Tia Norton wins FIP Promotion Sportclub Houten II & Christian Medina Murphy reaches second straight final
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British padel stars Tia Norton and Christian Medina Murphy both enjoyed impressive weeks competing on the Cupra FIP Tour – Norton lifting a title in the Netherlands while Medina Murphy finished runner-up in Chile.
Norton and Dutch partner Stephanie Weterings won the FIP Promotion Sportclub Houten II on Sunday – her second FIP title of the season after the FIP Promotion Sharjah in April and their first together as a duo.
After losing a set in their opening match, the top seeds went on to dominate in the semi-final and final matches. They breezed past Leire Medina and Avalon Segou Jonker 6-1, 6-0 in the semis, before beating home favourites Maaike Betz and Janine Hemmes 6-3, 6-1 to claim the title.
Norton has been in great form over the last month – picking up 49 ranking points over four tournaments. She’s reached quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final at FIP Rise events and then the title in the Netherlands this week.
Meanwhile, Medina Murphy reached his second straight final at the FIP Rise Santiago de Chile.
Fresh off the back of their title win at the FIP Rise Stratford last week, Medina Murphy and Spanish partner Alberto Garcia Jimenez eased to the semi-finals having dropped just eight games before coming from a set down to beat Joaquin Terceros and Gonzalo Valdiveso Comesaña 6-7, 6-0, 7-6.
However, in the final they eventually lost out to second seeds Manuel Gayone and Juan Ignacio Rubini 6-4, 6-2.
The British No.1 – who is currently ranked world No.120 – will take away valuable ranking points in his bid to become the first Briton to break the top 100.
Read our exclusive interview with Medina Murphy
Finally, Britain’s Aimee Gibson reached her 10th FIP semi-final of the season alongside Portugal’s Clarinha Santos at the FIP Promotion Villena JCFerrero.
Gibson and Santos missed out on a place in the final against Carla Fernandez Gonzalez and Rosalie van der Hoek 6-3, 6-1.
The 33-year-old became British No.1 for the first time earlier this year having won her first FIP event in Cairo.
