International wheelchair tennis returns to Bolton Arena for the ninth time from Friday this week with Grand Slam champions and Paralympic medallists among more than 100 players from 22 countries due to contest the LTA’s Bolton Indoor ITF 3 and ITF 2 tournaments from 17-26 February.

Bolton hosted the first two British tournaments on the International Tennis Federation’s UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour for the first time in 2022, when a new Bolton Indoor ITF 3 event preceded the ITF 2 tournament that has attracted many of the world’s leading players since 2014.

This year’s ITF 3 tournament (17-21 February) is set to begin with British No.4 Dermot Bailey heading the home entry for the men’s singles and seeking to at least equal his 2022 performance, when he beat two seeds on his way to the men’s singles final.

The two seeds Bailey beat last year, Frederic Cattaneo of France and Japan’s Kouhei Suzuki, are among five players ranked inside the world’s top 20 that head this year’s men’s entry.

Reigning Wimbledon women’s doubles champion and world No.10 Dana Mathewson leads the entry for the women’s singles. Mathewson reached the finals of both the ITF 3 and ITF 2 tournaments last year, before finishing runner-up to British No.1 Lucy Shuker.

With Shuker only playing next week’s ITF 2 tournament, British No.3 Abbie Breakwell heads the domestic challenge for the women’s ITF 3 draw. 19-year-old Breakwell is one of several rising stars on the various tiers of the LTA’s Wheelchair Tennis Performance Pathway who will contest the two tournaments.

Local interest comes from Manchester-based Robyn Love. The two-time Paralympian and World and European medallist in wheelchair basketball began her competitive wheelchair tennis career at last year’s Bolton Indoor ITF 3, winning her opening match and ending 2022 having won her first international singles and doubles titles as a tennis player. Love will begin this year’s Bolton Indoor tournaments at a career-best women’s singles ranking of No.66.

Love is part of the LTA’s Wheelchair Pro-Potential Programme, along with Breakwell and 20-year-old Greg Slade. Slade will lead the British challenge in the ITF 3 quad singles and doubles events, for players who have an impairment in three or more limbs, as he returns to Bolton Arena a year on from winning the biggest title of his career when partnering fellow Brit Andy Lapthorne to win the Bolton Indoor ITF 2 quad doubles title.

While there are plenty of defending and former singles and doubles champions among this year’s Bolton Indoor entry lists, this year’s ITF 3 event has a new Tournament Director in the form of two-time Paralympian and 2015 Bolton Indoor singles finalist and 2016 doubles champion Louise Hunt Skelley. Looking ahead to the start of this year’s tournament on Friday, Hunt Skelley said:

“As a former doubles champion and singles finalist in Bolton I’m really excited to have been entrusted with this new role by the LTA and I’m loving the new challenge. Bolton Indoor has aways been a hugely popular early-season tournament for players from across the world and the addition of the ITF 3 event last year has enhanced the range of opportunities available for earning ranking points. With more than 70 players from 21 countries contesting this year’s ITF 3 event it’s going to be another high-quality and fiercely competitive tournament.”

Bolton Indoor ITF 3 concludes with finals on Tuesday, 21 February, while the ITF 2 tournament (22-26 February) starts next Wednesday with 22-time Grand Slam champion and two-time former Bolton men’s singles champion Gordon Reid, defending women’s singles champion and three-time Paralympic medallist Lucy Shuker and 15-time Grand Slam quad singles and doubles champion Andy Lapthorne among the elite entry.

Updates during the Bolton Indoor ITF 3 and ITF 2 tournaments will be available on the LTA website at www.lta.org.uk and via the LTA’s Wheelchair Tennis social media channels at https://twitter.com/WChairTennisGB or https://www.facebook.com/GBWheelchairTennis/.

With thanks to the LTA

British tennis star Jordanne Whiley has today announced her retirement from the professional sport. Whiley, who has won a total of 13 Grand Slams and four Paralympic medals throughout her illustrious career, announced the news via her social media channels earlier today.

Citing wheelchair tennis as ‘the biggest chapter of [her] life’, Whiley noted how ‘there comes a time in everyone’s life where we must close the current chapter and move on to another’.

Adding that ‘Tokyo was the perfect ending to a successful career and [she] leave[s] the sport with no regrets and a heart filled with pride’, Whiley went on to thank a number of organisations, sponsors and individuals who have been a part of her team over the years, adding that it is ‘the right time to move on to other great things’.

