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Tennis players from around the district held a tournament recently and raised £180 which will go towards making life a bit better for local children. Befrienders is a independent voluntary organisation which recruits adult volunteers to offer friendship and support for children aged 7-16 years, living in Argyll and Bute, and experiencing difficulties in some area of their lives.
Players from the four local tennis clubs, Kirktonhill, Cardross, Craighelen and Helensburgh hold a tournament each year to raise money for a local good cause and they were delighted to pass a cheque to such a worthy cause. Project Co-ordinator Cathi Bertin and volunteer Margaret Kelly are pictured receiving the cheque from Trisha Cameron from Kirktonhill along with Eileen Drummond from Craighelen, Elaine Holmes from Cardross and Mike Bews and Bobby Kerr from Helensburgh tennis club. Please click on the photo see a larger version and then click on the Back button to return to this page.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. July 31st 2008)
British men's wheelchair squad gain promotion to World Group for 2009
Reports Lee Goodall
The British men's team returned triumphant from the 2008 Invacare World Team Cup in Cremona, Italy, in June after winning the World Group 2 title.
Derbyshire's Alex Jewitt, Nottinghamshire's David Phillipson and Scottish duo Gordon Reid and Kevin Simpson were undefeated as a team and in doing so guarenteed their place in the elite 16-nation World Group 1 in 2009. In fact, the British squad had secured their World Group 1 place simply by reaching the final, but made sure they ended on a high by beating top seeds Belgium 2-1 in the title decider.
In the final, Scottish 16-year-old Reid put Great Britain ahead when he beat Belgium's Gert Vos 6-2 4-6 6-4, before the tie was levelled when Joachim Gerard beat Jewitt 6-1 6-1. Phillipson then teamed up with Reid to win the decisive doubles rubber against Gerard and Vos 6-1 6-1. The team had reached the final thanks to victories over Sri Lanka, Russia and Germany in the early rounds.
The image above shows the GB wheelchair team members wearing white tracksuit tops. The members from left to right are Kevin Simpson, Gordon Reid, Alex Hewitt and David Phillipson along with the GB coaching staff. Please click on the photo see a larger version and then click on the Back button to return to this page.
Nottingham to host 2009 Invacare Cup
The most prestigious event in wheelchair team tennis will take place at the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre in July 2009. The Invacare World Team Cup, seen as the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis, will be played out at the East Midlands venue for the third time in its history.
Every year the best players in wheelchair tennis assemble for the event which features men's, women's, quad and junior draws. The 27th July-2nd August staging of the event will mark its 25th anniversary - 200 players from more than 30 nations will attend.
Great Britain recently returned to the elite 16-nation World Group 1 division and squad member David Phillipson (pictured right with teammate Gordon Reid and ATP star Marin Cilic) can't wait to play in front of his British fans. "It was really important for us to earn the promotion and it's very exciting to now be in a position to compete against the world's top nations in front of our home crowd next year," said Phillipson. "Nottingham is my home city so it's especially exciting."
(From an article that appeared in the British Tennis Magazine, the official magazine of the LTA - Issue 134, August 2008)
Helensburgh's Gordon Reid is in action this week at the 19th British Open Wheelcahir Tennis Championships in Nottingham. Reid goes into this year's tournament having recently become British No. 2 ranked junior for the first time after climbing above Derbyshire's Alex Jewitt in the world rankings.
Sixteen-year-old Reid is one of four players who comprise the British interest in the Men's Main Draw Singles in the Championships, which are running until July 27th at the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre. Another ace player in the four is local Nottinghamshire 19-year-old David Phillipson. Two years on from contesting the Men's Second Draw Singles final at the British Open, a match that Reid won, Phillipson and Reid are now Britain's top two ranked senior players and both have beaten several top 20 players in the last 18 months.
World No. 25 Phillipson, will undoubtedly look forward to local crowd support as he bids to at least equal his achievement in reaching the last 16 last year. Alex Jewitt, from Dronefield, and Kevin Simpson, from Linlithgow, are also among the leading domestic entries for the British Open and are set to join Phillipson and Reid in making their Paralympic Games debut in Beijing in September.
One of just three tournaments on the 2008 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour to have Super Series status, the British Open features the world's best players year after year. However, this year's field of 120 players from 25 countries is truly exceptional, with all of the world top 10 Men's and Quad players, and nine of the world's top 10 Women's players set to take part as they continue the quest for the best possible seeding for the Paralympic Tennis Event in Beijing.
