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Ashaway, RI – Ashaway MonoGut® ZX tennis string claimed the honors at a recent Challenge hosted by Ashaway at the 2016 PTR Symposium in Hilton Head Island, SC, on February 15 – 21. During the Challenge, 15 Professional Tennis Registry members played back-to-back five-minute singles drills with two identical racquets, one strung with Ashaway’s Zyex®-based black MonoGut ZX, and the other with a popular black polyester string. They then revealed which they preferred and why. Twelve of the fifteen, or 80%, preferred the MonoGut ZX string.

“This was the first time we have ever had a direct, head-to-head, blind competition between Zyex and polyester on the court,” said Ashaway’s Steve Crandall. “The results are qualitative rather than quantitative, but we were very pleased to see such a dramatic preference for our MonoGut ZX string by these very knowledgeable, professional coaches and teachers.”

Zyex polymer is noted for its low dynamic stiffness, which allows strings to stretch and recover more completely than other synthetic materials. This generates power with low impact shock (soft power). In contrast, polyester strings are noted for their stiffness and reported ability to generate spin, making them very popular on the pro circuit.

For the Challenge, two identical Head Radical Pro racquets with identical grips were strung with MonoGut ZX and the poly. Racquets were strung identically by John Gugel, Tennis Industry’s recent Stringer of the Year, and were not used prior to the Challenge. The Challenge was conducted on an outdoor court using fresh Pro Penn tennis balls supplied by the PTR. Each player rallied hard for five minutes with each racquet, hitting groundstrokes, volleys, and serves.

Comments favoring the Zyex-based MonoGut ZX were decided, and included: more spin and depth on shots; livelier; more feel; softer feel; better feel; longer on the strings; less pocketing; less effort; more spin; lower error ratio; better shot placement; more power; more solid feel; and not as harsh. The poly string, by contrast, was “harsh,” with one player even saying he “could not play with it.”

Crandall indicated Ashaway would like to repeat this Challenge at other venues in the future.

PTR (Professional Tennis Registry) was founded in 1976, by world-renowned coach Dennis Van der Meer. Dennis saw the need to develop a universal language and progressions for tennis teaching. PTR’s mission is to educate, certify and service tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game. PTR Membership offers unparalleled educational materials, opportunities, career assistance, and most importantly, worldwide recognition and respect.

Ashaway Racket Strings are made by Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co., the only U.S. manufacturer of string for squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton. Operated by the Crandall family since 1824, Ashaway has been making racquet strings since 1949, and is responsible for several important technical innovations. Ashaway has been the Official String of USA Racquetball for more than ten years, and is also the Official String of Professional Tennis Registry. Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co. also makes braided products for medical and industrial applications. For more information visit www.ashawayusa.com. Zyex is a registered trademark of Zyex Ltd.

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Ashaway MonoGut® ZX tennis string claimed the honors at a recent Challenge hosted by Ashaway at the 2016 PTR Symposium in Hilton Head Island, SC, on February 15 – 21. During the Challenge, 15 Professional Tennis Registry members played back-to-back five-minute singles drills with two identical racquets, one strung with Ashaway’s Zyex®-based black MonoGut ZX, and the other with a popular black polyester string. They then revealed which they preferred and why. Twelve of the fifteen, or 80%, preferred the MonoGut ZX string.