Earlier this year, Whiley became the first British woman to win a singles tennis medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, adding an elusive bronze medal to her impressive collection and making history in the sport.

Born with brittle bone disease, Whiley first picked up a racket aged three years old and soon became Britain’s youngest ever national Women’s Singles tennis champion in 2007, at the age of just 14. Success continued to follow, as Whiley once again made tennis history in 2014 by becoming the first British player to win a calendar year Grand Slam – winning the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open respectively.

Whiley then went on to win her first Grand Slam singles title in 2015, a year which also saw her receive an MBE for services to wheelchair tennis in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. 2016 saw Whiley win a further two Grand Slams and a bronze medal in Rio, before adding another Wimbledon doubles title to her name whilst pregnant in 2017.

Early 2019 saw Whiley return to international tennis following the birth of her son Jackson, and followed the likes of Serena Williams by launching a highly successful comeback career – winning her 11th and 12th Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2020, before winning her 13th and final title at this year’s Wimbledon.

Following Whiley’s announcement on social media, a number of organisations – including the LTA, All England Lawn Tennis Club and the British Paralympic Association – have thanked Whiley for her incredible contribution to British sport and wished her well in her future endeavours.

With thanks to 2Tone Creative Services Ltd

Jordanne Whiley (Photo: LTA)

Organised by the LTA, the ITF 2 event on the global UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour saw a British clean sweep of the women’s titles this year after Whiley also partnered Lucy Shuker to win the women’s doubles title. Meanwhile quad singles finalist Andy Lapthorne partnered Antony Cotterill to another all-Brit victory in the quad doubles.

All three of Saturday’s singles champions secured victory in Bolton for the third time in the tournament’s seven-year history, world No.5 and top seed Whiley earning a 6-3, 6-1 victory over China’s Hui Min Huang to claim her first singles title of 2020.

Whiley, who won five of the last six games in the opening set and the last five games of the match to complete her victory over Huang in 58 minutes, said: “I’m very happy to win here again after reaching the final last year and just missing out in three sets. At the start of the week it wasn’t necessarily about winning, it’s been about the performances and trying out some new things I’ve been working on and I feel that’s gone really well, so it’s been a very successful week.”

While Whiley added to her previous Bolton Indoor titles won in 2015 and 2016, Olsson won in Bolton for the first time since claiming back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. The Swedish second seed beat Britain’s Gordon Reid 6-2, 6-3, thereby also denying Reid a hattrick of titles in Bolton.

Also a two-time Wimbledon champion, Olsson said: “I played Gordon in Rotterdam last week and he beat me. But I think I tried a little bit too much in Rotterdam and my tactic today was just to be really calm and wait for my opportunities and I did that really well and served well too. England is a very lucky place for me and I have a great record here.”

Lapthorne and Schroder have shared the Bolton Indoor quad singles title between them in each of the last four years, but after snatching a close first set on Saturday it was the Dutch second seed who added a third victory, beating Lapthorne 7-6(3), 6-0. Schroder, the only one of the 2019 champions to retain a Bolton Indoor title this time, said: “It’s been a very good week for me. I’ve played Andy a lot of times in the last year and it’s always a tough match against him. Today I felt I made quite a few errors in the first set, but I cut out the errors in the second set and that’s reflected in the score.”

Reigning US Open champion Lapthorne, who partnered Cotterill to a 3-6, 6-1, (10-8) victory over fellow Brit Richard Green and Schroder in Friday’s quad doubles final, said: “It’s been a good week again here in Bolton. I set out with some specific goals from my most recent training block and I feel I played well in the first set today. I just need to go away and improve now ahead of playing tournaments in the USA next month.”

The women’s doubles saw Shuker and Whiley justify top seeding in their second final of 2020, earning a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Germany’s Katharina Kruger and the USA’s Dana Mathewson to claim their third Bolton Indoor title together since 2014. Shuker said: “I’m happy with how the week has gone and to end with the doubles title is really nice. I don’t think we played particularly well yesterday in our semi-final. Not to take anything away from our opponents, but there were things to work on. But we came back today and executed the game plan really well and it’s promising for the rest of the year ahead.”

