Mistry, Forshaw and Burdekin win National Wheelchair Tennis Championships
3 May 2004by Marshall Thomas
The listing was posted by WheelPower - British Wheelchair Sport
Top seed Jayant Mistry (Loughborough, Leicestershire) won his 11th National singles title on May Day Bank Holiday Monday when he defeated second seed and former champion Simon Hatt (London) 6-4, 6-3 in the Men's Main Draw Singles final at the National Wheelchair Tennis Championships at the Oxstalls Indoor Tennis Centre, Gloucester. Results
Mistry, who is world ranked No 9, was pushed hard by Hatt in the opening set, but gained the decisive service game in the 10th game to win the set. After an early break in the second set saw him go 4-1 up, Mistry went on to maintain the advantage and his record of having not dropped a set to another domestic player since 1995.
The Women's Main Draw Singles final produced the same result as last year as defending champion and top seed Kay Forshaw (Solihull, Warwickshire) won her second Nationals singles title with a 7-5, 6-2 win over six-time former champion Janet McMorran (Bromyard, Herefordshire & Worcestershire).
McMorran went 5-3 up in the first set, but Forshaw fought hard to win the next four games and claim the set. An early break in the second set gave Forshaw the upper hand again as she went on to seal a repeat victory, this time with a winning scoreline that was a reversal of last year's 6-2, 7-5 victory.
The Quad Singles final produced a new National champion as second seed Jamie Burdedkin (Bootle, Merseyside) defeated top seed Roy Humphreys (Oswestry, Shropshire) 7-6(1), 6-3. Neither player dropped their serve in the first set, but Burdekin went on to dominate the tie-break. In the second set the Merseyside player, who has only been playing wheelchair tennis for a little over two years, raced into a 4-0 lead before Humphreys lunched a minor comeback to reduced the deficit to 5-3. However, playing some powerful forehand winners throughout the second set, Burdekin went on to claim his first National title and add to his growing reputation on both the domestic and international circuits.
On the eve of Monday's finals, Burdekin had been named Most Promising Male Player at Sunday night's National Wheelchair Tennnis Association Awards for performances in 2003. At the same awards, Forshaw was named Female Player of the Year after a tremendous 2003 in which she won her first National title and reached what was then a career high world ranking of No 13.
Most Promising Female Player of the Year Award was won by Lucy Shuker (Fleet, Hampshire), who has only been playing wheelchair tennis for 18 months. Shuker confirmed her promise with a three set victory over Jenny Dalgleish (Haverhill, Suffolk) in the Women's Main Draw Consolation Singles final on Monday, having won the Women's Second Draw Singles final on her National Championships debut 12 months ago.
Monday also proved to be a magnificent day for Gloucestershire's Trevor Mayo (Barnwood, Gloucester), another relatively new player to the sport. Mayo, who has been playing wheelchair tennis for just 11 months, gained victory in the Novice Division Singles final after coming from 4-1 down to defeat Kevin McDonnell (Jersey) in the Novice Division Singles final at his home tennis centre. Mayo's 8-5 victory, in a match played a pro-set, meant that he went one better than fellow Oxstalls player Paul Ballinger (Prestbury, Cheltenham), who was runner up in last year's Novice Singles. On Sunday, Mayo and Ballinger had bowed out in the semi-finals of the Men's B/C Division Doubles.
Mistry won his second title of the week in the Men's Main Draw Doubles as top seeds Mistry and Hatt paired up to defeat second seeds Kevin Plowman (Norwood Green, Halifax, Yorkshire) and David Gardner (Wheatley Hill, Durham & Cleveland) in the final.
Meanwhile, following her defeat in the Women's Main Draw Singles final, McMorran paired up with Kimberly Blake (Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire) to win the Women's Main Draw Doubles title after victory over Dalgleish and Shuker.
Burdekin also collected his second title of the week in the Quad Doubles as he paired up with Chris Johnson (Waterlooville, Hampshire) to beat Sean McCallion (Northolt, Middlesex) and Nick Webborn (Eastbourne, East Sussex).
Please note that a full list of winners at the National Wheelchair Tennis Association Awards is attached to this release, together with a full list of all finals winners from the 2004 National Wheelchair Tennis Championships.
PLEASE NOTE THAT DRAWSHEETS FOR ALL EVENTS ARE AVAILABLE BY CLICKING THELINK BELOW:
Press Officer
National Wheelchair Tennis Championships
Email: marshall.thomas@btopenworld.com
Tel: 07880 641 855