13/04/13
Andy Lapthorne clinched the first ITF Super Series quad singles title of his career today in Johannesburg after beating home favourite Lucas Sithole 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(9) in a thrilling final at the Airports Company South Africa SA Open at Ellis Park Stadium.
Lapthorne, who moved up one place to a new career high of No. 2 in the world rankings earlier this week, gained an early break to lead 3-1 before Sithole claimed the next five games to win the opening set. However, Lapthorne snatched the momentum from the start of the second, winning the set without dropping a game to level the match.
The London 2012 quad doubles bronze medallist then came from 4-1 down and 5-3 down to force a final set tie-break and earned himself three match points at 6-3 ahead. Sithole dug deep before Lapthorne finally wrapped up his victory to retain the title.
"I'm very pleased to have won my first singles Super Series title especially in the same week as reaching my career high ranking," said Lapthorne. "In doing so I have defended my title from the ITF 1 event at the same venue last year so I look forward to coming back next year to try and defend it again and will use this trophy to push on and enjoy more success in 2013."
A day after securing his first career win over Japan's world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda, world No. 7 Gordon Reid made a promising start to the men's singles final against world No. 2 Stephane Houdet of France, the Scot coming from 2-0 down to take the opening set 6-3.
After earning his first ever win over Houdet in February, the British No.1 continued his quest for a second by earning an immediate break at the start of the second set and found himself leading 4-2. But second seed Houdet claimed the last four games of the set to level the match and the Frenchman then went 3-1 ahead in the final set en route to clinching victory 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Reid then found himself in another three set encounter in the men's doubles final but he and Frenchman Michael Jeremiasz lost out to French duo Frederic Cattaneo and Houdet as they claimed the trophy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Reid and Lapthorne were two of 11 players selected this week by the Tennis Foundation to represent Great Britain at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Antalya, Turkey from 20 – 26 May.
12/04/13
British No. 1 Gordon Reid secured a first career win over Japanese world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda today to reach the second ITF Super Series men’s singles final of his career in South Africa.
World No. 7 Reid reached the Airports Company South Africa SA Open final for the second year in a row after a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over four-time ITF World Champion Kunieda.
Reid hadn’t taken a set off Kunieda in five previous meetings on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour before Friday’s contest, but built on 3-0 leads in the first and third sets in Johannesburg as the two players met in a semi-final in South Africa for the second time in a week.
Kunieda had beaten Reid 6-4, 6-2 in last weekend’s semi-finals at the Gauteng Open, but Reid ensured that he reversed that result for a career best performance, ending Kunieda’s 43 match winning streak that went back to June 2012.
“I feel ecstatic winning in three against Shingo as I’ve never even taken a set off him and I’m very pleased to show the mental strength to come back from losing that second set,” said Reid, whose first Super Series final was against Kunieda at last July’s British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Nottingham.
“Shingo has such a big reputation but I dug in, brought out some big shots at key times and didn’t let the occasion affect me too much,“ added the British fourth seed, who was runner-up to compatriot Marc McCarroll in the 2012 South Africa Open, when the tournament was an ITF 1 Series event.
The Scotsman will now face world No. 2 Stephane Houdet of France in Saturday’s final and will also aim for a second men’s doubles title in a week after partnering Frenchman Michael Jeremiasz to set up a title decider against top seeds Houdet and Frederic Cattaneo.
Reid has also paired up with British women’s No. 1 Lucy Shuker to reach the mixed doubles semi-finals in Johannesburg, in the first Super Series tournament of the year at which the International Tennis Federation are trialling a mixed doubles draw.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles top seeds Shuker and Marjolein Buis of the Netherlands beat second seeds Katharina Kruger of Germany and Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa 6-1, 6-2 to lift the title.
And there has been further success for British players on the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis Performance Programme with world No. 2 Andy Lapthorne reaching Saturday’s quad singles final where he will come up against South African world No. 7 Lucas Sithole.
11/04/13
Gordon Reid and Andy Lapthorne reached the men's singles and quad singles semi-finals on the third day of play at the South African Open, while Reid moved into the men's doubles final, Lucy Shuker reached the women's doubles final and Adam Field booked a place in the quad doubles final.
Fourth seed Reid overcame a substantial challenge from French seventh seed Frederic Cattaneo to win their men's quarter-finals 6-4, 6-4. World No. 7 Reid now faces his second semi-final in a week against Japanese world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda.
Later in the day Reid partnered Michael Jeremiasz of France to reach their second men's doubles final in a week. Second seeds Reid and Jeremiasz faced a rematch of their Gauteng Open semi-final against Eliphas Maripa of South Africa and, after being taken to a second seed tie-break by their opponents last weekend, Reid and Jeremiasz were much more clinical this time, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win. Reid and Jeremiasz will play French top seeds Stephane Houdet and Cattaneo for the title.
In the quad singles second seed Lapthorne recovered from a slow start against sixth seed Sarah Hunter of Canada to power through the second and third set and complete a 2-6, 6-0, 6-0 win over the former world No. 2. Lapthorne will play American seventh seed Greg Hasterok for a place in the quad singles final.
