Monday’s final day of action brought success for local Gloucestershire players, with Cheltenham’s Emma Aldred-Tow winning the women’s B Division singles title a year after she capped her National Championships debut with victory in the women’s Novice Division. Full round up of the weekend below...
Alex Jewitt, Jordanne Whiley and Andrew Lapthorne won the men’s main draw singles, women’s singles and quad singles titles respectively as the 2010 as the 2010 National Wheelchair Tennis Championships drew to a close on Bank Holiday Monday at Oxstalls Indoor Tennis Centre, Gloucester.
Sheffield top seed Jewitt, a former runner-up in the men’s main draw, dropped just the first game of both the first and second sets as he secured a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Somerset’s Shaun Regan. Jewitt sealed the first set with a sublime backhand down the line and after he sent a cross court backhand long on the first of two match points, Regan double-faulted to give Jewitt the title.
“It’s been a great weekend and after getting to the final before it’s a big thing to finally get my name on the trophy,” said Jewitt, who was playing just his second tournament after returning from eight months out with an injury.
Jewitt sealed a brace of National Championships titles after winning the men’s main draw doubles final later in the day, partnered by Hampshire’s Andrew McErlean. Jewitt and McErlean justified top seeding as they beat Steve Metcalfe and Regan 6-2, 6-0.
Warwickshire 17-year-old Whiley won her third National women’s singles title as the 2007 and 2008 champion beat Wilthsire’s Louise Hunt 6-0, 6-3. The British No 2 breezed through the first set and opened up a 4-1 lead in the second set before regaining the National title in 54 minutes.
Twenty four hours earlier Hunt and Whiley had also won the women’s doubles title after one of their scheduled opponents in the final was forced to withdraw through injury.
“I’m very pleased, it’s always nice to win the National title and I’m delighted to have won it for the third time in for years,” said Whiley. “I think I played OK today, but there’s still plenty to build on for the future.”
After being on opposite sides of the net in Saturday’s quad doubles final, Lapthorne and Parfitt went head-to-head again in the quad singles final, with 19-year-old Lapthorne prevailing 6-0, 6-4 in an hour and 10 minutes. After sailing through the opening set, Lapthorne put together a run of three games to give himself a 5-3 cushion in the second set before clinching victory.
With the 2010 National Wheelchair Tennis Championships catering for players of all ages and tennis abilities, Sunday’s penultimate day of play saw Norfolk’s Alfie Hewett and Wawickshire’s Charlotte Moore with the Boys’ Singles and Girls Singles titles respectively in the Lord’s Taverners Wheelchair Tennis Junior Championships.
Twelve-year-old Hewett, who began the month by helping Great Britain to fourth place in the junior event at the Invacare World Team Cup, dominated the Junior Boys’ Singles, winning his final round-robin match against Wiltshire’s Will Copp 6-0.
Meanwhile, 11-year-old Moore, who was runner-up in the Lord’s Taverners Junior Girl’s Singles in 2009, went one better this year, beating Gloucestershire’s Chloe Ball-Hopkins. Moore defeated Wooton-under Edge’s Ball-Hopkins 6-0 on the Gloucestershire player’s 14th birthday.
Monday’s final day of action brought more success for local Gloucestershire players, with Cheltenham’s Emma Aldred-Tow winning the women’s B Division singles title a year after she capped her National Championships debut with victory in the women’s Novice Division.
Aldred-Tow dropped just the opening game in the first set of the women’s B Division final and then broke at the start and the end of the second set as she secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Glasgow’s Sarah Baillie.
Abbeymead’s Paul Arnold also picked up a trophy on the final day, beating Somerset’s Dave Berridge 6-2, 6-2 in the men’s B Division singles consolation final.
After previously being successful at the National Wheelchair Tennis Championships in the men’s B Division and C Division events, Jersey’s James Brady again demonstrated his liking for the Gloucestershire venue as he won the men’s second draw singles with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over South Wales’s Tony Tibbs.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Keith Thom and Jonathan Fisher won the men’s B Division Singles and men’s Novice Division singles titles respectively.
The 2010 National Wheelchair Tennis Championships were supported by The Tennis Foundation as well as Babolat and Highland Spring.
Photos courtesey of 'Roy Smiljanic Photography'.