Lucy Shuker joins reigning champions Andy Lapthorne and Jordanne Whiley, along with Roland Garros doubles champion Gordon Reid amongst a quartet of Brits who are direct entries for this year’s US Open Wheelchair Tennis Grand Slam.
The four British players on the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis Performance Programme, who all made their debuts in New York in 2013, will contest each of the men’s, women’s and quad singles and doubles events at the final Grand Slam tournament of the year from 10th to 13th September after entries were confirmed this week.
Shuker is set to make her return to singles competition at one of the four majors for the first time since the 2014 Australian Open after a series of consistent performances saw her improve her women’s singles ranking from No. 10 in January to No. 7 by early June.
The top seven men’s and women’s singles players and top three quad singles players, plus one wild card in each event, make up the entry for New York, which was decided on the world rankings of 27th July.
“I’ve been working really hard the last couple of years to get fitter and improve various aspects of my game and my recent results and ranking is witness to that, so I’m really pleased to be back among the world’s best, where I should be, and very excited to be heading back to New York,” said Shuker, who became the first Brit to have contested the wheelchair tennis events at all four Grand Slams when she played in New York in 2013.
Lapthorne, world No. 3 in the quad singles rankings, returns to the scene of his maiden Grand Slam singles title last year after winning his fourth Australian Open quad doubles title in January.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to New York to defend my singles title. New York is a city I love and it’s a dream come true to go back there and to try and defend a Grand Slam singles title. I hope I can do it justice and perform well,” said Lapthorne, whose 2015 performances have included wins against both the USA’s David Wagner and Australia’s Dylan Alcott, the two players who have occupied the world No. 1 ranking so far this season.
After making her US Open debut in 2013, Whiley returned to New York in 2014 to make history when she partnered Japan’s Yui Kamiji to win the women’s doubles, thereby becoming the first British tennis player in history to win the same event at all four Grand Slams in the same calendar year.
Whiley and Kamiji will aim to retain their title this year, but a second calendar year Grand Slam is beyond them after they finished runners-up at Roland Garros to Dutch duo Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot. However, Whiley will go to New York boosted by recently beating Griffioen and van Koot, currently the world’s top two singles players, in successive days to win her first Super Series singles title at the British Open just over two weeks ago.
“I’m really excited about returning to New York and defending my doubles title with Yui and also attempting to win my first singles Grand Slam title. I’ve got some great memories from last year after clinching the calendar Grand Slam there so it’s a special place for me,” said Whiley, who has won six of the last seven women’s doubles Grand Slam titles partnering Kamiji. “I’ve had a really good summer, winning the Wimbledon doubles and winning my first Super Series singles title at the British Open so I’m feeling confident and excited.”
Reid’s US Open debut in 2013 saw him reach the men’s singles semi-finals. Last year he was a doubles finalist in New York and was one point away from his maiden Grand Slam title in the men’s doubles final. He has since gone one better and won the first Grand Slam title of his career in the men’s doubles in Paris this year.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to New York. Once the British Open is over and you get back into training, looking ahead to the US Open creates an extra buzz of excitement again. I love it out there, it’s a pretty relaxed place to be and another great platform to showcase wheelchair tennis,” said Reid. “I’ve got some great memories from the last two years, so I’m really excited for what this year holds and trying to win another Grand Slam title.”
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