Adam Field and Antony Cotterill both saw their quad singles challenges come to an end against higher ranked players.
Field faced world No. 1 David Wagner in his quarter-final, with the American advancing 6-0, 6-1, while Cotterill also lost out 6-0, 6-1 to South African fourth seed Lucas Sithole.
In the women's doubles tops seeds Shuker and Marjolein Buis of the Netherlands eased into the final after defeating South African duo Lethaba Shai and Tsholofelo Sibanda 6-0, 6-0. Shuker and Buis will face second seeds Katharina Kruger of Germany and Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa in the final.
Earlier in the day third seed Shuker came from 5-2 down to make it 5-4 in the second set of her women's singles semi-final against Dutch world No. 4 Buis, but the British No. 1 and world No. 5 wasn't able to complete a comeback and second seed Buis went on to claim a narrow 6-4 6-4 win.
But there was better news for Field in the quad doubles as he partnered American Marc McLean to earn a place in the final. Field and McLean beat Hasterok and Harry Boniface Prabhu 7-6(2), 6-3. Field and McLean play Hunter and Wagner in the final.
10/04/13
Lucy Shuker reached the women's singles semi-finals on the second day of play in Johannesburg, while Gordon Reid moved into the men's singles quarter-finals and Andy Lapthorne, Antony Cotterill and Adam Field opened their challenges by securing places in the quad singles quarter-finals.
For the second day running Shuker and Reid both secured 6-0, 6-0 wins, with third seed Shuker beating Thando Hlatswayo of South Africa to set up a women's singles semi-final against Dutch second seed Marjolein Buis.
Fourth seed and British No.1 Reid eased past Wolfgang Stieg of Austria to book his place in the last eight of the men's singles against French seventh seed Frederic Cattaneo.
Reid and Michael Jeremiasz of France also progressed to the men's doubles semi-finals after beating Leon Els and Donald Ramphadi of South Africa 6-0, 6-0. The second seeds will now play fourth seeds Eliphas Maripa of South Africa and Nicolas Peifer of France.
Three of the four Brits advanced to the quad singles quarter-finals, with second seed Lapthorne and eighth seed Field both advancing 6-0, 6-0 against South African opponents. Lapthorne swept past Queen Nhlapo and will go on to meet sixth seed Sarah Hunter of Canada. Eighth seed Field beat Danny Mohlamonyane and goes on to face American world No. 1 David Wagner.
Cotterill also eased into the last eight, earning a 6-1, 6-0 win over South Africa's Bongani Dlamini. The world No. 10 and fifth seed will play South African fourth seed Lucas Sithole for a place in the semi-finals.
However, Jamie Burdekin had to withdraw from the quad singles and doubles following an injury.
Burdekin was due to partner Lapthorne in the quad doubles, but their withdrawal means that Field and Marc McLean of the USA advance to a semi-final against American Greg Hasterok and Harry Boniface Prabhu of India.
Cotterill was unable to join Field in the doubles semi-finals after he and Sithole lost out 6-1, 6-3 to Wagner and Hunter.
09/04/13
Gordon Reid and Lucy Shuker made the perfect starts to their men's and women's singles campaigns in Johannesburg, both securing 6-0, 6-0 first round wins.
Fourth seed Reid defeated Sphosethu Kati of South Africa to set up a second round meeting with Wolfgang Stieg of Austria.
In the women's singles third seed Shuker also eased past Dipuo Molefe without dropping a game and is guaranteed to play another South African opponent in the quarter-finals.
Reid also began his men's doubles challenge as the British No. 1 and Frenchman Michael Jeremiasz look to follow up their victory at the Gauteng Open.
Reid and Jeremiasz beat Marshall Marsh of South Africa and Nyasha Mharakurwa of Zimbabwe 6-0, 6-2.
View live scores here (link opens in new window).
08/04/13
The 2013 ACSA South African Open is the first ITF Super Series event on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour to ever be held in Africa and the second Super Series event of the year.
One of the six most important tournaments outside of the Grand Slam, this year's event in Johannesburg features six British players.
Andy Lapthorne, who won the quad singles at the corresponding ITF 1 Series tournament in 2012, goes into this year's event with a career best ranking of No. 2 after finishing runner-up to American world No. 1 David Wagner at the Gauteng Open over the weekend.
Lapthorne is joined in the quad singles and doubles events this week by world No. 6 Jamie Burdekin and world No. 10 Antony Cotterill, with Adam Field completing the quartet of Brits contesting both events.
British No. 1 Gordon Reid reached the final of the men's singles in 2012 and will hope to reach the latter stages again to successfully defend the points he won last year, when finishing runner-up to fellow Brit Marc McCarroll. Reid, the fourth seed for the men's singles this time, also won the men's doubles in 2012 and will bid for back-to-back doubles titles after partnering Frenchman Michael Jeremiasz to win the men's doubles at the Gauteng Open.
British No. 1 Lucy Shuker is the sole Brit in the women's events. Shuker, third seed for the women's singles, will also be bidding for back-to-back women's doubles titles after her success with Jordanne Whiley at the Gauteng Open.