22/06/14
Alfie Hewett completed his first tournament since February with runners--up honours in the men's singles and victory in the men's doubles at the Slovakia Open.
Having already won the men's doubles with Frenchman Frederic Cattaneo, British No. 4 and world No. 21 Hewett faced the world No. 12 and top seed in the men's singles final on the last day of play, with Cattaneo retaining his title 6-2, 6-3.
Slovakia Open Draws
21/06/14
Alfie Hewett claimed the first of two possible titles on the penultimate day of play in Trnava after winning the men’s doubles with Frederic Cattaneo, who Hewett will also face in the men’s singles final after a third straight sets victory in as many day to win his semi-final.
Hewett and Cattaneo comfortably justified their top seeding for the men’s doubles, beating the Slovak Republic’s Marek Gergely and Poland’s Tadeusz Kruszelnicki 6-2, 6-4 in the final.
Third seed Hewett booked his place in the singles final by the same score, his 6-2, 6-4 semi-final victory over Morocco’s Boukarthacha Lhaj setting up one last match against top seed and world No. 12 Cattaneo.
Luz Esperanza Merry made a good start in her attempt to win the women’s consolation singles final after taking Sarah Calati to a first set tie-break, but the more experienced Australian eventually went on to seal a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory.
20/06/14
Alfie Hewett reached the men’s singles semi-finals and the men’s doubles final, while Luz Esperanza Merry moved into the women’s consolation singles final on the second day of play in Trnava.
Third seed Hewett defeated Steffen Sommerfeld 6-4, 6-4 and, after second seed Martin Legner of Austria had to withdraw from his scheduled quarter-final, Hewett will play Morocco’s Lhaj Boukartacha for a place in the final.
Hewett and Frederic Cattaneo secured their second 6-1, 6-1 victory in successive days as they eased through their doubles semi-final against Miroslav Brychta and Steffen Sommerfeld ahead of playing the Slovak Republic’s Marek Gergely and Poland’s Tadeusz Kruszelnicki in the final.
Merry defeated her doubles partner Vladislava Porizkova 6-1, 6-4 and Russian second seed Olena Shyngaryova 6-2, 6-4 to book her place in the women’s consolation final against Australia’s Sarah Calati.
19/06/14
British No. 4 and world No. 1 ranked junior Alfie Hewett made a fine start to his first tournament since February, defeating Australia’s Keegan Oh-Chee 6-3, 6-1 to reach the men’s singles quarter-finals in Trnava.
Hewett, who took time out to concentrate on his GCSEs, is also top seed for the men’s doubles along with his partner Frederic Cattaneo of France and the duo made another good start, beating the Australian partnership of Jerry Markoja and Keegan Oh-Chee 6-1, 6-1 to earn a semi-final against the Czech Republic’s Miroslav Brychta and Steffen Sommerfeld of Germany.
Luz Esperanza Merry will bid for success in the women’s consolation singles after bowing out in the first round against Chilean third seed Macarena Cabrillana 6-0, 6-1. Merry and the Czech Republic’s Vladislava Porizkova also bowed out of the women’s doubles, slipping to a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Russia’s Ludmila Bubnova and Viktoriia Lvova (RUS).