Three British players will contest Friday's quad singles semi-finals at the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour.
Four-time British Open champion Peter Norfolk plays fellow Briton Jamie Burdekin in one of the quad semi-finals at Nottingham Tennis Centre after world No. 2 Norfolk won the last three games of his quarter-final to beat former champion, Israel's Shraga Weinberg 6-4, 7-5.
“I wasn’t playing well today, but Shraga is always a tough opponent and the conditions were quite blustery, so I was glad to get the win in straight sets and move on to a semi-final against my fellow Briton Jamie,” said Norfolk, who is bidding to reclaim the title after missing last year's event whilst on paternity leave.
Burdekin was stretched to three sets by American world No. 6 Nick Taylor in his quarter-final, but dominated the final set to win 6-3, 5-7. 6-1 and earn a place in his second Super Series semi-final.
“I returned very well today and picked on his backhand to open the court up for myself" said Burdekin. "I took my eye off the ball a bit in the second set and played to his strengths, but still came back from 5-2 down to take it to 5-5. However, I was quick off the blocks well in the final set and it was a very good win for me. ”
The third Briton to reach the quad singles semi-finals was world No. 5 Andrew Lapthorne, who led Canada’s Sarah Hunter 6-0, 4-1 when Hunter had to retire after the recurrence of an injury sustained whilst playing at May’s World Team Cup. Lapthorne faces American, world No. 1 David Wagner in his semi-final.
The third day of play also saw the men's and women's singles semi-final line-ups being decided. Sixth seed Stefan Olsson of Sweden plays French world No 3 Stephane Houdet in Friday's last four in the men's singles after Olsson upset two-time British Open champion Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Houdet’s quarter-final saw him end the challenge of 2010 runner-up and fifth see Ronald Vink of the Netherlands as the Frenchman advanced 6-4, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Dutch top seed and defending champion Maikel Scheffers eased to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over eighth seed Frederic Cattaneo of France and faces another Frenchman, third seed Nicolas Peifer, on Friday.
Peifer came back from 3-1 down in the first set of his quarter-final against unseeded Japanese player Takashi Sanada en route to wrapping up a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 victory.
The remaining British interest in the women's singles came to an end on Thursday, with Dutch world No. 1 Esther Vergeer securing her 420th successive singles match win after a 6-1, 6-2 victory over British No. 2 Jordanne Whiley in the quarter-finals. In the other half of the draw world No. 2 Jiske Griffioen of the Netherlands got the better of British No. 1 and world No. 8 Lucy Shuker 6-4, 6-2.
Friday's all-Dutch women's singles semi-final line-up sees Vergeer face third seed Aniek van Koot, who was taken to three sets by talented German seventh seed Sabin Ellerbrock before pulling through 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Griffioen takes on fourth seed Marjolein Buis after Buis secured her place in the British Open semi-finals for the first time following a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory over Japan’s Kanako Domori, one of two unseeded quarter-finalists along with Whiley.
Despite going out of the women’s singles, Shuker and Whiley have reached Friday’s women’s doubles semi-finals after sealing a 6-3, 6-2 win over the Japanese duo of Domori and Yuko Okabe. Third seeds Shuker and Whiley play second seed Buis and Annick Sevenans of Belgium as the Britons bid to reach their second doubles final in successive weeks after finishing runners-up at last week’s Swiss Open.
The 22nd British Open is supported by Nottingham City Council and Highland Spring and entry is free to all spectators throughout the tournament.
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