(Photo: Reg Caldecott)
27/04/14
Lucy Shuker completed the ACSA Gauteng Open with her second successive women’s doubles title at the ITF 1 Series event after partnering Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock to a 6-4, 6-0 victory over third seeds Charlotte Famin of France and Katharina Kruger of Germany.
Shuker partnered fellow Brit Jordanne Whiley to victory in 2013, but after teaming up with Ellerbrock this year the top seeds reeled off nine games in a row to clinch the final.
“I'm very happy to have finished this tournament by winning the doubles title with Sabine. She is a pleasure to play with and our game styles compliment each other and I look forward to more tournaments together,” said Shuker.
“I am slightly disappointed with my singles as I believe I could have taken the first set against KG [Montjane] in the semis. The conditions were extremely tough with the high altitude and swirling conditions, but it's the same or both players. Now I am concentrating on the second tournament in South Africa,” added Shuker, who will partner Dutchwoman Aniek van Koot this week as she aims to win back-to-back Super Series doubles titles after winning the women’s doubles at the Sydney International Open in January.
26/04/14
Lucy Shuker reached the women’s doubles final on the penultimate day of play in Benoni, while Antony Cotterill finished runner-up in the quad doubles.
Shuker and Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock, the top seeds, defeated South Africa’s Rose van der Meer and Mariska Venter 60 60 in their semi-final and will meet the third seeds, Charlotte Famin of France and Katharina Kruger of Germany, on Sunday as Shuker bids to share in the women’s doubles title at the Gauteng Open for the second successive year.
Earlier in the day world No. 8 Shuker kept pace with South African second seed and second seed Kgothatso Montjane for the first ten games of their women’s singles semi-final, but world No. 7 Montjane eventually pulled clear for a 75 62 victory.
Meanwhile, second seeds Cotterill and American Greg Hasterok held a slender 3-2 lead against top seeds Sarah Hunter and David Wagner in the first set of the quad doubles final, but Hunter and Wagner went on to win 63 61.
Gauteng Open Live Scoring
25/04/14
Lucy Shuker reached the women’s singles and doubles semi-finals on the third day of play while Antony Cotterill and his American partner Greg Hasterok moved into the quad doubles final.
Shuker built on a 4-1 first set lead to defeat Russian seventh seed Ludmila Bubnova 6-2, 6-0 in their women’s singles quarter-final and the British No. 2 and third seed will play South African second seed Kgothatso Montjane in the semi-finals.
Shuker also partnered German’s Sabine Ellerbrock to the last four of the women’s doubles after the top seeds followed up their first round by with a comprehensive 6-0, 6-0 win over Siphokazi Fuma and Nomo-Afrilka Gxumisa 6-0, 6-0. Shuker and Ellerbrock meet another South African duo, Rose van der Meet and Mariska Venter, in the last four.
Second seeds Cotterill and Hasterok eased to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over South Africa’s Bongani Dlamini and American Marc McLean in the quad doubles semi-finals. However, hopes of having a Brit on either side of the net in the final came to an end when top seeds Sarah Hunter of Canada and David Wagner of the USA beat Jamie Burdekin and South Africa’s Lucas Sithole 6-1, 6-2.
British hopes also ended in the men’s singles and doubles when second seed Gordon Reid bowed out in the singles quarter-finals against French world No. 10 Nicolas Peifer 6-4, 6-4. Reid and South Africa’s Leon Els also saw their men’s doubles challenge come to an end against French opposition when top seeds Frederic Cattaneo and Stephane Houdet won their quarter-final 6-2, 6-3.
24/04/14
Jamie Burdekin moved into the quad singles semi-finals on Thursday’s second day of competition as Gordon Reid and Lucy Shuker secured their places in the men’s singles and women’s singles quarter-finals.
Burdekin, Antony Cotterill and Reid and their partners are also through to the semi-finals of the quad doubles and men’s doubles respectively.
Third seed Burdekin beat world No. 9 Greg Hasterok 6-4, 6-2 in his first match of the week and the world No. 5 will go on to play a second successive American opponent, world No. 1 and defending champion David Wagner, for a place in the quad singles final. Wagner ended any prospects of an all-British semi-final after his 6-0, 6-0 win over Cotterill.
Second seed Reid will play French fifth seed Nicolas Peifer in the men’s singles quarter-finals after defeating Poland’s Piotr Jaroszewskl 6-1, 6-0, while Shuker will face Russian seventh seed Ludmila Bubnova in the last eight of the women’s singles after easing through her opening match against South Africa’s Thando Hlatswayo, 6-0, 6-0.
In the quad doubles second seeds Hasterok and Cotteriil beat South African duo David Mathebula and Danny Mohlamonyane 6-0 6-1 to earn a semi-final against Bongani Dlamini of South Africa and Marc McLean of the USA. Meanwhile, Burdekin and South Africa’s Lucas Sithole will face top seeds Sarh Hunter of Canada and Wagner in their semi-final after defeating Sweden’s Petter Edstrom and Steven Kekae of South Africa 6-0, 6-0.
Reid and South Africa’s Leon Els will meet French top seeds Frederic Cattaneo and Stephane Houdet in the semi-finals of the men’s doubles after the fourth seeds overcame the all-South African partnership of Frank Ramokoatsi and Patrick Selepe 6-3, 6-0.
Gauteng Open Live Scoring
23/04/14
Jamie Burdekin and Antony Cotterill moved into the quad singles quarter-finals on the first day of play in Benoni, while Gordon Reid eased through his opening men’s singles match and reached the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
Burdekin had a walkover after his American opponent was unable to play their scheduled match due to injury and the world No. 5 and third seed will now meet American world No. 9 Greg Hasterok. There is the possibility of an all-British semi-final after Cotterill beat South Africa’s David Mathebula 8-0, 6-0. World No. 8 Cotterill now seeks a first career win over American world No. 1 and defending Gauteng Open champion David Wagner.
World No. 3 Reid emulated Cotterill with a 6-0, 6-0 first round win of his own in the men’s singles. The British second seed beat Frank Ramokoatsi of South Africa to set up a meeting with Poland’s Piotr Jaroszewski.
Reid and South Africa’s Leon Els are fourth seeds for the men’s doubles and began their campaign with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Simbongile Gobongo and Xolelani Nyandeni. They will face Ramokoatsi and Patrick Selepe in the last eight.
After her first round bye Lucy Shuker will start her women’s singles challenge against Thando Hlathswayo of South Africa. Shuker and Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock are top seeds for the women’s doubles.
Meanwhile, Cotterill and Hasterok are second seeds for the quad doubles, in which Burdekin also partners South Africa’s Lucas Sithole.
22/04/2014
Gordon Reid, Lucy Shuker, Jamie Burdekin and Antony Cotterill play the first of two back-to-back tournaments in South Africa for some of Britain’s leading wheelchair tennis players.
After two titles in as many weeks in the USA in March, world No. 3 Reid is going in search of his third ITF 1 Series men’s singles title in a row and the British No. 1 will seek to improve on his semi-final berth in Benoni in 2013, when world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda ended the Brit’s challenge in the last four.
The Gauteng Open marks the start of back-to-back doubles title defences in South Africa for world No. 8 Shuker, the British No. 2 having also reached the women’s singles quarter-finals in 2013.
After fellow Brit Andy Lapthorne reached the quad singles final and won the quad doubles in 2013, Burdekin and Cotterill carry British fortunes in both events this year and will be among a host of world top 10 ranked contenders.