Catherine and Lewis Fletcher brought Great Britain’s tennis campaign at the 22nd Summer Deaflympics to an end with the Burderop couple earning two fourth place finishes in the women’s singles and mixed doubles on Saturday in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Going into the last day having already played 11 matches across her singles and doubles events Catherine produced a typically brave performance in the women’s singles bronze medal match, but after starting the match serving underarm to protect an injury, Catherine eventually retired at 4-0 down against French sixth seed and 2012 European silver medallist Sophie Bernard.
After treatment Catherine returned to court with her husband Lewis for the mixed doubles bronze medal match as the British fourth seeds took on second seeds Bernard and Mikael Laurent.
With Bernard and Laurent having won the European silver medal in the mixed doubles at the 2012 European Championships as Fletcher and Fletcher claimed the bronze medal, the French duo proved strongest as they added the Deaflympic bronze medal after a 6-2, 6-3 win over the reigning National champions.
“I’m feeling a mixture of emotions at the moment - relief that it’s all done because ii’s been a long week, but also disappointment that we couldn't come away with a medal,” said Catherine Still, we did our best and unfortunately it wasn't good enough on the day. This is my fifth Deaflympics and Lewis’s second and we would have loved to have got a medal, but we battled as hard as we could.”
Catherine, who was appointed by the Tennis Foundation as Great Britain National Deaf Tennis Coach earlier this year, ends the 22nd Summer Deaflympics with three fourth places, having also partnered Bethany Brookes to fourth place in the women’s doubles.
Catherine and Lewis Fletcher were among five players selected by the Tennis Foundation to be members of the Great Britain squad of athletes for the 22nd Summer Deaflympics in Sofia. Play continues until 3 August, with medal matches taking place on Friday, 2 August and Saturday, 3 August.