Gordon Reid and Marc McCarroll advanced to the second round of the men’s main draw singles on Tuesday at the 22nd British open Wheelchair Tennis Championships, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, during what turned out to be a mixed day for Britain’s top three men’s players.
British No. 1 Reid survived a first set wobble to beat Frenchman Lahcen Majdi 6-4, 6-0 in his opening match.
“I went 5-2 up in the first and felt nice and relaxed and was hitting the ball well, but then had a little bit of a dip and he brought it back to 5-4,” said world No. 13 Reid. “But after taking the first set 6-4 I stormed the second set, so I’m happy with that.”
Reid now plays Dutch fifth seed Ronald Vink in the last 16 on Wednesday, having beaten the world No 6 for the very first time at last month’s French Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Paris.
Reid is joined in the second round by British No. 3 McCarroll, who won his first ever men’s main draw singles match at the British Open after defeating fellow Briton Kevin Simpson 6-1, 6-2. McCarroll plays sixth seed Stefan Olsson of Sweden next.
However, it was a disappointing day for British No. 2 David Phillipson, who slipped to a 4-6, 6-4, 2-6 loss to rising young Japanese player Takashi Sanada.
Elsewhere, in the men’s main draw third seed Nicolas Peifer comfortably won one of the most eagerly awaited first round matches, beating his French compatriot and former world No. 1 Michael Jeremiasz 6-2, 6-1. Meanwhile, former world No. 1 ranked junior Tom Egberink of the Netherlands defeated Argentina’s current world No. 1 junior Gustavo Fernandez 7-6(4), 6-1.
In the women’s main draw singles all three top ranked Britons will be in second round action on Wednesday after British No. 2 Jordanne Whiley eased to 6-1, 6-2 a win over Australia’s Janel Manns to book a contest against Belgian fifth seed Annick Sevenans. In the last match of the first day to finish, British No. 3 Louise Hunt won an enthralling contest against Japan’s Miho Nijo, coming from 5-2 down in the first set to prevail 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-1.
Hunt plays British No. 1 and sixth seed Lucy Shuker in Wednesday’s second round after Shuker had a first round bye along with the other seven seeded players, including world No. 1 Esther Vergeer. Vergeer begins her bid for an 11th successive British Open title on Wednesday with a match against South African’s Kgothatso Montjane and starts this year’s British Open currently unbeaten in 418 matches since February 2003.
It was also a largely successful day for Britain’s three quad singles players that were in action, with Adam Field and John Parfitt both posting first round victories.
Field was unable to get past the first round of the British Open in 2010, but recorded a confidence-boosting 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Canadian world No. 20 Adrian Dieleman to earn a last 16 contest against American world No. 6 Nick Taylor.
Parfitt had a bye into the second round last year and has a tough match against fellow Briton Peter Norfolk if he is to go beyond that stage this year after defeating American David Jordan 7-6(4), 6-3.
World No. 2 and second seed Norfolk, third seed Andrew Lapthorne and seventh seed Jamie Burdekin all begin their challenges on Wednesday after first round byes.
Wednesday’s second day of play also includes the start of the doubles draws.
The 22nd British Open is supported by Nottingham City Council and Highland Spring and entry is free to all spectators throughout the tournament.