In the men’s doubles Bailey and Reid reached their first final in their first tournament playing together outside of World Team Cup competition. However, having beaten the second seeds earlier the week, the Brits found Martin de la Puente of Spain and Olsson a tough proposition and the top seeds took the title 6-3, 6-2.

Saturday’s action in Bolton also included the first of two days of competition in the Bolton Indoor Junior Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, which has ITF status for the first time this year. Featuring Britain’s top young players as well as players from France, Israel and the Netherlands, the junior tournament concludes today with Ben Bartram facing  Dahnon Ward in the boys’ singles final and Abbie Breakwell playing Ruby Bishop in the girls’ singles final.

To find out more about the LTA’s work with disability tennis, head to www.lta.org.uk/play or email disabilitytennis@lta.org.uk.

Reigning US Open champion Alfie Hewett faces a rematch of September’s men’s singles final in New York against world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda when the four-strong Brit wheelchair tennis challenge begins on Wednesday at the Australian Open.

While Hewett begins his bid for back-to-back Grand Slam singles crowns against Japan’s defending Australian Open champion, 2016 champion and fellow Brit Gordon Reid will play Stephane Houdet of France, the 2018 runner-up to Kunieda at Melbourne Park.

Ahead of his first match since winning the US Open in September, world No.3 Hewett said: “I’ve come back from having a break and I’m feeling motivated to perform and where that leads I’m excited to find out. I’ve had an intense training period leading up to Australia. My fitness was always maintained, so physically I feel like I’m fresh and in a good place. However, when you take time away from the sport its surprising how quickly you lose little things about your game. So I’ve had to work hard to get back up to a level where I feel like I can really challenge for the title.”

World No.7 Reid won the first Grand Slam singles title of his career in Australia three years ago and is relishing his return to Melbourne, which will see him play world No.3 Houdet in his opening singles and doubles matches. He said:

“I love coming back to Melbourne Park, they have improved the facilities once again and it’s fantastic for all the players. Seeing the singles trophy up close again during the draw ceremony brought back great memories from 2016.”

While Hewett begins his 2019 season this week, Reid has already played two tournaments this season, the first of which brought his latest Super Series doubles title when he partnered Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez to win the Bendigo Open. He now turns his attention to attempting to win back-to-back Grand Slam doubles titles with Hewett as the two-time US Open and three-time Wimbledon champions reunite.

“Over the last few months I’ve played with a few different partners while Alfie had his break. So I’m looking forward to being back on the doubles court with him and aiming to win our first Aussie Open doubles title as a team,”

Hewett and Reid will play Houdet and Australian Ben Weekes in their semi-final.

Five-timeAustralian Open doubles champion Andy Lapthorne opens his bid for a first quad singles title at Melbourne Park against his doubles partner and world No.2 David Wagner of the USA. Lapthorne was runner-up to Wagner at last week’s ITF 1 Melbourne Open.

World No.3 and 2014 US Open quad singles champion Lapthorne, who was runner-up to Wagner at last week’s ITF 1 Melbourne Open, said: “I feel like I’m playing OK right now and getting some good results and performances, so I’m looking forward to really trying to bring my best tennis to the singles court this year. It’s always a buzz coming back to Australia and knowing I’ve won lots of titles here and I’m looking to add to that this week. As far as David and I go in doubles, we are a good team and well prepared for our latest chance at another Grand Slam together.”

After facing Wagner, Lapthorne will also play Australians Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson in the four-ay round robin phase of the quad singles competition The top two players after the round-robin will go forward to Saturday’s quad singles final. Later this week Lapthorne and Wagner will also play Alcott and Davidson as the Anglo-American duo and reigning US Open champions attempt to win their fourth Australian Open quad doubles title in six years.

Of the four Brits competing in the wheelchair events at Melbourne Park this week world No. 7 Shuker has the most experience of the first Grand Slam of the year. Shuker will be playing her tenth Australian Open and faces a tough assignment in her opening women’s singles match on Wednesday when she takes on world No.1 Diede de Groot. She said:

“I’m extremely proud to have qualified for this Grand Slam for the tenth time. It’s a stat I can be proud of. I’ve had some great results and performances here over the years, being twice a singles semi-finalist and twice a doubles finalist. The Australian Open is definitely one of my favourite tournaments in the calendar, there is always a real buzz in Melbourne during the Slam.”

