26/04/13
Marc McCarroll and Jordanne Whiley made it four titles for British players at the Israel Open after winning the men's and women's singles titles on the final day of play in Tel Aviv.
In the all-British men's singles final top seed McCarrroll came from 5-2 down and saved two match points in the third and deciding set against British No. 3 and second seed David Phillipson to prevail 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
It was a first ITF 2 Series title and eleventh career title in total for British No. 2 McCarroll, who had partnered Phillipson to win the men's doubles titles on the penultimate day of play. The first of McCarroll's 11 career singles titles on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour also came in Tel Aviv in 2007, when he won the ITF Futures Series Beit Halochem tournament.
In the women's singles final top seed Whiley secured an extra special victory as she claimed her third ITF 2 Series title and her 12th career title after beating French third seed Christine Schoenn 6-1, 6-3.
It was also her third win over Schoenn in a singles final this season, with Whiley having also beaten the Frenchwoman to win Britain's first two world ranking tournament of the season, the North West Challenge in Preston and the North East Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Sunderland, in February.
Whiley's victory comes 18 years after she first hit tennis balls from her wheelchair as a three-year-old at the 1995 Israel Open, when she was there with her dad, Keith, who was playing on that occasion. Jordanne was presented with her first wheelchair tennis award by the tournament in 1995, as the youngest wheelchair tennis player they had ever seen.
25/04/13
Marc McCarroll, David Phillipson and Jordanne Whiley all won doubles titles on the penultimate day of the Israel Open, while McCarroll and Phillipson also ensured a British winner in the men's singles after both progressing to Friday's final.
Top seeds McCarroll and Phillipson beat Polish second seeds Kamil Fabisiak and Piotr Jaroszewski 6-3, 6-4 to win their sixth men's doubles title together since 2009.
Meanwhile, British No. 2 McCarroll came from 4-2 down in the opening set of his singles semi-final to beat third seed Jaroszewski 6-4, 6-0.
British No. 3 Phillipson beat fourth seed Laszlo Farkas of Hungary 6-1, 6-2 in the other semi-final and the top two seeds are now set to go head-to-head in Friday's all-British final as they meet for the sixth time on the NEC Tour. Phillipson currently leads McCarroll 5-0 in career head-to-heads, his latest win coming on home soil at the 2012 British Open in Nottingham.
With Whiley already through to Friday's women's singles final, the London 2012 women's doubles bronze medallist partnered Turkey's Busra Un to win a thrilling women's doubles final in their first tournament together.
Whiley and Un fought back from dropping a first set tie-break to beat top seeds Bianca Osterer of Germany and Christine Schoenn of France 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-5 after a deciding match tie-break.
Whiley will play Schoenn in Friday's women's singles final.
In the quad doubles final Adam Field and Sweden's Marcus Jonsson put up a fine effort against Israel's Beijing 2008 Parlaympic silver medallists Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg before Kramer and Weinberg eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-4.
24/04/13
Jordanne Whiley reached the women's singles and doubles finals on the third day of play in Tel Aviv, as Marc McCarroll and David Phillipson eased into the men's singles semi-finals and combined to reach the men's doubles final.
Top seed Whiley beat Russia's Inna Maskovsky 6-1, 6-1 in her women's singles semi-final. The British No. 2 will now face third seed Christine Schoenn of France in the final, having beaten Schoenn in the finals of both the North West Challenge in Preston and the North East Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Sunderland in February.
Whiley also partnered Busra Un of Turkey to beat Turkish duo Ebru Bulgurcu and Nese Aydemir 6-1, 6-1 in the women's doubles semi-finals. Second seeds Whiley and Un will now play tops seeds Bianca Osterer of Germany and Schoenn in Thursday's final.
In the men's singles quarter-finals, top seed McCarroll eased past Israeli eighth seed Asaaf Stokol 6-0, 6-2 and goes on to play third seed Piotr Jaroszewski of Poland for a place in the final. In the other half of the draw, second seed Phillipson beat Russian seventh seed Yuriy Golovin 6-3, 6-0. British No. 3 Phillipson will take on fourth seed Laszlo Farkas of Hungary in the semi-finals.
