Six Brits in action on day one of Paralympic wheelchair tennis in Rio
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Six ParalympicsGB players will be in action on Friday’s first day of the Rio Paralympic wheelchair tennis event.
Alfie Hewett, Marc McCarroll and David Phillipson all begin their men’s singles challenges. Meanwhile, Jamie Burdekin, Antony Cotterill and Andy Lapthorne all go in the first round of the quad singles.
British No.2 Hewett makes his Paralympic Games debut against Abu Samah Borhan of Malaysia. Phillipson begins his third Paralympics against Canada’s Philippe Bedard. McCarroll faces Italy’s Fabian Mazzei in his first round match.
Third seed Gordon Reid has a first round bye. The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion meets either Belgium’s Mike Denayer or Dan Wallin of Sweden in his opening match.
Quad singles fourth seed Lapthorne opens his Rio campaign against Italy’s Alberto Corradi. Burdekin will aim to dent the host nation’s hopes when he takes on Ymanitu Silva of Brazil.
Cotterill, who is making his Paralympic Games debut, takes on London 2012 bronze medallist Nick Taylor of the USA.
A year on from her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, third seed Whiley opens her quest for a first Paralympic singles medal against Ju-Youn Park of Korea. Shuker will meet Francisca Mardones of Chile. Louise Hunt plays the USA’s Dana Mathewson.
Wimbledon champions Hewett and Reid are second seeds for the men’s doubles in Rio. After a first round bye they face either Brazilian or Korean partnerships. McCarroll and Phillipson meet Chinese duo Dong Shunjiang and Zujun Wei.
Shuker and Whiley begin their bid improve on their women's doubles bronze medal in London with a quarter-final against Chile’s Macarena Cabrillana and Mardones. Both partnerships had first round byes.
Burdekin and Lapthorne are second seeds for the quad doubles. After a bye into the semi-finals they will play either Australia’s Dylan Alcott and Heath Davison or Japan’s Shota Kawano and Mitsuteru Moroishi for a place in the gold medal match.