The entry includes world No. 1 players and defending champions Shingo Kunieda of Japan, Ester Vergeer of the Netherlands and David Wagner of the United States. Kunieda heads the field for the Men's Main Draw Singles and comes to Nottingham undefeated so far in 2008 and yet to drop a set in six tournaments, as he bids to retain the British Open title he won in spectacular fashion last year. On that occasion Kunieda's maiden British open victory was the third leg of a unique run that saw him become the first Men's Singles player to win all the sport's Super Series titles.
Former two-time British Open champion Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands will be among Kunieda's biggest rivals in Nottingham. World No. 2 Ammerlaan, the winner in 2003 and 2006, is one of a trio of Dutch top 10 players, along with Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink, who will bid for honours. Ammerlaan and Vink recently retained their Men's Wheelchair Doubles Master Series title at The Championships, Wimbledon.
France also has a trio of top 10 players who will hope to dethrone Kunieda. Among them is former world No. 1 and current world No. 4 Michael Jeremiasz, who was the last player to beat Kunieda when they met in the semi-finals of the NEC Wheelchair Tenis Singles Masters in Amsterdam in November. Jeremiasz and fellow countryman Stephane Houdet were both former leading junior able-bodied players in France before taking up wheelchair tennis, and world No. 3 Houdet also poses a live threat. The world's leading junior player, Nicolas Peifer, who has a senior world ranking of No. 10, completes the trio of world top 10 ranked French players.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. July 24th 2008)
Burgh wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid had a disappointing first experience of Wimbledon. The young Helensburgh player, ranked world junior number two, crashed out in the Men's International Wheelchair Doubles to the defending champions.
Reid and fellow debutante David Phillipson lost 6-0 6-2 to Robin Ammerlaan and Ronald Vink of the Netherlands on court three on Saturday. Though 19-year-old Phillipson lost his first service game, the duo put up a brave fight but passed up two game points in the fifth game against the experienced Dutchmen.
Reid recorded an ace in the second set as the Brits rallied and were unlucky not to break Ammerlaan's serve, but Vink then served out the match as the top seeds made the final.
Reflecting on the result, Reid said:"We are disappointed we didn't play better, but it was a great experience to play in front of such an enthusiastic crowd and get our first taste of playing a competitive match at Wimbledon."
This is the fourth successive year four leading men's wheelchair doubles teams have contested the Wimbledon Doubles Masters Series, which boasts a £14,000 prize purse.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. July 10th 2008)
Helensburgh second team gain promotion
Helensburgh Tennis Club’s ladies second team will play first division tennis next season thanks to an outstanding run of form. The Ladies won 7 out of 8 matches to clinch the division 2a title. The seven member team of Carol Bews, Ann Sills, Liz Wylie, Denise Laverty, Gay Black, Louise Burnet and Mhairi Stevenson were delighted to be able to toast their success with a glass of wine. They will now play division 2b winners Fort Matilda for the Rose Bowl trophy.
The annual veterans tournament is now underway with some mouthwatering matches in store including last year’s winner Alastair Hope up against Hadden Smith in the over 40’s men’s singles and Denise Laverty against Ruth Hanks in the ladies over 40’s singles. Finals day is on Saturday 23rd August.
Photo includes Carol Bews, Ann Sills, Denise Laverty, Gay Black, Louise Burnet and Liz Wylie. Please click on the photo of the ladies second team to see a larger version and then click on the Back button to return to this page.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. July 3rd 2008)
Gordon Reid, the British No. 3 from Helensburgh, has been invited to compete in the fourth Wimbledon Masters Wheelchair Series next weekend. The 16-year-old and British No. 1 Daviv Phillipson, both of whom are Beijing-bound for the Paralympics in September, are the first all-British pair to take part in the event, which involves four top doubles partnerships.
(From an article that appeared in the The Herald - Fri. June 27th 2008)
Wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid will be serving up a treat at Wimbledon - and hoping to land some cash too. Just a week after the teenager was getting his head around qualification for the Paralympic Games in Beijing, Gordon will now prepare for London. The 16-year-old has made an incredible rise through the rankings since taking up the sport in 2005, and is now World Junior Number two and 36th placed Senior in the Singles rankings.
A week before his 13th birthday, Gordon was struck down with the neurological condition Transverse Myelitis, which permanently damaged his spinal chord and destroyed his nerves. But his determination to excel in a sport he has always enjoyed saw him pick up a racket again just six months after leaving hospital.
He said: "I had played tennis before so I just wanted to keep on doing it. I saw other people who were better than me and I wanted to beat them. I'm quite competitive, both against other people and myself. In the last year my aim was to put myself in a position where I'd be selected for London 2012. I never thought about Beijing but now I have qualified, it will give me a bit of experience and hopefully push me even further up. And to be invited to Wimbledon is just brilliant."