McCarroll and Phillipson later paired up to reach the men's doubles final. After a 6-0, 6-1 win over Konstantin Afinogenov of Russia and Israel's Meir Cohen, the top seeds defeated third seeds David Chabrecek of the Slovak Republic and Farkas 6-0, 6-3 in their semi-final.
Adam Field will also contest the quad doubles final, partnering Sweden's Marcus Jonsson. Second seeds Field and Jonsson recorded a 6-1, 6-0 win over Alfredo di Cosmo of Italy and Joseph Piattelli in their semi-finals and will play Israel's Beijing 2008 quad double medallists Boas Kramer and Shrage Weinberg.
Earlier in the day top seed Weinberg repeated his London 2012 quarter-final win over Peter Norfolk, beating the former world No. 1 and fourth seed 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a tense three hour semi-final. Kramer and Weinberg then beat Norfolk and Israel's Patric Ben Uriel 6-2, 7-6(3) in the quad doubles semi-finals.
23/04/13
Jordanne Whiley eased into the women's singles semi-finals on the second day of the Israel Open, while Marc McCarroll and David Phillipson also secured comfortable wins to reach the men's singles quarter-finals at the ITF 2 Series tournament.
Top seed Whiley beat Russia's Polina Shakirova 6-0, 6-0 to set up her women's singles semi-final against Inna Mashkovsky of Israel.
McCarroll and Phillipson, the top two seeds in the men's singles were equally as dominant in beating Israeli opponents, British No. 2 McCarroll easing past Meir Cohen 6-0, 6-1 to book his place in the last eight against Israeli eighth seed Assaf Stokol.
Phillipson will face seventh seed Yuriy Golovin of Russia for a place in the semi-finals after defeating Shahar Levi 6-0, 6-0.
McCarroll, Phillipson and Whiley will all start their respective doubles campaigns on Wednesday's third day of play in Tel Aviv.
While Peter Norfolk beat Italy's Alfredo di Cosmo 6-0, 6-0 to book a quad singles semi-final against another former world No. 1, Shraga Weinberg of Israel, Adam Feld bowed out after a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Israel's Patric Ben Uriel.
22/04/13
Adam Field enjoyed success in Israel on the first day of the ITF 2 Series tournament as the third seed beat Yael Albag, the first of two Israeli opponents, 6-0, 6-0 to reach the quad singles quarter-finals, in which the Brit will face Patric Ben Uriel.
Also through to the quad singles quarter-finals is Peter Norfolk, playing in his first tournament since partnering Andy Lapthorne to win the quad doubles silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics. Also playing in his first tournament since announcing his withdrawal from the Tennis Foundation Performance Programme and an end to his full-time playing commitments, fourth seed Norfolk beat Jonsson 6-2, 6-1 and goes on to play Italy's Alfredo Di Cosmo in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, after first round byes in the men's singles, top seed Marc McCarroll and second seed David Phillipson will begin their challenges against Israeli players, with McCarroll facing Meir Cohen and Phillipson taking on Shahar Levi.
Jordanne Whiley, top seed for the women's singles, also had a first round bye and will open her campaign against Russian junior Polina Shakirova.
McCarroll and Philllipson are also top the seedings for the men's doubles. Whiley and Turkey's Busra Un are second seeds for the women's doubles, while Field and Sweden's Marcus Jonsson are second seeds for the quad doubles.
19/04/13
Marc McCarroll, David Phillipson, Jordanne Whiley and Adam Field will fly the flag for Britain in the men's, women's and quad events at the Israel Open.
British No. 2 McCarroll makes his latest visit to Israel five and a half years on from winning his first ever NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour singles title in the country. However, this week's ITF 2 Series tournament is likely to provide a much stiffer challenge for McCarroll, who lines up alongside British No. 3 Phillipson. Phillipson plays his second tournament of 2013 after finishing runner-up at Britain's third world ranking event of the year in Sheffield last month.
In the women's singles British No. 2 Whiley aims to add her name to the roll of honour after fellow Brit Louise Hunt won women's singles in Tel Aviv last year. Whiley arrives in Israel having recently moved up two places in the world rankings to No. 12.
Field takes British hopes into the quad singles and doubles less than two weeks after reaching the first Super Series doubles final of his career at the South African Open.