Great Britain finished in sixth place at the recent MASTER’U BNP PARIBAS Championship held in Paris, France, just missing out on claiming the scalp of the third-seeded Russian team.
The British team of Mark Whitehouse (Imperial College London), Nicholas Eecklears (Leeds Beckett University), Darren Walsh (Southern Methodist University), Alexandra Walker (University of Bath), Jessica Ren (Durham University) and Anna Fitzpatrick (Sheffield Hallam University) competed against Russia, France, Germany, Ireland, and the USA over four days of tough competition.
Day one saw Britain face third seeds Russia in the best of seven tie and Alex Walker got the team off to a great start by beating the former ITF World Junior Number 1 Anna Danili in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. However, unfortunately Walker couldn’t replicate her form in the ladies doubles as she and Anna Fitzpatrick went down in a narrow 6-7, 6-2, 10-5 defeat. Britain then won the men’s doubles 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 and the mixed doubles 8-6 in the match tie-break. However due to other results Britain narrowly lost the tie 4-3.
Day two saw Great Britain take on Ireland and run out comfortable winners 6-1 as Alex Walker continued her impressive form with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 victory. In the men’s singles Britain recorded confident straight set wins. Darren Walsh was in fine form winning the mixed doubles and the men’s doubles to add to his singles success to secure the 6-1 victory.
After three days of tight matches Britain faced Germany in the 5th and 6th place play-off. Walker lost her singles match 6-2, 6-4 whilst Fitzpatrick lost her singles match over three tight sets 6-7, 6-2, 5-7. In the men’s singles Eeckelaers won his match, which went to three tiebreak sets, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, whilst Whitehouse lost 7-5, 5-7, 2-6. In the mixed doubles Walker and Ren clinched the match tie-break 8-3 whilst Whitehouse and Walsh lost out in the men’s doubles with the score 6-8 in the final set tie-break. With the tie secured the German team conceded the Mixed Doubles due to injury.
After four days of matches the finals saw Great Britain finish in 6th place whilst the USA defeated France in the final to win their fourth consecutive title.
Team Manager Alistair Higham said: “The team spirit was excellent and the matches highly competitive. The first day is always crucial in this event and we came within a match tie-break of beating the Russians who were seeded three.”
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