There were mixed fortunes for Britain’s Wheelchair Tennis players on the opening day of action at Eton Manor, with only Gordon Reid and Dave Phillipson progressing past the opening round of the men’s Singles and Lucy Shuker reaching the second round of the women’s draw.
Reid, number nine seed for the men’s Singles at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, beat unseeded Japanese player Takuya Miki in the first round.
The 21 year old from Helensburgh in Scotland took the match 6-1 6-2 and declared playing on the London 2012 centre court was the best experience of his life.
It sets up a second round contest against Brazil’s unseeded Daniel Alves Rodrigues.
“Playing on Centre Court here was the best moment of my life,” he said. “It's more than I could have imagined and to get a win under my belt gives me a lot of confidence going forward in the tournament.
“I'm just easing in and there's more to come from me,” he said. “I had so many friends and family here and their support means so much. The atmosphere was incredible and I can't wait for more of the same.”
Dave Phillipson, from Bingham in Nottinghamshire, also started brightly with a 6-2 6-2 win over Canada’s Joel Dembe. The unseeded Phillipson now faces 15 seed Martin Legner from Austria.
“It’s such a great venue here at Eton Manor and all the players are loving it so far. Obviously, for me the home crowd makes it extra special and they really helped today,” he said.
“I went to Beijing but this is a whole different experience and one I’m really enjoying. My friends and family have only had to travel down the road from Nottingham and to have them here cheering me on was pretty special.
“I think I can get my backhand firing a bit more and there are things I can always improve on but I’m peaking at the right time I think.”
But there was disappointment in the men’s draw for Alex Jewitt, who went down 6-2 6-0 to Satoshi Saida, Japan’s number 13 seed. Jewitt, from Sheffield, blamed his defeat on too many unforced errors – 14 in the first set and two in the second.
“Saida is a top player and I just hit a few too many unforced errors today,” he said. “The first few games of the first set we traded breaks but then his confidence grew and I couldn't quite get back in the match.
“The crowd were fantastic and at every change of ends they were going wild. I'm sorry I couldn't match their performance.
“But I'll be back for the doubles with Dave (Phillipson) and my focus is on that now. I just need to collect myself this afternoon and regroup.”
Marc McCarroll from Ickenham in Middlesex, also made a first round exit. He went down 6-4 6-3 to Tom Egberink, seeded 14, of the Netherlands.
McCarroll said: “I wasn't good enough on the day, there were too many errors.
“The crowd were unbelievable and I want to thank everyone who supported me. They picked me up and I tried my best, but it just wasn't to be.
“Tom is a great player and I wish him luck for the rest of the tournament. But this experience will really help for when I start the doubles with Gordon (Reid) and I'm looking forward to that now.”
No. 8 seed Lucy Shuker was the only one of three GB women to progress past the opening round of the women’s Singles draw.
She opened her London 2012 Paralympic Games campaign with a comfortable 6-2 6-1 victory over Italy’s Marianna Lauro.
Shuker, who is from Fleet in Hampshire but who trains in Taunton, said: “I had some nerves when I first came out on such a huge court but the crowd got me back on track and felt I found my range especially in the second set.
“I haven't lost to her for a long time so I was confident and my form was solid,” she added. “Now I can't wait to play some more singles and doubles matches here at Eton Manor.
“Marianna is such a lovely competitor and it was a shame we had to play in the first round but I got the job done and now I can relax for the rest of the day.”
But Jordanne Whiley’s nerves got the better of her as she went down 6-3 6-4 to Thailand’s Sakhorn Khanthasit.
“I just couldn't keep the nerves at bay and they just got the better of me,” said Whiley. “The crowd were fantastic but I was just overwhelmed and I'm annoyed with myself I couldn't perform better.
“The same happened in Beijing in the first round but I've got doubles here and I will compose myself ready for that,” she added. “We don't play until Tuesday and I will come back stronger and this is my motivation to win a medal in the doubles with Lucy (Shuker).”
Louise Hunt also made a first round exit, going down 6-1 6-1 to Japan’s Yui Kamiji. “I'm not disappointed with how I played, she's a higher ranked player and played better than me,” said Hunt, who lives in Swindon and studies in Bath.
“I was trying to hit it to her backhand more but she was hitting those well too.
“I had lots of friends and family in the crowd and I gave it my best but it wasn't to be. I don't think there's anything I could have done differently. Now I'll support the rest of the team this week.”
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