1995 Real Tennis World Championship
Date	14-18th April 1995
Edition	60th
Location	Hobart, Tasmania
Venue	Hobart Real Tennis Club
Champions
Men's singles
Robert Fahey

The 1995 Real Tennis World Championship was the 60th edition of the real tennis World Championship. It was held at the Hobart Real Tennis Club in Tasmania, Australia. Incumbent champion Robert Fahey defended his title against Wayne Davies six sets to two. Davies retired his challenge on the third day due to injury.

Qualification

As the defending champion, Robert Fahey automatically qualified to the World Championship Challenge. Fahey had won the previous challenge against Wayne Davies in a multi-stage match across Hobart and New York. It would be his first title defence.

Four players qualified to challenge Fahey through their performances in the 1993–1994 season:

• Wayne Davies, World Champion 1987–1994, 1994 US Open winner
• Lachlan Deuchar, World Championship Challenger 1988–1993
• Julian Snow, 1994 British Open winner
• Chris Bray, 1994 French Open winner

Davies was the immediate prior World Champion, having lost the 1994 Challenge in Hobart and New York. He had held the title four times, defeating Chris Ronaldson in 1987 and Lachlan Deuchar in 1988, 1991, and 1993. He also lost two challenges to Chris Ronaldson in 1983 and 1985. At the time of the challenge, Davies held 3 Australian Open titles, 4 US Open titles and 3 French Open titles. Davies had never won the British Open.

Deuchar had challenged for the title on three occasions, each time against Davies and each time in New York. He held 2 Australian Open titles, 2 US Open titles, 3 French Open titles and 6 British Open titles, though the last Open he was at the 1992 Open.

Snow was an amateur player who had held the British Amateur title continuously since 1987. He was the incumbent British Open champion, having won three times since 1992. He also won the Australian Open in 1992. Snow previously participated in the Eliminators for the 1993 Real Tennis World Championship but lost to Deuchar.

Bray was the least experienced of the four challengers, his only Open title to date coming in the 1994 French Open.

Venue

Having defeated Wayne Davies in the 1994 Real Tennis World Championship, Robert Fahey as the incumbent was permitted to chose the time and place of the Challenge. Fahey accepted a challenge only one year after his first World Championship victory. He nominated his home club of the Hobart Real Tennis Club as the venue. Hobart had previously jointly hosted the 1994 Challenge with the Racquet and Tennis Club in New York City, making 1995 the first challenge to be held exclusively in Australia.

Eliminators

The four qualified players played a series of Eliminator matches for the right to challenge Fahey in Hobart. The two British players, Snow and Bray, agreed to play their eliminator in England before travelling to Hobart. Davies and Deuchar would play their Eliminators at the challenge venue in the month prior to the challenge. All three eliminators were held as a best of 13 set format over three days.

The first Eliminator was held at the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace in London between Julian Snow and Chris Bray at the end of February 1995. The match was notable for having six of the nine sets played end in a scoreline of 6/5, all six sets going to Bray. Despite the set scoreline of 7–2, Bray only won two more games than Snow. Bray played a powerful forcing game through much of the match, while Snow retrieved well, especially off the tambour. Bray only needed one set on the final day, and won it in over an hour.

Bray travelled to meet Lachlan Deuchar in the second round in Hobart in late March. Both players started nervously, but errors from Bray cost him the first set 6/4. Deuchar had game points for a 5/2 lead in the second set, but Bray played his way back into the match, winning the 5-all game and the following two sets comfortably. On the night before the second day, Deuchar requested a postponement due to an ankle injury. The postponement was denied, and Bray comfortably won through the first three sets of the second day before Deuchar retired from the match.

Bray met former World Champion Wayne Davies in the Final Eliminator, still in Hobart in early April. Bray started faster, with a chance for a 5/1 lead in the first set. However, Davies fought back to take the opening set 6/5. Bray also had a 5/3 lead in the second set, and again squandered it to Davies. Bray did manage to win a set late in the day, as Davies took a 3–1 lead into the rest day. On the second day, Bray tried to force his way out of trouble, but only resulted in a series of unforced errors. Davies play lifted and his accuracy rose, while Bray's unravelled. Davies won all four sets of the day to win the match and qualify to play Fahey. A third day was not required.

	First Round Eliminator																	Second Round Eliminator																	Final Eliminator
																		Hobart, 20, 22, 24 March 1995
	Royal Tennis Court, 22, 24, 26 February 1995																	2	Lachlan Deuchar	6	5	2	2	1	4	3
	Julian Snow		6	5	5	1	5	5	5	0	5								Chris Bray	4	6	6	6	6	6	6
																																			Hobart, 3, 5 April 1995
	Chris Bray		3	6	6	6	6	6	6	0	6
																																				Chris Bray	5	5	4	6	1	3	4	4
																																			1	Wayne Davies	6	6	6	2	6	6	6	6

Match

The format for the Challenge was best of thirteen sets played over three days. Four sets were scheduled for the first two days, and up to five sets on the final day.

Day 1

The first day of the match was held on Good Friday. Davies served tight railroads, with Fahey hitting aggressive cut-volleys on the return of serve. Fahey built an early 3/0 lead when Davies settled, having an opportunity to tie the set at 4-all but Fahey saved point by beating chase better than 2. Fahey went on to win the 40-minute set 6/3. In the second set, Davies countered Fahey's aggression playing slow cut shots to his opponent's backhand, calmly winning the set 6/4. Faheys attack improved in the third set, notably his backhand volley, cruising to a 6/2 victory. The final set started tight, when at 3-all Fahey won two quick games hitting targets. Fahey won the final set by beating a chase into the galleries, taking a 3 1 lead into the second day.

Day 2

The second day was held on Easter Sunday. Davies won the first set 6/4 making few unforced errors. Fahey responded with nine targets in quick succession at the start of the second set to open up a 4/1 lead, which he would ultimately finish 6/2. Towards the end of the second set, Davies sustained a back injury, which he received treatment, but it hampered his movement for the remainder of the match. Fahey led early through the third set, with Davies struggling on through his floor game tactics. Davies showed a little resistance at the start of the fourth set, but Fahey finished the day with a 6–2 lead.

Day 3

Neither player used the rest day for practice, as on the morning of the scheduled third day Davies informed Fahey via telephone that he was resigning the match. A ceremony was held on the court to present Fahey with the trophy, but no play took place on the day.

Result

	World Championship Challenge
	1	Robert Fahey	6	4	6	6	3	6	6	6						6
	2	Wayne Davies	4	6	3	3	6	2	2	3						2