23/08/14
Louise Hunt took her tally of doubles titles in 2014 to six as she won her second title in Belgium in successive weeks.
Hunt and her Dutch partner Sharon Walraven claimed their second title of the year together as the top seeds defeated Diede de Groot of the Netherlands and Spain’s Lola Ochoa 6-1, 6-4, Hunt having partnered Ochoa to win the women’s doubles at last week’s Ath Open. Hunt and Walraven won their first title of the season in Israel in May.
With Dermot Bailey taking the honours in the men’s consolation singles after Morocco’s Ayoub Ettali withdrew from their scheduled final, Bailey and Frenchman David Dalmasso narrowly missed out on the men’s doubles title after a deciding championship tie-break. Bailey and Dalmasso were edged out by French duo Gaetan Menguy and Thomas Vinatier 6-2, 3-6, (10-2).
Flanders 25 Tournament Draws
22/08/14
Dermot Bailey will contest the men’s doubles final and Louise Hunt will contest the women’s doubles final on the last day of the Flanders 25, after Bailey won the men’s consolation singles with a walkover in the final.
Bailey and his French partner David Dalmasso have lived up to their top seeding in the men’s doubles after beating the all-British fourth seeded pairing of Ed Holt and Paul Stewart in the semi-finals. They will meet French duo Gaetan Menguy and Thomas Vinatier in the final.
Bailey had a walkover in the first of his two scheduled singles matches on the penultimate day of play in Belgium an then beat Stewart 6-2, 6-3 to book his place in the men’s consolation final against Morocco’s Ayoub Ettali, but was then awarded another walkover.
Hunt both partnered and played against Dutchwoman Sharon Walraven in the women’s singles and doubles semi-finals.
Top seeds Hunt and Walraven will face Diede de Goot of the Netherlands and Lola Ochoa of Spain in the women’s doubles final after defeating the Dutch-Belgian partnership of Mieke van Chastelet and Els Verhoeven. Despite Hunt producing a fine effort against world No. 7 and top seed Walraven in the last four of the women's singles, Walraven advanced 7-5, 6-4.
21/08/14
Louise Hunt booked her place in the women’s singles and doubles semi-finals as Dermot Bailey, Ed Holt and Paul Stewart all reached the same men’s doubles semi-final on the second day of the Flanders 25.
Third seed Hunt defeated fifth seed Emmanuelle Morch of France 6-1, 6-1 ahead of playing Dutch world No. 7 and top seed Sharon Walraven for a place in the final.
Hunt and Walraven, the top seeds, also play Mieke van Chastelet of the Netherlands and Els Verhoeven of Belgium for a place in the women’s doubles final after winning their opening match against Australia’s Sarah Calati and Luba Josevski 6-1, 6-1.
Bailey and Frenchman David Dalmasso are the top seeds for the men’s doubles and beat Dutch former Paralympic Games doubles bronze medallists Ricky Molier and Eric Stuurman 4-6, 7-5, (10-8) to set up their semi-final against Holt and Stewart. Holt and Stewart defeated Dutchman Mitchel Grauuw and Konstantin Afinogenov of Russia 6-1, 6-1 to guarantee that there will be at least one Brit in the final.
Balley and Stewart will also contest the men’s consolation singles quarter-finals after Bailey overcame Mexico’s Raul Ortega 6-4, 6-2 to set up a contest against Belglum’s Kristof Michils, while Stewart meets Grauuw. But Holt bowed out of the men’s singles to second seed Thomas Vinatier, with the Frenchman advancing to the last eight 6-2, 7-6.
20/08/14
Louise Hunt made a fine start to her women’s singles campaign in Flanders, defeating Dutch player Diede de Groot 6-4, 6-1 to avenge her three set loss to de Groot in the final of the Ath Open last weekend. The British No. 3 and third seed will face French fifth seed Emmanuelle Morch in the quarter-finals of the singles. Hunt and Sharon Walraven of the Netherlands are the top seeds for the women’s doubles and have a bye into the last eight.
In the men’s singles Ed Holt advanced to a second round meeting with French second seed Thomas Vinatier after defeating Belgium’s Justin Pereaux 6-0, 6-1.
Dermot Bailey and Paul Stewart will aim to progress in the men’s consolation singles after first round main draw losses. Bailey bowed out to Nicholas Vanlerberghe of France 6-2, 6-1, while Stewart slipped to a narrow 6-4, 6-4 loss to the experienced Belgian player Gert Vos. Stewart has a bye into the quarter-finals of the consolation event, while Baliey will now aim to beat Mexico’s Raul Ortega for the second successive week to join Stewart in the last eight.
19/08/14
For the second successive week Louise Hunt, Dermot Bailey, Ed Holt and Paul Stewart bid for ITF 3 Series honours in Belgium after Hunt finished runner-up in the women’s singles and shared in the women’s doubles title alongside Spain’s Lola Ochoa at the Ath Open.
The Ath Open also saw Holt reach his third ITF 3 Series singles quarter-final of the summer and he joins Bailey and Stewart in a three-strong challenge from players on the Tennis Foundation's Wheelchair Tennis Perormance Programme in the men’s singles and doubles.