The 23-year-old Philip Henning from Coppini Tennis Academy is making an impressive Challenger debut in Jinan. Philip claimed four Futures titles from five finals since the beginning of the season, cracking the top-400 and earning a chance to test his skills at Challengers.
Henning kicked off his Challenger journey against the experienced Japanese Hiroki Moriya and scored a 6-0, 6-4 victory in an hour and 38 minutes. Philip fired five aces and faced three break points, losing serve two times in the second set.
The South African controlled the pace on the return in the opening set and the second part of the second, stealing 57% of the points behind Moriya’s serve and turning them into six breaks from 11 opportunities. Philip held after a deuce in the first game of the encounter and grabbed a break in the next one for an early advantage.
The Coppini Tennis Academy star secured another break in the fourth game and held in the next one for 5-0.
Moriya wasted game points in the sixth game, and Henning converted the third set point, kicking off his Challenger journey with a bagel!
Hiroki grabbed a break at the beginning of the second set and defended a break point in the next one for a 2-0 advantage. The Japanese took charge and secured another break in game three, building a nice advantage and looking good to force a decider.
However, Philip pulled one break back in the fourth game and produced fine holds in games five and seven, remaining within one break deficit. Moriya squandered game points in the crucial eighth game, allowing Henning to erase the deficit and lock the result at 4-4.
Philip grabbed the ninth game after a deuce and sealed the deal with his third break of the set in game ten, rattling off six of the final seven games and moving into the second round. Henning faced the South Korean Sanhui Shin in the second round, delivering a rock-solid 6-2, 6-3 victory in an hour and 23 minutes for a place in the quarter-final.
Philip Henning is through to his first Challenger quarter-final.
With these points, Philip came on the verge of entering the top-350 for the first time in his career.
The South African served at 55%, while his rival landed in 48% of the first serve, which plagued his chances. Henning played well behind the first and second serve, losing serve once from the only chance offered to Shin. His rival could not follow that pace, giving away almost half of the points behind the initial shot and suffering four breaks from nine chances presented to Philip.
The South African was off to a shaky start, squandering a 40-15 lead in the first game of the encounter and getting broken after a double fault. Shin wasted game points at 1-0 and faced two break points. The South Korean denied the first with an ace, and the South African sprayed the second with a loose forehand.
Sanhui held after Philip’s wayward backhand, opening a 2-0 advantage. Henning reduced the deficit with a hold at 15 in game three and denied Shin’s five game points in the next one.
Philip created three break chances and converted the last after Sanhui’s backhand error, locking the result at 2-2.
Henning landed an ace in the fifth game, moving 3-2 in front and building his first advantage. The South African made a push on the return in game six and grabbed his second straight break after the South Korean’s loose forehand.
Philip cemented the break with a service winner in game seven, taking five consecutive games and opening a 5-2 lead. Shin served to stay in the set in game eight and played a terrible game. He hit a double fault, offering Henning three set points.
Philip converted the first, rattling off six games and wrapping up the opener 6-2 in 47 minutes. Henning served well in the second set with a boost on his side, keeping the pressure on the other side. The South African held at 30 in the first game and moved 2-1 in front with an ace two games later.
Sanhui followed that pace, closing the fourth game at love after a volley winner and locking the result at 2-2. Philip grabbed the fifth game at love with a service winner and made a push on the return in the next one.
The South Korean wasted two game points and placed a forehand wide to lose serve and fall 4-2 behind. Henning closed the seventh game at love with a service winner, forcing his rival to serve to stay in the match. Shin produced a hold at love with a volley winner, with Henning focusing on his service game at 5-3.
The South African generated three match points and seized the first after the rival’s forehand error, delivering his third straight hold at love and moving into his first Challenger quarter-final.
About The Author
