Brits set to launch Australian Open wheelchair tennis campaign
World number five Jordanne Whiley, the first British tennis player in history to win a calendar year Grand Slam when partnering Yui Kamiji of Japan to win the women’s doubles at all four majors in 2014, starts her 2015 campaign for more Grand Slam success with an Australian Open women’s singles contest against Dutch world No.2 Aniek van Koot on Wednesday in Melbourne.
British men’s No. 1 and world No.3 Gordon Reid will play his Australian Open doubles partner Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina in his opening men’s singles match, while US Open champion Andy Lapthorne will face Australia’s world No.2 Dylan Alcott in the first of his three matches in the round-robin phase of the quad singles.
Whiley will play van Koot for the first time since their women’s singles semi-final at last November’s NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in London, where the Brit Whiley earned a career-best third place finish. Whiley said:
“I have a tough draw but if I want to be the best I have to beat the best. I gave Aniek a tough match at the Masters in November, almost winning, so I'm feeling confident about Wednesday's match.”
Whiley and Kamiji will begin their quest for a fifth successive Grand Slam doubles title with a semi-final against Germany’s Katharina Kruger and Dutchwoman Sharon Walraven.
World No. 3 Lapthorne completed his Australian Open preparations by gaining the quad singles title at the Melbourne Open over the weekend. After beating South Africa’s world No. 4 Lucas Sithole in the round-robin phase of the event and slipping to a three set loss at the hands of Alcott, Lapthorne was due to meet Alcott again in Sunday’s final before the Australian had to withdraw due to injury. Lapthorne, who will play Sithole and world No. 1 David Wagner in his remaining two round-robin matches, said:
“When you have the world’s top four players all together in a round-robin, any match is going to be tough, but I’m ready for the challenge, “I took the first set against Dylan in the round-robin at the Melbourne Open, so will be looking to build on that on Wednesday with the benefit of a few matches behind me.”
The top two players after the completion of the round-robin phase of the quad singles will go forward to the final.
The Australian Open will be the second successive Grand Slam at which Reid and Fernandez have met in the first round after the Argentinian won in three sets at the US Open last September, although Reid won their other three matches in 2014. Reid said:
“Gustavo is a strong opponent, but now I know who I’m up against I can’t wait to get on court and I’m really excited for my second Australian Open campaign.”
Like Lapthorne, Reid also completed his Australian Open preparations on a triumphant note on Sunday at the Melbourne Open, where he won the men’s doubles with fellow Brit Alfie Hewett.
Reid and Fernandez, finalists in their only previous doubles event together in the USA last March, play Belgium’s Joachim Gerard and Dutchman Maikel Scheffers in their Australian Open men’s doubles semi-final after Reid and Hewett beat Gerard and Scheffers in their Melbourne Open semi-final.
On Thursday Lapthorne will partner Wagner in the quad doubles final as the duo bid to retain their Australian Open title, with Lapthorne aiming to win his fourth Australian Open doubles crown when he and Wagner play Alcott and Sithole.
