From Bolton to Tenerife – South Wales tennis players took the honours in two big winter tennis tournaments.
Tom James, coach at Rhiwbina Tennis Club, won his first International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles title in Adeje, Tenerife, while Matthew Story beat Ricky Hernandez Tong in an all-Cardiff final at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) event in Bolton.
James beat Tanel Luka of Estonia 7-5 6-4 to win the singles final in the ITF seniors world tour event. He also finished runner-up in the doubles, partnering Vadim Minin from Russia. The victory moves him to 285 in the seniors world rankings.
In the LTA national Level 2 event (for players of national and county standard) in Bolton saw South Wales County Cup team mates Matthew Story and Ricky Hernandez Tong meet in the final, which Story won 7-5 6-3.
“What a great Christmas present for Welsh tennis to have winners in two big competitions,” said Tennis Wales chief executive, Peter Drew. “These are tremendous achievements by Tom, Matthew and Ricky – a real inspiration for the growing number of people of all ages playing tennis in various forms throughout Wales.”