After contesting her latest Grand Slam doubles final at Wimbledon last July partnering Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock, Shuker partners South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane this week. Shuker and Montjane will play Ellerbrock and Dutchwoman Marjolein Buis in their semi-final.

Courtesy of the LTA

Italy’s Giulia Capocci wrapped up the second ITF 1 Series women’s singles title of her career with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over South African top seed Kgothatso Montjane.

“I’ve played very well this week,” said Capocci, who dropped just one set on her way to the title. “I love to win, of course, but it’s more difficult to win a tournament when it’s your first time here but I’ve loved it in Bath this week.”

Stefan Olsson (Photo: Tennis Foundation)

Two-time Wimbledon champion Stefan Olsson of Sweden secured his first Bath men’s singles crown after coming out on top 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(7) in an epic final against France’s Stephane Houdet that lasted just two minutes short of three hours.

“I’ve been playing really well all week and I’ve just had a blast,” said Olsson, who also partnered Belgium’s Joachim Gerrard to a 6-4 6-4 victory over Houdet and Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez in the men’s doubles final.

“He’s (Houdet) really smart out there. I really have to try and out-think him, which is not the easiest part to do. I changed up a little bit from the second set and it worked really well. I had a little bit of a bad start in the third but I just kept on fighting really hard and got it back. I was down a couple of match points, so I’m super happy with the win.”

Victory in the quad singles capped a memorable week for 19-year-old Sam Schroder, who arrived in Bath without a seeding. After securing his first career win over world number one David Wagner of the USA in the semi-finals, Schroder produced another exceptional performance to defeat South African second seed Lucas Sithole 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Sam Schroder (Photo: Tennis Foundation)

“I’ve played all three top seeds this week, so I can’t really believe I’ve managed it,” said the Dutchman, who only returned to competition in July after missing ten months through illness.

“It’s been an incredible tournament for me after all that happened last year and then being able to win my first ITF 1 already. It’s just crazy. I’ve proven that I can win against the best in the world, so that gives me a lot of confidence.”

Completing the 2018 roll of honour are Marjolein Buis of the Netherlands and Japan’s Manami Tanak, who beat Britain’s Lucy Shuker and Germany’s Katharina Kruger 6-2 6-3 in the women’s doubles final.

Lucy Shuker (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images for Tennis Foundation)

It is the third year running that Team Bath Tennis has hosted the Bath Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, part of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the last of seven tournaments with world-ranking status organised by the Tennis Foundation in Great Britain during 2018.

The next major tennis tournament being staged at the £30million Sports Training Village is the eagerly-anticipated Fed Cup Europe/Africa Group I tie featuring eight nations – including host country Great Britain – from February 6-9 2019.

To find out more about the all-encompassing tennis programme at the University of Bath, visit www.teambath.com/tennis.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Forty three players from 16 different countries, including a host of top Brits, will contest the men’s, women’s and quad events at the last of seven evens in Britain this year that are part of the global UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour

Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images for Tennis Foundation)

Organised by the Tennis Foundation, Great Britain’s leading tennis charity, the Bath Indoor tournament is in its third year.  Three of the four men’s singles finalists from the 2016 and 2017 events return for the ITF1 Series tournament, including Belgium’s 2016 champion Joachim Gerard and finalist Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina. Currently world ranked No.3, Fernandez became the first South American player to be crowned International Tennis Federation World Champion after ending 2017 at the top of the men’s singles rankings.

Fernandez was a semi-finalist in Bath in 2017, beaten in the last four by Sweden’s Stefan Olsson. Current world No.7 Olsson returns to Bath as two-time Wimbledon champion, having defeated Fernandez in the Men’s Singles Final at SW19 for the past two years.

With world No.5 Stephane Houdet of France also among the leading contenders for the Bath title, current British No.3 Dermot Bailey will lead the domestic challenge after recently becoming a full-time athlete.

Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images for Tennis Foundation)

In the women’s event, British No. 1 and Wimbledon doubles finalist Lucy Shuker once again joins an illustrious cast of top 10-ranked women’s players, which is headed by South Africa’s world No.5 Kgothatso Montjane.

Women’s doubles champion in Bath for the past two years, world No.8 Shuker will partner Germany’s Katharina Kruger this year as she bids to make it a hat-trick of doubles titles. Meanwhile, world No.9 Kruger will also aim to go one better than her countrywoman Sabine Ellerbrock, who finished runner-up in the women’s singles for the past two years.

