02/09/13
Andy Lapthorne made a fine start to his quad singles final in St. Louis, but his quest for his second Super Series title of 2013 ultimately ended with runner-up honours as world No. 1 David Wagner successfully retain his title 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Lapthorne will now have Wagner among his three rivals for the quad events at the US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition, when matches get underway at the final Grand Slam of the year in New York on Thursday.
01/09/13
Jordanne Whiley will go into her US Open Grand Slam debut in New York on a winning note after claiming the second Super Series doubles title of her career in St. Louis.
The unseeded partnership of Whiley and South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane, who were playing in only their third tournament together, upset Dutch top seeds and reigning Doubles Masters champions Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot 6-2, 6-2 in Saturday's final, inflicting Griffioen and van Koot's first defeat since they won the women's doubles silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics.
Whiley and Montjane were semi-finalists in their previous two tournaments together and their win in St. Louis avenges a narrow loss to Griffioen and van Koot in the last four of the Sydney International Open in February 2011, the tournament where Whiley and Montjane first paired up to play doubles.
Whiley and Montjane will now play together in New York next week as both players make their debuts at the final Grand Slam of the year.
"I'm so pleased. Today they didn't play as well as I've seen them play, but we still had to play solid tennis to win and that's what we did," said Whiley. "I'm very happy with our performance today because it would have been easy to step off the gas, but we stayed strong as a partnership. I'm so excited for New York now, especially after a good week here in St. Louis."
Whiley, who beat Griffioen for the first time in her career in the women's singles quarter-finals earlier in the week before losing out to van Koot in the semi-finals, adds to her maiden Super Series women's doubles title which she won at the BNP Paribas Open de France in June.
31/08/13
Andy Lapthorne reached his second Super Series final of the year on the fourth day of the US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships after a comprehensive straight sets win over American world No. 4 Nick Taylor.
World No. 2 Lapthorne defeated former champion Taylor 6-1, 6-2 and April's South African Open champion will face American world No. 1 and defending champion David Wagner for the title on Sunday, having now reached the final of all eight quads singles events he has played since the London 2012 Paralympics.
Jordanne Whiley missed out on a place in the women's singles final after a 6-2, 6-4 loss to world No. 2 Aniek van Koot. However, Whiley will have the chance to avenge her semi-final loss when she partners South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane to face Dutch top seeds Jiske Griffioen and van Koot in Saturday's women's doubles final.
Meanwhile, British No. 1 Gordon Reid saw his men's doubles campaign come to an end after a thrilling semi-final. Second seeds Reid and Ronald Vink of the Netherlands went a set and 5-3 ahead of third seeds Michael Jeremiasz of France and Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands, but Jeremiasz and Scheffers fought back to clinch a 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory.
30/08/13
Jordanne Whiley moved into the women's doubles final on the third day of play in St. Louis as Gordon Reid also reached the men's doubles semi-finals after bowing out of the men's singles in the quarter-finals.
Whiley and South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane were awarded a walkover in their scheduled women's doubles semi-final against second seeds Sabine Ellerbrock of Germany and Yui Kamiji of Japan after they had to withdraw with illness.
Whiley and Montjane face Dutch top seeds and London 2012 silver medallists Jiske Griffioen and van Koot for a place in Saturday's doubles final after Griffioen and van Koot edged out Britain's Lucy Shuker and Dutchwoman Marjolein Buis 6-3, 7-5 in their semi-final.
Whiley will play world No. 2 van Koot in Friday's women's singles semi-finals.
Roland Garros runners-up Reid and Dutchman Ronald Vink defeated Brazil's Daniel Rodrigues and Rafael Medeiros 6-2, 6-2 in their men's doubles quarter-final. The second seeds will play the French-Dutch third seeded partnership of Michael Jeremiasz and Maikel Scheffers for a place in the final.
However, Reid bowed out to world No. 2 Stephane Houdet for the second year in a row in the men's singles after the Frenchman edged to a 6-4, 7-5 quarter-final win.
British hopes also came to an end in the quad doubles despite Andy Lapthorne and his South African partner Lucas Sithole making a fine start against American top seeds and defending champions Nick Tayloir and David Wagner. Lapthorne and Sithole took the opening set of their semi-final against the three-time Paralympic gold medallists, but Taylor and Wagner snatched a final set tie-break for a 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(4) victory.
Antony Cotterill and his American partner David Buck also bowed out to all-American second seeds Bryan Barten and Greg Hasterok 6-4, 6-1.
View the latest draws and results here.
29/08/13
Jordanne Whiley secured one of the biggest wins of her career to reach the women's singles semi-finals on the second day of play in St. Louis, while Gordon Reid moved into the men's singles quarter-finals and Andy Lapthorne reached the quad singles semi-finals.
Having not taken a set of Dutch world No. 3 Jiske Griffioen in any of their previous encounters, world No. 8 Whiley put up a fine performance against the reigning NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters champion to seal a 6-2, 6-4 victory that earns her a place in the last four against world No. 2 Aniek van Koot.
