Defending champion Japan’s Yui Kamiji and her Grand Slam winning doubles partner Jordanne Whiley will face off in their opening match at the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters beginning on Wednesday 26th at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.
The draw, which took place 80 metres up at the top of the iconic ArcelorMittal Orbit saw Kamiji, who became the first non-Dutch player to win the women’s singles title in NEC Masters history in 2013, and Whiley, drawn with Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock and Dutch former finalist Sharon Walraven in Pool A for the three days of round-robin competition.
“After our great year together as doubles partners it is not what I wanted to have to play Jordanne in my first match. It will be a tough match for both of us,” said world No. 1 Kamiji.
The top two players in each pool after the three days of round-robin competition in the women’s and men’s singles will go forward to Saturday’s semi-finals. The 2012 finalists Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot are drawn along with fellow Dutch player Marjolein Buis and South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane in Pool B of the women’s singles.
Women's singles round-robin pools
Japanese world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda will face 2009 champion Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands in his opening men’s singles Pool A match. Argentina’s world No. 4 Gustavo Fernandez is also drawn in the same pool, along with Kunieda’s compatriot and Masters debutant Takashi Sanada.
“The draw does not really matter to me, all matches are tough here and I just want to be able to progress,” said Kunieda.
Britain’s world No. 3 Gordon Reid, the only player to have beaten Kunieda this season, joins 2011 champion Stephane Houdet, his fellow Frenchman Nicolas Peifer and Belgium’s 2013 runner-up Joachim Gerard in Pool B, with Reid opening his campaign against Gerard.
Men's singles round-robin pools
With the top two players after the four-way round-robin phase of the quad singles going forward to Saturday’s final, American world No.1 and reigning champion David Wagner will begin his title defence on Wednesday against South Africa’s Lucas Sithole in a rematch of the 2013 Masters final. Britain’s world No.2 Andy Lapthorne plays Australia’s Dylan Alcott in a rematch of last weekend’s Nottingham Indoor final.
“This is the Masters, the world’s best are here and there are no easy matches. Each day I will just go out and play my best and if I play my best, that’s all I can do,” said Wagner.
Quad singles round-robin pools