Gordon will be appearing over Wimbledon finals weekend (July 5/6) competing with doubles partner David Phillipson from Nottinghamshire for a prize purse of £14,000. The duo will be one of four wheelchair doubles pairings in the the event, which is part of the global NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, and will also mean a chance at gaining more vital ranking points.
Gorodn, back home in Helensburgh for a brief respite before competitions in Switzerland and Holland has been glued to the tv watching the SW19 action. He added:"I am willing Andy Murray on because he is Scottish but I was disappointed by his first round draw as I also like Fabrice Santoro, who he just knocked out. I watched Santoro at an exhibition match and he is so talented."
"In terms of playing doubles at wheelchair tennis, you need good communication and a lot of understanding about what everyone is doing on the court. I tend to enjoy it more than singles as it is faster."
Once the excitement of Wimbledon wears off, the level-headed teenager will be completely focused on the Paralympic Games. His whole family is planning to cheer him on in Beijing from his first serve on September 8, but Gordon admits it still hasn't quite sunk in. He added: "I've been abroad quite a lot but the furthest I have travelled is to South Africa and America, so I don't really know what to expect when I reach Beijing. We have done a bit of preparation, had a few meetings about Beijing which made it more real. I am getting more and more excited and I am really looking forward to the whole experience. If I can get a good draw and play my best tennis, who knows what could happen."
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. June 26th 2008)
Katie Fulton held onto her ladies singles title at the weekend after a thrilling match against Robyn Sheves at Helensburgh Tennis Club.
Robyn made Katie work hard in the first set, matching her shot for shot, but Katie was always the stronger and took it 6-4, then the second 6-2.
Alan MacBeath secured his first singles title, beating top junior Niall Hope in straight sets, though future force Niall rallied him on many occassions and took the first set to a tie break.
In the men's doubles, five times champions Robert Dunbar and Bobby Kerr outclassed Hadden Smith and David McCowan 6-0 6-1. In the ladies doubles Katie Fulton and Gay Black successfully defended their title against top seeds and first team pair Joanna Gough and Robyn Sheves.
The final match up was between four of the Club's top players. Number one seeds, and title holders, Katie Fulton and Alastair Hope took on Karrie Walters and Bobby Kerr, who won 7-5 1-6 6-4.
Please click on the image of this year's tournament winners to see a larger version and then click on the Back button to return to this page.
The Club now looks forward to the veterans tournament which takes place in July and August.
Team news
Helensburgh LTC ladies third team enjoyed a successful season. They lost only one match against top side Bishopton, and drew two in the West of Scotland League Third Division.
Matches won were: Lenzie 2 9-0, Newlands 4 8-3, Mount Vernon 7-4, Titwood 2 7-4 and Whitecraigs 3 7-4.
The team's first couple Morag Cawley and Elaine Sinclair were the most consistent, losing only six sets. They were closely followed by second couple Yvonne MacFarlane and Lizzie Burt (Sue Scott filled in for one match. The third couple had a variety of players: Emily Reid, Fiona Burnett, Val Pace, Fiona Chalmers and Agneta Nyblom.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. June 26th 2008)
Young wheelchair tennis champ Gordon Reid smashed Great Britain back to the top group after a sizzling performance in Italy.
The 16-year-old from Helensburgh brought the 2008 Invacare World team Cup to a glorious end for the Breat Britain's Men's team on Saturday when they sealed the Group 2 title with victory over top seeds Belgium.
Promotion back to Group one - the elite group of 16 nations - was already secured when the four-strong team reached the final itself. After heavy overnight rain continued into Saturday morning in Cremona, the start of the Men's World Group 2 final was delayed by almost three hours. But when play did get underway, Reid made the perfect start, clinching the first set of the first singles rubber against Belgium's Gert Vos 6-2. Vos edged the second set, but Reid kept his nerve and came from 2-3 down in the final set to secure a 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory.
Reid later sparked full on celebrations when he and Nottingham British Men's number one David Phillipson beat Vos and Joachim Gerard in the decisive doubles rubber. The win meant Great Britain's men return to World Group 1 after a two year absence, with Reid still unbeaten.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. June 19th 2008)
The Scots, Gordon Reid and Kevin Simpson celebrated their selection to the British team for the Paralympic Games in Beijing with a 3-0 doubles win against Russia on their senior debuts in the LTA British men's team quartet in the quarter-finals of the Invacare World Wheelchair Team Cup Group Two in Cremona, Italy, writes Robin Morris. Britain, seeded No. 2 meet third seeds Germany in a semi-final.