Alongside two-time Paralympic bronze medallist Shuker, the British challenge for honours in the women’s’ events will include two-time Paralympian Louise Hunt, who once again returns to her former university. Hunt gained a Foundation Degree in Sports Performance from the University of Bath in 2012.

The quad event, for players with an impairment to both upper and lower limbs sees World No.1 David Wagner return to defend his Bath Indoor singles title, heading a field that includes world No.6 Lucas Sithole of South Africa and world No.8 Ymanitu Silva of Brazil. Wagner will be attempting to win his second major title in Britain this season after claiming his fourth British Open title in Nottingham in July.

The British challenge for the quad singles title is led this year by James Shaw, who was runner-up in the inaugural event at Bath Indoor two years ago, as well as Rio Paralympian Antony Cotterill and reigning National champion Richard Green.

Kirsty Thomson, Tennis Foundation Tournament Director, said: “Bath Indoor has become a firm favourite among the world’s top wheelchair tennis players in a relatively short time and its status and its place in the calendar means that it is also an important tournament for many players who are preparing for the year-end Masters championship events in singles and doubles later in November. 

“We are delighted to have another very strong international entry coming to Bath this year and it is an ideal opportunity for anyone who has never seen wheelchair tennis to watch some of the very best in action for free at the world-class sporting facilities at the University of Bath Sports Training Village.”

Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath said: “It is always a pleasure to welcome such world-class athletes to our outstanding indoor tennis facilities at the University of Bath.  

“Each year the event offers an opportunity for us to continue our commitment to hosting para-sport and we are sure that, once again, there will be some exciting matches. Wheelchair tennis is such a great sport to watch, so I would encourage spectators – whether staff and students on site or the public of Bath –  to take this opportunity to come and enjoy some truly world-class sport for free.”

As well as members of the public being able to watch the action for free throughout the five days of competition, this year’s Bath Indoor also maintains a strong aspirational element, with the Tennis Foundation giving local school children the opportunity to visit the tournament and try tennis for themselves as well as being inspired by a number of Grand Slam champions and Paralympic medallists.

Interested in giving wheelchair or any other form of disability tennis a go? Get in touch with the Tennis Foundation via info@tennisfoundation.org.uk.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Sunday’s final saw Shuker contest her first Grand Slam final for five years, partnering Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock in the Ladies Doubles final.

After successive straight sets semi-final defeats over the last four years in the Wimbledon doubles event, Shuker and Ellerbrock defied the odds to defeat Dutch second seeds Marjolein Buis and Aniek van Koot 3-6-4, 6-4 in this year’s semi-finals. That win saw Shuker playing some outstanding tennis, while her renowned attitude and determination was very much reflected in her partnership with Ellerbrock.

In the final, the duo pushed eventual champions and top seeds Diede de Groot and Yui Kamiji in the vast majority of games, something not reflected in the 6-1, 6-1 score line against a pair who are the world’s top two ranked singles players.

Speaking after the match, the British No.1 said “For me I’ve been longing to be in a final again for a long time at the Grand Slams, and to do it at Wimbledon is unreal. It’s humbling to be here and it’s an honour. I knew that it was going to be really tough playing against Yui and Diede because they are the number one seeds and they are very strong. Making the final was really great – it’s a shame we couldn’t get the win but they deserved it today”.

Shuker, who was injured in a motorcycle accident shortly after her 21 birthday, is the most physically impaired athlete among the world’s top 10 ranked women of a sport that she says has “transformed my life”, telling the BBC’s Claire Balding after the match, which was screened live on BBC2, “wheelchair tennis has given me the opportunity to realise so many dreams, it really is amazing”.st

Buoyed after reaching her first Grand Slam final for five years, she is relishing the opportunity to once again challenge barriers and perceptions at next week’s British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Nottingham. At that event the Britain will partner Dana Mathewson of the USA in the women’s doubles, as well as seeking success in the women’s singles. She returns to Nottingham on the back of winning the mixed doubles title at last year’s Super Series event.

Looking ahead to the event, Shuker said “It will be a totally different surface back on the hard court, which for me in singles will be a lot easier with the movement. Obviously we haven’t got long before we are competing, just one day so it will be tough. I think my tennis is going really well and I feel confident so I’m looking forward to it.’

