Bingham’s British No.3 wheelchair tennis player David Phillipson has returned to the top 15 in the men’s singles world rankings this week for the first time since 2011 after reaching back-to-back singles and doubles finals, including winning a doubles title, at tournaments in Canada and the USA over the last two weeks.
Phillipson contests the Tennis Canada International this week, two weeks on from starting his North American campaign at the Birmingham Canadian Classic in Toronto, where he edged Australian top seed Adam Kellerman in a final set tie-break in the men’s singles semi-finals. Phillipson eventually clinched a 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(6) victory to set up a final against Japan’s world No. 9 Takashi Sanada.
A combination of Sanada and Kellerman thwarted Phillipson’s title ambitions in Toronto, with top seed Sanada earning a 7-5, 6-3 victory in the singles final and then partnering Kellerman to beat Phillipson and Frenchman Yoann Quilliou 6-2, 6-3 in the double final.
However, there was better to come from Phillipson over the weekend at the PTR Championships on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as Nottinghamshire’s two-time Paralympian and fellow Brit Marc McCarroll became the sixth successive all-British partnership to win the men’s doubles at the ITF 2 Series event. The top seeds beat Korea’s Ji-Hwan Lee and Japan’s Yusuke Nishimura 6-4, 6-2 ahead of defeating Brazilian duo Rafael Medeiros and Mauricio Pomme 6-1, 7-5 to reach the final. Another 6-4, 6-2 victory over American David Eads and Australia’s Adam Kellerman gave Phillipson and McCarroll the title, Phillipson’s second on Hilton Head after partnering Gordon Reid to victory in 2009.
After beating Kellerman in Toronto, fourth seed Phillipson also upset the odds in the men’s singles in South Carolina, defeating second seed McCarroll 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the semi-finals. However, a second successive win over Kellerman narrowly eluded Phillipson as the Australian went on to win the final 6-4, 6-4.
“It's been a good two weeks and all bodes well for the final tournament in Montreal now,” said Phillipson. “I don't think my performances have been 100 per cent, there’s still room for improvement, but to be beat Adam and Marc, two higher ranked players, in successive weeks and to be back in the top 15, just a couple of places behind the both of them, is a nice confidence boost. I'm really pleased to have made three finals so far and for me and Marc to win the Hilton Head doubles was a good result.”
Phillipson now lines up alongside McCarroll in Montreal as four weeks of back-to-back tournaments in North America for players on the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis Performance Programme head towards a close and attention then switches to tournaments in Europe in the coming weeks.