Bolton ITF 3 Wheelchair Tennis tournament daily updates

Day Four Review

Lucy Shuker secured a title double on the last day of the Bolton Indoor ITF 3 after the British No.1 beat USA second seed Dana Mathewson in the women’s singles final and then partnered Mathewson to win the women’s doubles.

While Dermot Bailey finished runner-up in the men’s singles final to Dutch top seed Ruben Spaargaren, Spaargaren was unable to match Shuker’s feat and win both singles and doubles titles, but that was exactly what American top seed David Wagner did in the quad singles and doubles.

World No.6 Shuker put up a fine performance against world No.8 Mathewson, easing to a 6-4, 6-0 victory for her first singles title of 2022 and her first singles title in Bolton heading into the ITF 2 tournament that starts at Bolton Arena on Tuesday.

Shuker then partnered Mathewson to a much less certain victory, but victory it was for the Anglo-American top seeds, who defeated Japan’s Manami Tanaka and China’s Zhenzhen Zhu 7-6, 2-6, (10-5) after a deciding match tie-break in the women’s doubles final.

After beating two seeded players in three days, British No.3 Bailey found Spaargaren to be a much tougher opponent as the top seed earned a 6-0, 7-5 win in the men’s singles final.

However, Spaargaren’s bid to add the doubles title ended in defeat when he partnered Kouhei Suzuki to finish runners-up to champions Frederic Cattaneo and Case Ratzlaff. Having both been seeded for the men’s singles Cattaneo and Ratzlaff bowed out earlier in that event, with Cattaneo losing to Bailey. Nevertheless, as a partnership Cattaneo and Ratzlaff lived up to their top seeding and secured a 7-5, 6-4 win over Spaargaren and Suzuki.

Like Shuker, American top seed David Wagner goes into the upcoming ITF 2 tournament in Bolton on the crest of a wave after defeating Korean third seed Kyu-Seung Kim 6-1, 6-0 in the quad singles final.

The two players met again in the quad doubles final, but an American victory was again assured as Bryan Barten partnered Wagner to beat Kim and Israel’s Yosi Saadon 6-2, 6-1.

Aside from Shuker’s victories in the women’s singles and doubles a brace of British titles were assured in the men’s second draw singles and doubles. Seventeen-year-old Andrew Penney defeated Joshua Johns 6-2, 6-1 in the singles final and then partnered Mark Langeveld to beat Johns and Ruairi Logan 6-3, 6-2 in the doubles decider.   

Day Three Review

Brits Dermot Bailey and Lucy Shuker maintained their fine form on the penultimate day of the Bolton Indoor ITF 3 as they reached the men’s and women’s singles finals, respectively.

Bailey was on court for almost three hours before the British No.3 completed his second victory over a seeded player in three days, defeating Japanese third seed Kouhei Suzuki 7-6(2), 6-4 in a match that saw Suzuki need a medical time-out and a mechanical repair.

Hopes of an all-British final were short-lived after Ben Bartram’s hope of beating his second seeded opponent in three days came to an end against Dutch top seed Ruben Spaargaren. Spaargaren won his semi-final 6-0, 6-1.

Shuker’s hopes of a first singles title at Bolton Arena since the venue first hosted an international wheelchair tennis tournament in 2014 took another step forward after the British No.1 and world No.6 defeated Chilean fourth seed Macarena Cabrillana. Shuker’s opponent in the final, second seed Dana Mathewson had a tougher route to the title match, eventually coming through against Japanese fifth seed Manami Tanaka 6-0, 6-7(2), 6-3.

The final day of play could see a clean sweep of the singles titles for top-seeded players after American world No.6 David Wagner won his quad singles semi-final against Israeli fourth seed Shraga Weinberg 6-0, 6-1. Wagner plays Korean third seed Kyu-Seung Kim for the title after Kim fought off a strong challenge from Germany’s Marcus Laudan to advance 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

While Shuker and Mathewson go head-to-head in the women’s singles final they also team up for the women’s doubles final after defeating Britain’s Cornelia Oosthuizen and Emmanuelle Morch of France 6-2, 6-3. Top seeds Shuker and Mathewson face Tanaka and China’s Zhenzhen Zhu, the second seeds, in the decider.

The Franco-American partnership of Frederic Cattaneo and Casey Ratzlaff who, as individuals, were beaten by Bailey and Bartram in the first round of the men’s singles, will hope to end their Bolton ITF 3 campaigns with the men’s doubles title. The top seeds play second seeds Spaargaren and Suzuki in the final after straight sets semi-final wins for both combinations.

Nineteen-year-old Greg Slade went furthest of the Brits in the quad doubles after partnering Laudan to beat Gary Cox and James Shaw in the last quarter-final to be decided. Slade and Laudan’s 7-6(6), 6-2 win over the all-British partnership of Cox and Shaw earned them a semi-final against top seeds Bryan Barten and Wagner before the American duo advanced to the title match 6-3, 6-2. Barten and Wagner play Kim and Israel’s Yosi Saadon in the final.

To see the draw for the ITF 3 tournament, please click here

All match results can be viewed by clicking here

Day Two Review

Dermot Bailey, Ben Bartram and Lucy Shuker continued the British challenge for singles titles at the Bolton Indoor ITF 3 after all three players secured straight sets wins on the second day of play to move into the men’s and women’s singles semi-finals.

After both beating seeded players on the opening day, Bailey and Bartram had earned potentially easier men’s singles quarter-finals and so it proved as British No.3 Bailey beat Dutchman Robin Groenewoud 6-1, 6-2 and Bartram secured a 6-0, 6-0 win over fellow 16-year-old Brit Dahnon Ward, who Bartram also played recently in the final of the Junior Masters in France.

