08/04/13
Kevin Simpson secured a local win in the Edinburgh Wheelchair Tennis Tournament at the weekend, as the Tennis Foundation's 2013 Wheelchair Tennis Development Series got underway at Craiglockhart Tennis Centre.
With the first two rounds of the men's singles A Division Singles played as one professional set, Jonathan Fisher made it an all-Scottish line-up in the semi-finals as he joined top seed Simpson, second seed and two-time champion Peter Moore and 2011 and 2012 runner-up Keith Thom in the hunt for a place in the final.
However, Beijing Paralympian Simpson, from Dollar, who retired from competing full time on the international circuit last year, beat Fisher 6-0, 6-0 in their semi-final, while Thom, winner of the Tennis Foundation Wheelchair Tennis Development Series in 2011 and runner-up last year, ended Moore's title defence 6-2, 7-5.
Simpson's greater experience proved decisive in the final as he recorded a 6-1, 6-4 victory, leaving Dalbeattie's Thom to take home runners-up honours from Edinburgh for the third successive year.
In the B Division Singles newcomer Karl Ives ensured he his long journey from Plymouth was well worth it as he claimed victory in his first ever tournament.
With all the matches in the event played as one professional set, Lancashire's Shahzad Afzal edged into the final 9-8(3) after beating Scot Neil Duncan in a tie-break. There was another exciting finish to the final, but it was Ives that won the tie-break this time to defeat Afzal 9-8(5).
The C Division Singles final was won by Lancashire's Caroline Wareing. Wareing beat fellow Lancashire player Helen Bond, winner of the women's points standing in the Tennis Foundation Development Series in 2012, 8-4. Thomas and Wareing won the A Division Doubles after Moore and his fellow Scot David Hogg had to withdraw.
The Edinburgh Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, supported by Edinburgh Leisure, Edinburgh Council's Activcity, Awards For All, Tennis Scotland and the Tennis Foundation, is the first of eight Summer Series tournaments in the Tennis Foundation Wheelchair Tennis Development Series taking place across Great Britain and Ireland up to August 2013.
The leading players in the points standings after the eight tournaments will then be invited to play in the Development Series National Finals at the National Tennis Centre in London at the end of November.
The next Tennis Foundation Wheelchair Tennis Development Series event takes place in Taunton on 13-14 April.
05/04/13
Glasgow's Peter Moore faces his toughest test yet as he bids to win his third successive title at the Edinburgh Wheelchair Tennis Tournament at Craiglockhart this weekend.
Top seed for the tournament is Beijing Paralympian Kevin Simpson and he will face either Marc Francis or Shahzad Afzal in the quarter-finals after receiving an opening round bye.
Last year's finalists, Moore and Keith Thom look set to battle it out at the semi-final stage after being seeded 2 and 3. Thom is a past winner of the Tennis Foundation Wheelchair Tennis Development Series, of which the Edinburgh tournament is the opening event for 2013.
The tournament is supported by Edinburgh Leisure, Edinburgh Council's Activcity, Awards For All, Tennis Scotland and the Tennis Foundation. The Development Series is aimed at newcomers and leisure players helping them progress towards the ITF international wheelchair tennis tour.
Players have travelled from across the country including Aberdeen, Dumfries, London, Preston and Portsmouth to compete in the tournament which also includes a B draw for singles and an exhibition doubles tournament where the most experienced players will be paired up with the least experienced to create a fun and enjoyable event for all.
Play starts both days this weekend at 9:30am with the singles final expected to be played around lunchtime on Sunday, alongside a mini tournament for children. Spectators are encouraged to attend with entrance to watch the tennis free of charge.
View the full draw here (PDF, opens in new window).