"I had a few new things I've been working on, on and off the court and today I put them into practice for the first time and it worked, so I couldn't be happier. It's the 14th time I've played her so it's about time I beat her," said Whiley, who will now contest the third Super Series semi-final of her career.
Van Koot thwarted hopes of an all-British semi-final, but she was made to work hard by British No. 1 Lucy Shuker in their quarter-final before the Dutch second seed finally secured a hard-won 6-4, 7-5 victory.
After his first round bye world No. 6 Reid defeated Japan's Takuya Miki 6-3, 6-1 to set up a rematch of his 2012 semi-final in St. Louis against world No. 2 Stephane Houdet of France when they meet in this year's quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Lapthorne defeated USA's David Buck 6-1, 6-0 in his quarter-final, with Lapthorne now set to play American world No. 4 Nick Taylor for a place in the final.
Shuker and Whiley are both through to the women's doubles semi-finals with their respective partners. Shuker and her Dutch partner Marjolein Buis beat Francisca Mardones of Chile and Johana Martinez of Colombia 6-1, 6-2 in their opening match and will now face top seeds Griffioen and van Koot for a place in the final.
Meanwhile, Whiley and South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane eased to a 6-0, 6-0 win over American duo Marianne Page and Jessica Sporte, setting up a semi-final against the second seeds, Germany's Sabine Ellerbrock and Yui Kamiji of Japan.
Lapthorne and Antony Cotterill are also both into the quad double semi-finals. Lapthorne partnered South Africa's Lucas Sithole to win their opening match against Japan's Shota Kawano and Gary Luker of Canada 7-5, 6-2, with a tough semi-final now in prospect against American top seeds and defending champions Taylor and David Wagner.
Cotterill and Buck beat the all-American pairing of Steven Baxter and Pani Herath 6-0, 6-0 in their first round match. Cotterill and Buck face American second seeds Bryan Barten and Greg Hasterok for a place in the final.
28/08/13
Lucy Shuker, Jordanne Whiley and Andy Lapthorne reached the quarter-finals of the women's singles and quad singles respectively on the first day of play in St. Louis as Gordon Reid had bye in the men's singles.
Shuker and Whiley both dropped just one game apiece in their opening women's singles matches, British No. 1 Shuker defeating Colombia's Johana Martinez 6-0, 6-1 to earn her place in the last eight against world No. 2 Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands.
Whiley will also face Dutch opposition in the last eight as she goes up against world No. 3 Jiske Griffioen after defeating American Elizabeth Williams 6-1, 6-0.
World No. 2 Lapthorne gained a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 over Francois Trawalter as the South African Open champion opened his bid to try and reach his second Super Series final of the year. Lapthorne will now face David Buck, who will be his second successive American opponent. However, Antony Cotterill saw his main draw singles challenge come to an end against Japan's Shota Kawano, who moved on to the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-1 win.
While Reid had a first round bye in the men's singles, he is set to partner Dutchman Ronald Vink in the men's doubles as the second seeds renew a partnership that reached the final at Roland Garros in June.
Shuker partners Dutchwoman Marjolein Buis, with whom she reached the Australian Open final in January, in the women's doubles. Whiley will pair up with South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane, with the two Brits and their respective partners in different halves of the women's draw.
Lapthorne joins forces with South Africa's Lucas Sithole in the quad doubles, with the duo facing a potential semi-final against American top seeds and London 2012 gold medallists Nick Taylor and David Wagner while Cotterill will partner Buck.
27/08/13
Ahead of making their debuts next week at the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, Gordon Reid, Lucy Shuker, Jordanne Whiley and Andy Lapthorne contest the final Super Series event of the year this week in St. Louis, while Antony Cotterill completes a five-strong challenge from the Brits.
British No. 1 Reid secured the first Super Series title of his career last year in St. Louis after partnering Frenchman Stephane Houdet to win the men's doubles. World No. 6 Reid could meet Houdet in the quarter-finals of the men's singles this year, should both players come through their earlier matches unscathed.
Shuker also secured a place in her first Super Series singles final in St. Louis last year and if she comes through her opening match this year the British No. 1 will face Dutch world No. 1 Aniek van Koot in the quarter-finals. Whiley also has a tough draw as the British No. 2 faces American Elizabeth Williams in her opening match and, if successful, would then play Dutch world No. 3 Jiske Griffioen.
Lapthorne is the only European-based player in the bottom half of the quad singles draw and the second seed will open his campaign against Francois Trawalter, with the possibility of a semi-final against American fourth seed and London 2012 bronze medallist Nick Taylor later in the week.
Meanwhile, Cotterill is the only European in the top of the quad singles draw and if he comes through his tough opening match against Japan's Shota Kawano he will face American world No. 1 David Wagner.
View the latest draws and results here.