Reid and Griffioen win second Nottingham Indoor titles
Gordon Reid and Jiske Griffioen won their second Nottingham Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Tournament titles apiece on Sunday as the final British world-ranking event on the 2013 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour drew to a close at Nottingham Tennis Centre.
British No. 1 and world No. 4 Reid claimed his second men’s singles title in three years and Dutch world No. 3 Griffioen secured her second successive Nottingham Indoor title.
Second seed Reid and Dutch top seed Maikel Scheffers met in the men’s final in Nottingham for the third successive year after both having beaten each other in the last two finals, but 2011 champion Reid proved strongest this time as he claimed a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Both players held serve in the first four games before Reid broke for a 4-2 lead and he went on to serve out the opening set, which he secured with a powerful forehand down the line. Reid gained the first break of the second set and although Scheffers broke straight back Reid reeled off the last three games of the match to complete victory after 67 minutes.
Reid said, after beating Scheffers for the second successive tournament this year and for his second successive ITF 1 Series title in a row:
“I’m really happy and delighted to regain the title. You’re not going to play your best tennis all the time and I’m pleased with how I got the job done today. It’s my second straight ITF 1 title and my third tournament win in a row, so it give me lots of confidence going into next month’s NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters.”
Second seed Griffioen dominated the women’s singles final this year, recording a 6-1, 6-1 victory after being forced to three sets last year by Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock.
Ellerbrock won just the fourth game of the second set and the sixth game of the second set after going 5-0 down as Griffioen wrapped up her eleventh victory over Ellerbrock in thirteen head-to-heads. Second seed Griffioen, who will bid to retain her NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters title in California in early November, said:
“I’m very pleased with the win today, I felt I controlled the game well and put a lot of pressure on Sabine, with few mistakes. It’s great preparation heading into the Masters."
French third seeds Michael Jeremiasz and Nicolas Peifer brought the tournament to a thrilling conclusion as the men’s doubles final, the last match of the tournament, went to a final set tie-break. Jeremiasz and Peifer prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(0) in a contest lasting just two minutes short of three hours.
World No. 1 ranked junior Alfie Hewett won the all-Brit men’s consolation singles final, beating two-time Paralympian and former National champion Alex Jewitt 6-1, 6-4.
The women’s consolation singles was won by Dutchwoman Michaela Spaanstra, who defeated Charlotte Famin of France 6-2, 7-5.
Organised by the Tennis Foundation, Nottingham Indoor is an ITF 1 Series event on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour and has been held at Nottingham Tennis Centre over the last five days, featuring 68 players from 11 countries. The tournament was supported by Nottingham City Council.
