Britain’s world No. 2 Peter Norfolk will face American world No. 1 David Wagner in Saturday’s quad singles final at the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, after Wagner thwarted any hopes of an all-British final at Nottingham Tennis Centre on Friday at the penultimate Super Series tournament of 2011.
Four-time British Open champion Peter Norfolk made a fine start to his semi-final against fellow Briton Jamie Burdekin and held on for a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
"I was very happy with my first set, but Jamie played much better in the second set and was directing his serve better, which made it more difficult for me," said Norfolk, who is bidding to reclaim the title he last won in 2008.
"There's always more pressure playing Jamie as he's a fellow Briton, but it was a good win and I'm delighted to be in another British Open final."
Wagner won the latest of three previous finals they’ve contested in Nottingham back in 2009, but Norfolk will be keen to redress the balance as he bids for a fifth British Open title.
Andrew Lapthorne, who is set to move up one place in the quad singles world rankings to No. 4 next week after reaching the last four of the British Open for the first time, gave Wagner plenty to think about in the first set of their semi-final. The Briton took a 4-2 and 5-3 lead against the American before Wagner eventually wrapped up a 7-6(9), 6-2.
Saturday’s penultimate day of play will also include the women’s singles final between the world’s top two ranked players, Esther Vergeer and Jiske Griffioen. Thirty-year-old world No. 1 and ten-time British Open champion Vergeer eased to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over world No. 4 Aniek van Koot in the all-Dutch semi-finals, while Griffioen also produced a convincing performance to defeat fourth seed Marjolein Buis 6-2, 6-1.
Lapthorne and Norfolk pair up later in the day on Saturday for an all-British quad doubles semi-final, guaranteeing that Sunday’s last day of play will include more British interest in the final.
Second seeds Norfolk and Lapthorne rounded off a 6-2, 7-6(2) victory over fellow Britons Antony Cotterill and Adam Field on Friday, while Burdekin and John Parfitt also justified their fourth seeding by reaching the semi-finals after a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Japan’s Shota Kawano and Antonio Raffaele of Italy.
The third British Open title to be decided on Saturday will be in the men’s main draw doubles as Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink play French duo Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz.
Recent Wimbledon champions Scheffers and Vink edged to a 7-5, 6-4 victory over 2010 runners-up Robin Ammerlaan and Tom Egberink in an all-Dutch semi-final. Meanwhile, Houdet and Jeremiasz, who were runners-up to Scheffers and Vink at Wimbledon, defeated their compatriots Frederic Cattaneo and Nicolas Peifer 6-0, 6-4.
Saturday’s action also sees top seed and defending champion Scheffers take on Peifer in the men’s main draw singles semi-finals, with Houdet playing Swedish sixth seed Stefan Olsson.
Sunday’s women’s doubles final will see Dutch top seeds Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot take on their fellow Dutchwomen Buis and Annick Sevenans of Belgium.
Griffioen and van Koot dominated their semi-final against German fourth seeds Sabine Ellerbrock and Katharina Kruger on Friday to earn a 6-1, 6-0 victory. In the other semi-final Buis and Sevenans ended British interest in the women’s doubles when the second seeds defeated third seeds Lucy Shuker and Jordanne Whiley 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Friday’s fourth day of play at Nottingham Tennis Centre also saw Bingham’s David Phillipson begin his bid for success in the men’s consolation singles after a first round loss in the main draw on Tuesday.
British No.2 Phillipson, the second seed for the consolation, came from a set down to defeat Australia’s Adam Kellerman 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Phillipson faces Frenchman Lahcen Majdi in Saturday’s semi-finals after Majdi defeated Britain’s Alex Jewitt in another three set match.
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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