With both players in opposite halves of the draw, an-all British final is still on the cards as Bailey faces Japanese third seed Kouhei Suzuki in the last four and Bartram takes on Dutch top seed Ruben Spaargaren.

Spaargaren and Suzuki also progressed to the semi-finals in straight sets, Spaargaren easing past Belgian Mike Denayer 6-0, 6-1 and Suzuki holding on to beat Israel’s Sergei Lysov 7-5, 7-6(1), while they teamed up to end Bailey and Bartram’s men’s doubles challenge 6-2, 6-3.

British No.1 and world No.6 Shuker dropped just six games for the second day in a row after beating Japan’s Shiori Funamizu 6-4, 6-2. Shuker plays Chilean fourth seed Macarena Cabrillana for a place in the final after Cabrillana’s 6-4, 6-3 win in an all-South American contest against Argentina’s Maria Florencia Moreno.

American second seed Dana Mathewson ended the run of unseeded Swiss player Nalani Buob 6-2, 6-2, while Japan’s Manami Tanaka secured a minor upset as the fifth seed defeated Chinese third seed Zhenzen Zhu 6-2, 6-4 before next facing Mathewson.

A British player is assured of a place in the women’s doubles final after the partnerships of Shuker and Mathewson and Cornelia Oosthuizen and Emmanuelle Morch of France won their respective quarter-finals by the same 6-0, 6-0. The two pairings now go head-to-head in the semi-finals.

However there will be no British player in the men’s doubles final after the Dutch partnership of Groenewoud and Maarten Ter Hofte edged out Ward and Olivier Langlois of France in a deciding match tie-break in the quarter-finals.

Britain’s hopes in the quad singles came to an end despite Richard Green making a great start to his quarter-final against Korean third seed Kyu-Seng Kim. Green raced into an early lead but could not sustain his challenge as the more experienced Kim prevailed 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Greg Slade was always likely to be up against it in his last eight match against American top seed David Wagner, with world No.6 Wagner duly progressing to the semi-finals 6-2, 6-0. Fourth seed Shraga Weinberg will play Wagner in a semi-final between two former world No.1 players after Weinberg won his all-Israeli quarter-final against Yosi Saadon 6-4, 6-1.

Only three of the four seeds will contest the quad singles semi-finals after Germany’s Marcus Laudan beat American second seed Bryan Barten 6-3, 6-2. Laudan will now bid for a first career win over Kim.

With three of the four semi-final partnerships decided in the quad doubles, the last quarter-final will be completed on Sunday’s third day of play. A Brit is guaranteed to be in the semi-finals as the unfinished quarter-final features Gary Cox and James Shaw, while Slade is partnering Laudan.

Day One Review

Brits Dermot Bailey and Ben Bartram upset seeded opponents on the opening day of the ITF 3 Bolton Indoor, the LTA’s first world-ranking wheelchair tennis tournament of 2022, as the quarter-finalists were decided in each of the men’s, women’s and quad singles draws at Bolton Arena.

Bailey beat French second seed Frederic Cattaneo for the first time in his career, securing a 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-5 victory to earn a last eight meeting with Dutchman Robin Groenewoud.

Elsewhere, Bartram beat USA fourth seed Casey Ratzlaff 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to set up an all-Brit men’s quarter-final against fellow 16-year-old Dahnon Ward, the player who joined Bartram in the recent Junior Masters final in Tarbes, France. Ward made a winning start in Bolton, defeating Olivier Langlois of France 6-1, 6-4.

While only two of the four seeds remain in the men’s singles heading into the second day of play, all eight seeds advanced to the women’s singles quarter-finals, headed by British No.1 and top seed Lucy Shuker.

World No.6 Shuker earned a 6-3, 6-3 win over Pauline Deroulede of France and will now play Japan’s Shiori Funamizu for a place in the semi-finals. However, German seventh seed Katharina Kruger will not be among the quarter-finalists after a 6-1, 7-5 loss to Switzerland’s Nalani Buob.

Manchester’s Robyn Love won her first career match at international level when defeating Spain’s Sandra Ventura Hostau 6-4, 6-4, while there was also first international senior singles win for 18-year-old Martha Harris. Winner of the women’s singles at November’s LTA Wheelchair Tennis National Finals, Harris defeated fellow Brit Helen Bond 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Love and Harris went forward to play seeded opponents, with Love bowing out to Chinese third seed Zhenzhen Zhu 6-1, 6-0 and Harris’s challenge coming to an end against American second seed Dana Mathewson 6-0 ,6-0. Seventeen-year-old world No.4 junior Ruby Bishop beat fellow Brit Debbie Brazier without dropping a game, but then managed to win only two games against Japanese fifth seed Manami Tanaka.

Cornelia Oosthuizen was the Brit who got nearest to beating a women’s seed, but ultimately bowed out to Argentinian eighth seed Maria Florencia Moreno 16 6-3, 6-4.

Richard Green and Greg Slade advanced to the last eight in the quad singles, Slade winning an all-British match-up against Dan Pennington-Bridges 6-0, 6-1 to set up a meeting with USA top seed David Wagner. Green beat Germany’s Konstantin Voglis by the same score and now plays Korean third seed Kyu-Seugn Kim for a place in the semi-finals.

World No.4 Wagner defeated Britain’s Gary Cox 6-2, 6-1, while there was also disappointment for James Shaw after the Briton was narrowly edged out by Germany’s Marcus Laudan 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.