Shuker’s achievement in reaching her first Grand Slam final since the 2013 Australian Open was part of much wider Brit success at Wimbledon this year, with Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid completing a hat-trick of Gentlemen’s Doubles titles. Meanwhile, Andy Lapthorne was on the winning side of the net in the first-ever quad doubles match to the be staged at Wimbledon after the Londoner partnered American David Wagner to an historic exhibition match win in the journey of a sport that is continually breaking new barriers.

All of the Wimbledon wheelchair tennis finalists will be among the world’s top players heading to Nottingham for the British Open. Since 1995 the tournament has had Super Series status, making it one of the sport’s six most important tournaments outside of the Grand Slams.

Tickets for the event at Nottingham Tennis Centre are being made available free of charge by the Tennis Foundation, with the tournament already set for a record crowd as the Nottingham public embrace the opportunity of seeing the Wimbledon stars in action.

The British Open takes place from from 17 – 22 July. – www.tennisfoundation.org.uk/BritishOpen

Courtesy of the Tennis Foundation

From 5-2 down in the third and deciding set of the final the second seeds launched a stirring comeback to edge out Dutch top seeds Marjolein Buis and Aniek van Koot 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. It was the second title in as many weeks for Shuker and de Groot, who also beat Buis and van Koot in the final of last week’s ITF 1 Georgia Open. Shuker and de Groot are now unbeaten in five tournaments together.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I absolutely love playing with Diede, we know how we need to play and even when things aren’t working we work really well together to find our form. Today we were 5-2 down in the third and even faced a match point, but I know with Diede we will always keep fighting and working,” said Shuker, who has now won the women’s doubles at the last three Super Series tournaments, in St. Louis in September 2017 and in Sydney and Baton Rouge this season.

Great Britain’s world No.1 Alfie Hewett added a new career landmark to his impressive list of wheelchair tennis achievements on Sunday when he won the first men’s singles Super Series title of his career at the Cajun Classic in Baton Rouge, USA. Hewett beat Shingo Kunieda of Japan 6-3, 7-6(6) in Sunday’s final.

Hewett, who won his first Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros in June last year, capped a superb week as he defended his crown in Baton Rouge without dropping a set.

Twelve months ago Hewett claimed what was then the second ITF 1 Series singles title of his career at the Cajun Classic. The tournament has been upgraded to Super Series status this year, becoming one of the six most prestigious standalone wheelchair tennis events outside of the four Grand Slams, which means Hewett’s successful title defence therefore earns him even more points to strengthen his world No.1 ranking.

“He’s (Kunieda) beaten me the last couple of times so I was really up for today, even though I felt tired. I really wanted to get on court and prove a point. He’s had a really good start to the year and played some his best tennis for a long, long while. I knew it was going to be tough and I came out and played some of my best tennis,” said 20-year-old Rio Paralympic silver medallist Hewett after claiming his third career win over two-time Paralympic champion and reigning Australian Open champion Kunieda.

“I really focussed on process goals and they paid off this week. I haven’t dropped a set and that’s a very big thing for me, so I can go home very, very happy.”

Photo above shows Lucy Shuker (right) and Diede de Groot, 2016 Doubles Masters women’s champions

For more information about the Tennis Foundation, please, visit http://www.tennisfoundation.org.uk or get in touch via info@tennisfoundation.org.uk.

Report courtesy of the Tennis Foundation

Their successes capped a world-class week of competition at the University of Bath Sports Training Village, where multiple Grand Slam champions and Paralympic medallists served up a host of memorable performances.

The women’s singles final saw defending champion de Groot, who didn’t drop a set all week, ease to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock.

It was de Groot’s fourth Bath Indoor trophy in two years, having also retained her women’s doubles title with Britain’s Lucy Shuker after a 6-0 7-5 win against Ellerbrock and the Netherlands’ Marjolein Buis.

Alfie Hewitt (Photo: Matchtight)

Hewett had produced one of those in the men’s singles quarter-finals, recovering from losing the first eight games to beat defending champion Joachim Gerard 0-6 7-6(4) 7-5.

The 2017 Roland Garros champion then overcame Japan’s Takashi Sanada 7-5 6-2 before beating Wimbledon winner Stefan Olsson of Sweden 6-0 6-4 in the final.

