07/12/14
Gordon Reid won his third men’s singles title on the final day of the this year’s National Championships as Louise Hunt claimed her first women’s singles National title with a completely dominant performance.
British No. 1 Reid, whose first National title came in Gloucester in 2007, when he became the youngest men’s National champion at the age of 15, clinchd his second title in succession with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over British No. 3 and 2008 champion David Phillipson.
Phillipson got the better of Reid in the men’s doubles final, second seeds Philipson and Alfie Hewett defeating top seeds Marc McCarroll and Reid 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 as Phillipson gained his fourth National doubles title and Hewett won his first.
British women’s No. 3 Hunt secured a singles and doubles clean sweep as she finished the women’s singles without dropping a game, wrapping up her first National women’s title with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Val Fisher. Hunt and Laura Coteman then beat Debbie Brazier and Fisher 6-0, 6-1 in the women’s doubles final as Hunt earned her sixth National doubles crowned and Coteman won her first.
06//12/14
Andy Lapthorne became quad singles National champion for the third time on the penultimate day of play in Gloucester, while also partnering James Shaw to win the quad doubles title.
Lapthorne beat second seed Antony Cotterill 6-1, 7-5 to win the quad singles final while teaming up with Shaw to beat Richard Green and Ian Payne 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the doubles final as Shaw won his first National title.
For the second successive year Gordon Reid and David Phillipson reached the men’s singles final, reigning champion Reid beating fourth seed Alfie Hewett 6-1, 6-0 in the last four and third seed Phillipson defeating British No. 2 Marc McCarroll 6-1, 7-6(6). McCarroll and Reid will play Hewett and Phillipson in the men’s doubles final.
Meanwhile, British No. 3 Louise Hunt beat 2012 champion Debbie Brazier 6-0, 6-0 to reach the women’s singles final. Hunt will play Val Fisher for the title after Fisher won her semi-final against Laura Coteman 6-1, 7-5, with Hunt and Coteman set to play Brazier and Fisher in the doubles decider.
05/12/14
All four seeded players earned at least one love set in their respective men’s singles quarter-finals, with top seed and defending champion Gordon Reid beating Keith Whiley 6-0, 6-0 to book a semi-final against third see and world No. 1 junior Alfie Hewett. Second seed Marc McCarroll meets third seed David Phillipson in the other semi-final.
Both world top 10 ranked players in the quad singles have reached the semi-finals, top seed Andy Lapthorne winning his semi-final against Ian Payne 6-0, 6-1, while Antony Cotterill sealed a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Richard Green. Meanwhile, Val Fisher beat Helen Bond 6-1, 6-4 to complete the semi-final line-up for the women’s singles.
04/12/14
The seeded players begin their men’s singles and quad singles campaigns on the second day of play in Gloucester after Tony Knappett beat 2012 men’s singles National Championships winner Scott Smith on the opening day of this year’s event. Knappett beat Smith 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-3 to advance to a quarter-final against third seed David Phillipson. Meanwhile, defending champion Gordon Reid is set to begin his challenge against Keith Whiley.
Ian Payne beat James Shaw in the first of the event’s quad singles matches and the young Hampshire player will now become the first opponent for top seed Andy Lapthorne as they meet for a place in the final. Antony Cotterill and Richard Green contest the other quad singles semi-final.
03/12/14
London 2012 silver medallist and reigning US Open champion Andy Lapthorne, British women’s No. 3 Louise Hunt and four of Britain’s top five ranked men’s players head a stellar field for the 2014 National Wheelchair Tennis Championships, which returns to Oxstalls Sports Park, Gloucester on 4th to 7th December.
Lapthorne, one of five London 2012 Paralympians in the entry, will also be among those inspiring the next generation of players as the Tennis Foundation National Development Series Finals run alongside the National Championships.
A silver medallist in the quad doubles at London 2012, Lapthorne secured his biggest success in singles competition in New York in September when he won his first Grand Slam quad singles title. The world No. 3 is a two-time National champion and among his strongest opposition for the title this year is world No. 9 Antony Cotterill as well as promising young players James Shaw and Ian Payne.
Lapthorne is one of two British players vying for National titles in Gloucester this weekend on the back of contesting last week’s NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, the sport’s year-end international singles championship, in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.
Also competing at the Masters last week, where he achieved a career best third place finish in the men’s singles was world No. 3 Gordon Reid, who returns to Gloucester after making history at Oxstalls Indoor Tennis Centre in 2007 when, at the age of 15, he became Britain’s youngest National champion. Also the reigning National men’s champion, Reid, British No. 2 Marc McCarroll, British No. 3 David Phillipson and British No. 4 Alfie Hewett, the world’s leading junior, all arrive in Gloucester currently ranked inside the world’s top 20.
Hunt bids to keep one National title in the west country region when she attempts to win her first women’s singles title in Gloucester. A former multiple women’s doubles National champion and former singles runner-up, the Wanborough 23-year-old also finished her international season last weekend when claiming the women’s doubles title at the Prague Cup Czech Indoor. Hunt is likely to have her strongest opposition from South Wales player Debbie Brazier and Shropshire’s Val Fisher.
Alongside the National Championships, the second Tennis Foundation National Development Series Finals will be contested by developing players who have earned their qualification by accumulating points in a series of tournaments across the country this year, including a Development Series event at Oxstalls Sports Park in June.
Pim Palmen and Steve Crompton contested the men’s singles final on that occasion and they are among the leading contenders for the National Development Series Finals title this weekend, alongside 2013 Development Series Finals winner Keith Thom and runner-up Greg Shea.
“We are delighted to be bringing the National Championships back to Gloucester for the first time since 2012 and have an extremely exicting four days of tennis ahead, with our elite players set to battle for the National titles, while also inspiring those competing for the men’s and women’s titles in the Development Series Finals,” said Geraint Richards, the Tennis Foundation’s Head of Disability Player Performance. “It’s been another fantastic year for the players on our Performance Programme and we had a sell-out crowd last weekend for the final day of the Masters in the Olympic Park. With the sport and our players creating that kind of excitement, we hope that lots of local sports fans will take advantage of the opportunity to come and watch for free.”
“An important part of the Championships is to give developing players the chance to compete alongside and watch some of the country’s and the world’s best in action, while also providing an appropriate level of competition. Our ever popular calendar of Development Series events allows for that and demonstrates the competitive pathway and opportunities that are available for players of all abilities.”