Two-time NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters finalist Andy Lapthorne faces a winner takes all quad singles match against defending champion David Wagner on Friday’s third and final day of round-robin pool to decide which of them will face Australia’s Dylan Alcott in Saturday’s final.
Lapthorne put his three set loss to Alcott on the first day of play firmly behind him as he beat South Africa’s 2013 runner-up Lucas Sithole 7-5 6-1 to go into Friday’s third day level with Wagner on one win apiece.
“We both know what we need to do, were both under pressure, we’re world number one and world number two and we’ve been put in a position that we’re not used to. I’m going to give it my all and try and play the way I know I can. There’s no reason that I can’t go out tomorrow and execute the game plan to win,” said Lapthorne after coming from 4-2 in the first set to defeat world No. 3 Sithole
Alcott continued his fine start to his NEC Masters debut with a 6-2, 6-3 win over six-time champion Wagner, securing just his second career win over the America world No. 1.
"It was a really good win. He’s got a wealth of experience and some amazing shots. I lost to him the first seven times I played him, just because I got nervous and you give him a bit of room and he hits a winner,” said Alcott. “So I’ve realised you just have to stay in every point because if you drop one short he just goes bang. I’m stoked to have the win. That’s two wins and I will go for another one tomorrow.”
It was a good second day for the Brits as Jordanne Whiley ensured her place in the women’s singles semi-finals for the second successive year after overcoming Germany’s world No. 4 Sabine Ellerbrock 6-3, 7-5.
After beating world No. 1 Yui Kamiji on the opening day of play, Whiley earned her second win over a higher ranked player, with Ellerbrock and Kamiji to now meet on Friday to decide who advances from Pool A to the semi-finals along with the British No. 1 and world No. 6. Kamiji came back from her surprise loss to Whiley and kept her title defence on track with an eventual 6-0, 7-5 win over Dutch world No. 7 Sharon Walraven.
The rematch of the all-Dutch 2012 NEC Masters final between current world No. 2 Jiske Griffioen and world No. 3Aniek van Koot ended on Thursday just as it did two years ago, with victory for Griffioen ensuring her passage from Pool B to the semifinals after wrapping up a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory.
“I’m really happy. I knew today was going to be a tough one, Aniek is No.3 in the world, I expected a good fight and I’m happy to win it this way,” said Griffioen.
Van Koot now meets another of her compatriots in a must-win third round-robin contest after Marjolein Buis held off a determined performance from South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane to register her first win of the week 6-3, 6-4.
Shingo Kunieda took another step towards a possible third successive NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters title as he secured his semifinal berth by defeating fellow Japanese world No. 8 Takashi Sanada 6-2, 6-3.
While Kunieda made it two wins from two matches, Sanada will move on to a crucial match-up with 2009 champion Maikel Scheffers, the Dutchman who maintained his challenge with a stirring recovery to win 7-6(3), 6-2 against Argentinian world No. 4 Gustavo Fernandez.
“I needed a win today, so it was better to have it in straight sets than in three sets. I was very happy with the comeback from 5-2 down in the first. It was good to go 5-0 up in the tie-break,” said Scheffers. “I didn’t make any mistakes, I kept the pressure on the ball and got some good first serves, so I was happy with that. In the second set I felt a bit more relaxed and I could do what I wanted to do. I’m feeling confident for tomorrow."
Both semi-finalists who will progress from Pool B in the men’s singles are still some way from being decided after Britain’s world No.3 Gordon Reid left 2010 NEC Masters champion and world No.2 Stephane Houdet without a win in either of his first two matches.
Reid bounced back from his three set loss on the first day to 2013 finalist Joachim Gerard with an assured performance against Houdet that yielded a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Meanwhile, world No. 7 Nicolas Peifer continued to impress as he held off Gerard 6-2, 7-5 to go into the last set of pool matches as the only player unbeaten in his pool.
With the possibility existing that three players could still end Pool B tied on the number of matches they’ve won and lost, Friday’s two matches between Peifer and Reid and Gerard and Houdet could result in the semi-finalists being decided according to their percentage of sets won again sets played.
“Tomorrow it’s all or nothing. I need to win to go through” said Reid. “It’s going to be a totally different match because he’s a different type of player, but I just need to try and dominate like I did today and hopefully the result will follow.”