“That was probably the best match I’ve played all week,” said Hewett, who was 4-2 down in the second set before taking the last four games to seal the title.

“It was a good first set from me, I was solid, but I knew Stefan would come back. I won a crucial game to hold at 4-2 down and then I was back in the match.

“I’ve taken time off to train and work really hard since reaching the US Open final a couple of months ago, so to perform the way I have this week is really pleasing.”

The first trophy of the week went to world number one Wagner, who took his 11th quad singles title of 2017 with a 6-1 0-6 6-4 victory over Rio 2016 Paralympic champion Dylan Alcott of Australia.

The quad doubles title was won by Ymanitu Silva of Brazil and South Africa’s Lucas Sithole, while a great week was wrapped up by a 7-6(2) 6-2 victory for Gerard and Olsson in the men’s doubles final against Sanada and South Africa’s Evans Maripa.

The Bath Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Tournament is organised by the Tennis Foundation, Great Britain’s leading tennis charity, who also staged a ‘have-a-go’ session for visitors to Saturday’s finals.

The Sports Training Village indoor courts will host another competition this weekend when the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) stage the 2017 Aegon Winter County Cup.

It is Britain’s second-oldest county cup competition, dating back to 1946, and will feature the top men’s and women’s teams from across the country. It runs from Friday to Sunday and spectators are welcome to watch for free, with plans also in place to live-stream the event for the first time.

Team Bath’s all-encompassing tennis programme is one of just four LTA International High Performance Centres in the UK – recognised as having exceptional tennis facilities available to performance athletes (junior and senior), members of the public and students. For more information, visit www.teambath.com/tennis.

Report courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Diede De Groot and Lucy Shuker (Photo by Daniel Smith/Getty Images for LTA)

A stacked men’s singles competition will feature eight of the world’s top-ten ranked players including top seed Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina, the winner of this year’s Australian Open and British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championship. He reached the final in Bath last year but lost out on the trophy to Belgium’s Joachim Gerard, who is back to defend his crown.

Wimbledon champion Stefan Olsson, of Sweden, is also bidding for the title, while the British challenge will be led by Alfie Hewett – winner of the 2017 men’s singles at Roland Garros – and Rio 2016 gold-medallist Gordon Reid.

Top seed in the women’s singles is Diede de Groot of the Netherlands – she won the trophy in Bath 12 months ago and claimed the Wimbledon crown this year, as well as the US Open doubles title with Marjolein Buis of France.

Buis is one of six world top-ten ranked players in the women’s singles draw along with Britain’s Lucy Shuker, who partnered de Groot to the women’s doubles title in Bath last year.

Two-time Paralympian and Sports Performance graduate Louise Hunt will also return to her former University of Bath training base for the ITF-1 level competition on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, organised by the Tennis Foundation.

In the quad competition, David Wagner of the United States will be bidding for his 11th title of 2017 but will have to overcome tough opposition from the likes of South Africa’s Lucas Sithole, Australian duo Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson, and Britain’s Anthony Cotterill and James Shaw.

Barry Scollo, Director of Tennis at Team Bath, said: “We are delighted to once again be welcoming such world-class athletes to our outstanding indoor tennis facilities at the University of Bath.

“Last year’s competition served up a host of memorable matches and excellent performances and, looking at the quality of this year’s entry, I am certain we will be treated to more outstanding tennis from players at the pinnacle of their sport.

“Thank you to the Tennis Foundation for bringing this terrific tournament back to Bath for another year. Wheelchair tennis is such a great sport to watch, so I would encourage spectators to take this opportunity to come and enjoy some truly world-class sport for free.”

As well as watching, members of the public are also invited to try wheelchair tennis in a free session taking place from 11am-1pm on Saturday, November 18. It is open to all ages and abilities, all equipment will be provided and coaches will be on hand to give participants a helping hand.

For more information about tennis at the University of Bath, including details of coaching and court hire, visit www.teambath.com/tennis. For more information on the Tennis Foundation, visit www.tennisfoundation.org.uk.

Lead photo shows 2016 Bath Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Tournament singles champions Joachim Gerard and Diede de Groot with the ball boys and girls – both title holders are back to defend their crown this year. Credit: Tennis Foundation.

Report courtesy of the Team Bath press office at Matchtight Ltd.