London 2012 hopefuls set for 22nd British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships
The world’s top wheelchair tennis players will be in action in Nottingham next week for the 22nd British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships, which take place from Tuesday 19th July until Sunday 24th July.
Organised by the Tennis Foundation, the British Open is an ITF Super Series event on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour and one of the five most important tournaments in the world outside of the Grand Slams.
This year’s tournament comes within the year-long qualification window for wheelchair tennis at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and its vital significance for many of the 112 players from 22 countries has resulted in one of the strongest entry ever assembled for a Super Series event.
The incomparable Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands will once again start the women’s singles as a hot favourite after winning her 10th British Open title in 2010 and the world No. 1 arrives in Nottingham on her 30th birthday and boasting a remarkable unbeaten winning streak of 418 matches since February 2003.
Vergeer and her fellow Dutch players Jiske Griffioen, Sharon Walraven, Aniek van Koot and Marjolein Buis fill five of the top six places in the women’s world rankings.
Meanwhile, Britain’s top two Lucy Shuker and Jordanne Whiley will hope to be challenging for honours after both enjoying highly successful British Opens in 2010.
British No. 1 and world No. 8 Shuker reached her first British Open women’s doubles final in 2010, as well as the singles quarter-finals, while current world No. 12 Whiley enjoyed the biggest win of her career defeating then world No. 6 Florence Alex-Gravellier to reach her first Super Series semi-final.
World No. 2 Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands heads the men’s singles entry 12 months on from winning the first Super Series title of his career in Nottingham. Since then Scheffers has gone from strength-to-strength, including winning his first Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros and partnering fellow Dutchman Ronald Vink as the duo won their first Wimbledon wheelchair tennis doubles title together earlier this month.
Defending champion Scheffers and 2010 runner-up Vink are among three world top 10 ranked Dutchmen who will be in contention for this year’s title alongside Robin Ammerlaan, while 2009 runner-up Stephane Houdet is one of three world top 10 ranked Frenchmen, along with Nicolas Peifer and Frederic Cattaneo.
Heading a strong home entry will be Britain’s top three Gordon Reid, David Phillipson (pictured) and Marc McCarroll. Current British No. 1 Reid joined Phillipson in reaching the men’s singles quarter-finals in 2010, with Nottinghamshire’s Phillipson once again keen to put up an encouraging performance at his home tournament.
The quad singles is likely to be a fascinating event as Britain’s world No. 2 Peter Norfolk aims for his fifth British Open title and bids to get ever-nearer to American world No. 1 David Wagner at the top of the world rankings.
World No. 5 Andrew Lapthorne will be among those challenging Norfolk and Wagner for major honours, along with Israel’s Shraga Weinberg and American Nick Taylor. After winning his first ever upper Series title in the quad doubles at the 2010 British Open, Lapthorne is set to partner Norfolk this year as the duo bid to add to their first Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open earlier this year, while Norfolk’s Beijing Paralympic quad doubles bronze medal-winning partner Jamie Burdekin is also among a host of British challengers in the quad events.
The 22nd British Open is supported by Nottingham City Council and Highland Spring and entry is free to all spectators throughout the tournament.
For media enquiries please contact Marshall Thomas, Press Officer, on 07880 641 855 or Marshall.Thomas@btinternet.com.
For further information about the British Open, please contact Becky Tilley, Tournament Director, on 07971 141 301 or Becky.Tilley@tennisfoundation.org.uk.