The 20th British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships
The City of Nottingham Tennis Centre
Great Britain - July 2009
ITF Super Series, NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour - Nottingham, Great Britain
Kunieda,Vergeer and Wagner win British Open titles
Shingo Kunieda (JPN) pictured above, and David Wagner (USA) won the men's main draw and quad singles titles on the final day of the 20th British Open, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, in Nottingham, Great Britain.
World No. 1 Kunieda clinched his third successive men's main draw singles title at the second Super Series event of the season after a straight sets win over world No. 2 Stephane Houdet brought a repeat of the outcome of the 2008 final.
Kunieda made a sensational start, taking a 4-0 lead before Houdet broke the Japanese player’s serve to love to get himself on the score board. However, a run of two games was all the success Houdet had in the first set and the second set looked like being just as unfruitful as Kunieda opened up a 3-0 lead.
However, Houdet rallied to take five of the next seven games in a contest featuring some spellbinding tennis and the Frenchman saluted taking the lead for the first time at 6-5 by punching the air and shouting his delight. Although Houdet then served for the set he found himself 0-40 down and Kunieda soon forced the tie-break.
The Japanese top seed sped through the first five points of the tie-break and then produced an exquisite backhand slice to bring up the first of four match points, but he only need the first as Houdet sent a forehand in to the net to complete Kunieda’s 62 76(2) victory.
Vergeer clinches ninth British Open crown
World No. 1 Esther Vergeer (NED) won her ninth successive women's singles title at the British Open, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, on Friday 24th July as the penultimate day of the second Super Series event of 2009 was again disrupted by rain in Nottingham. Vegeer overcame Korie Homan (NED) 62 76(5)
Wagner beats world No. 2 Norfolk to regain quad title
Wagner won his second British Open quad singles title in three years as he beat world No. 2 and home favourite Peter Norfolk after a fine display of tennis.
Second seed Wagner asserted himself from the outset, taking a 3-0 lead with some crisp winners and although Norfolk won the next two games, Wagner took the first set with a forehand winner to complete a sequence of four games in a row.
Wagner broke again at the start of the second set, only for Norfolk to keep himself in the hunt as he broke back. However, the American continued to impress and won four of the next five games, Norfolk showing glimpses of his best form as he saved four match points at 5-2 down. But with Wagner earning two more match points in the next game, Norfolk brought the match to a conclusion with a double fault that wrapped up a 62 63 victory for Wagner.
