Shuker nets Gauteng Open doubles title

Ash Priors' wheelchair tennis star Lucy Shuker has completed the first of two back-to-back tournaments in South Africa by winning the women’s doubles at the Gauteng Open in Benoni ahead of contesting this week’s South African Open, the second Super Series tournament of the year.

British No. 2 Shuker, who was playing in her first tournament since returning from a training camp in La Manga, Spain funded by the Tennis Foundation and UK Sport through National Lottery support for player and coach development on the road to Rio 2016, was a women’s doubles bronze medallist at the London 2012 Paralympics.

More doubles success came in Benoni, partnering Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock, with whom Shuker reached the final without dropping a game against two South African partnerships. The top seeds then won the last nine games against third seeds Charlotte Famin of France and Katharina Kruger of Germany to clinch Sunday’s final 6-0, 6-0.

“I'm very happy to have finished this tournament by winning the doubles title with Sabine. She is a pleasure to play with and our game styles compliment each other and I look forward to more tournaments together,” said Shuker, for whom Sunday’s win was her second successive doubles title at the ITF 1 event after partnering her London 2012 medal-winning partner Jordanne Whiley to victory last year.

Earlier in the week Shuker was third seed for the women’s singles and after a bye into the second round she dropped just two games in two matches to reach the last four. The world No. 8 then kept pace with South African second seed Kgothatso Montjane for the first ten games of their women’s singles semi-final, but world No. 7 Montjane eventually pulled clear for a 7-5, 6-2 victory.

 “I am slightly disappointed with my singles as I believe I could have taken the first set against KG [Montjane] in the semis. The conditions were extremely tough with the high altitude and swirling conditions, but it's the same or both players. Now I am concentrating on the second tournament in South Africa,” added Shuker, who will partner Dutchwoman Aniek van Koot this week as she aims to win back-to-back Super Series doubles titles after winning the women’s doubles at the Sydney International Open in January.