Memorial Jens Vanherck (Disability)

12/08/13

Dermot Bailey won the men's doubles title and Luz Esperanza Merry won the women's doubles title on the final day of the Memorial Jens Vanherck as both Brits also finished runners-up in their respective singles finals.

Bailey partnered Carlos Anker to win the men's doubles as the British-Dutch pairing justified top seeding to beat Belgian duo Roland de Meersman and Gert Vos 6-3, 6-4. It was Bailey's first men's doubles title of 2013 after reaching four finals.

Bailey also pushed fourth seed Vos hard in the men's singles final, but the Belgian former world No. 13 held on for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory as Bailey finished runner-up in his second ITF Futures Series singles event of the season.

In the women's doubles Merry and her Dutch partner Natascha Hoefhamer defeated Belgian top seeds Sofie Cox and Els Verhoeven 6-0, 0-6, (10-8) after a tense championship tie-break in the final. It was 12-year-old Merry's first NEC Tour title of her young career with the duo ending the tournament having beaten both top seeded partnerships.

In her first international singles final as a wheelchair player Merry also put up a fine effort against top seed Verhoeven, but the more experienced Belgian went to seal a win 6-2, 6-1 win. 

Dermot Bailey and Luz Esperanza Merry will contest both the men’s and women’s singles and doubles finals on the last day of the Memorial Jens Vanherck.

Bailey defeated Belgium’s Tarik Charbi 6-2, 6-1 in his men’s single semi-final to set up a meeting with Charbi’s more experienced countryman Gert Vos in the final.

Bailey and Dutchman Carlos Anker, the top seeds for the men’s doubles, have secured two straight sets wins to reach the final, defeating Rutger Bakker and Marco Eggink of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-3 in their semi-final. Bailey and Anker now play Belgian duo Roland de Meersman and Vos.

Playing in just her second individual tournament, Merry has reached the first two finals of her career on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. After beating the second seed in her women’s singles quarter-final, Merry beat Dutch third seed Natascha Hoefhamer 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-finals and will now play Belgian top seed Els Verhoeven in the final.

Merry has also partnered Hoefhamer to reach the women’s doubles final after they beat the Belgian second seeds Ellen Bervoets and Lise Keersmaekers 6-0, 6-0. Merry and Hoefhamer will play the Belgian top seeds Sofie Cox and Verhoeven in the final.

However, with the junior singles being a mixed sex event Merry found Anker too experienced for her in their semi-final in that event and the Dutchman advanced 6-2, 6-0.

 

Dermot Bailey reached Saturday’s men’s singles semi-finals and Luz Esperanza Merry reached the women’s singles and junior singles semi-finals today at the Memorial Jens Vanherck in Belgium.

Bailey secured his second 6-0, 6-0 win in successive days as he beat Belgium’s Joeri van Assche to set up a semi-final against Tarik Charbi of Belgium, who ended the hopes of James Shaw.

While Shaw also bowed out of the junior singles against Belgium’s Jef Vandorpe, Merry moved into the last four after defeating South Africa’s Alewande Skosona 6-1, 6-0. She will face Dutchman Carlos Anker for a place in the junior final.

Merry, who is still looking to secure her first world ranking after only playing her first international event in May, also beat Belgium’s Sofie Cox 7-5, 6-2 to reach the women’s single semi-finals. Merry will play Natascha Hoefhamer or Sweden’s Sanna Klindt on Saturday.

Dermot Bailey, James Shaw and Luz Esperanza Merry all secured comfortable wins on the first day of play in Belgium to progress in their respective singles events.

Bailey beat Dutchman Dick Eikenaar 6-0, 6-0, while Shaw recorded a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Belgium’s Luc Dubrulle as they advanced to the men’s singles quarter-finals. Later in the day Shaw also reached the semi-finals of the junior singles. 

Like Bailey, Merry also recorded a 6-0, 6-0 win in the first round of the women’s singles,beating Rebekkah Bellander of Sweden.