(From an article that appeared in the The Herald - Fri. June 13th 2008)
The annual senior Open Club Championships are underway this week. This year the tournament is sponsored by Helensburgh Tyre Services, whose boss Frank Aranci is happy to make a racket. He said: "This is my first year playing and hopefully I'll feature in the tournament in the coming years."
Early victories in the men's singles include Alan MacBeath, Gordon MacGregor, Hadden Smith and number two seed Niall Hope. Niall lost the first set 3-6 to former top junior Kevin Stephen, but rallied to take the next two steps.
In the mixed doubles there were wins for Christine McKelvie and Gordon MacGregor and number two seeds Karrie Walter and Bobby Kerr.
In the team news the ladies first team won convincingly 5-0 against Prestwick to book a place in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup for the first time, where they will meet holders Dunfermline.
In league news, the team lost narrowly to a very strong Strathgryffe team and the men also lost 3-6 to Giffnock, with only Robert Dunbar and Bobby Kerr winning.
The men's second team are doing well with great wins at Titwood, Uddingston and Woodend. The ladies second and third team are also in fine form, winning five of their last six matches.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. June 12th 2008)
Generous local tennis players gathered at Helensburgh Tennis Club on Sunday to raise money for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity and the Argyll & Bute Children’s Befriending scheme. The annual mixed doubles tournament is also in memory of local tennis player Marie Dixon who contributed much to the local scene. Players from all the local clubs including Craighelen, Kirktonhill, Cardross and Helensburgh raised over £300 for the two good causes. The winning pair were Mark Leonard and Lesley Reeves who narrowly beat Peter McElroy and Fiona McDonald in the final.
The Contribution to tennis award was also presented at the event. The award was donated by the family of the late Marie Dixon and it was presented to Kirktonhill’s Pat Leonard by Marie’s daughter Maeve.
Please click on the image to see a larger version and then click on the Back button to return to this page.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. June 5th 2008)
Helensburgh men's first team travelled to the south side of Glasgow to play Titwood last week, and came away with eight valuable points. With the loss of the team's top player Steve Losh and with Jamie McDonald also unavailable, it was a spirited performance by the players.
Alan MacBeath and Stuart Whitelaw won a very hard hitting match at first couple two sets to one. Robert Dunbar and Bobby Kerr also won by the same score. Father and son pair Alastair and Niall Hope won the first set 6-3 before losing the second 4-6. The third set was very one-sided as the Burgh duo took it easily 6-2. Final score was a 6-3 win plus two vital bonus points.
Helensburgh ladies first team secured their first victory of the season in a close match against Broomhill. Katie Fulton and Karrie Walters had a 2-1 victory while Robyn Sheves and Joanna Gogh were outclassed by their opponents. The stars of the night were Ann Morison and Liz Wylie who won all three sets: 6-3, 6-2, 7-6.
There were also wins for the ladies 4th team who beat Glasgow University 6-3 in a marathon match which lasted almost three hours. In their second match the team came through winners again, despite the very windy conditions, beating Strathgryffe 7-2.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. May 15th 2008)
The season is now well under way with both seniors and juniors in action last week.
Fresh from winning the Vets Spring Knock Out tournament, Helensburgh ladies first team came down to earth with a bang as they lost 2-7 to current champions Newlands. Karrie Walters and Katie Fulton managed to get a set as did Joanna Gough and Robyn Sheves.
Their next match at Strathgryffe was notable for all the wrong reasons as Yolande injured herself at the end of the tie break in the first set and the Helensburgh pair had to concede the rest of their match. Katie and Karrie lost out in the third set while Joanna and Robyn picked up two sets, but the final score was a 3-6 defeat.
There was better news from the juniors as the boys U16 team beat Oban 8-0 with great performances from Niall Hope, Ciaran Losh, David Reid and Liam Chambers. The boys U14 team drew 4-4 with East Kilbride with great tennis from 9-year-old debutant Fraser Fulton who won both his singles and his doubles. In their second match the boys hosted Whitecraigs and dropped only five games in an 8-0 win.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. May 8th 2008)
Reigning wheelchair tennis National champion Gordon Reid has hit yet another career high world ranking this week after reaching the last 16 of last week's Pensacola Open in Florida. The Helensburgh teenager will now go into today's (Thursday) Cajun Classic in Louisiana ranked world No. 36, an improvement of two places on his previous best. Reid jumped up the rankings after he made the second round of the ITF 1 Series event and gave a world top 10 player plenty to think about for the second successive week.
By a twist of fate, the 16-year-old Scot drew British No. 1 David Phillipson in the first round in Pensacola. After a 7-6(2) 6-2 victory he met world No. 6 Ronald Vink of the Netherlands in the second round, but lost out by one single break 6-4 6-3. Vink was Reid's second top ranked Dutch opponent in successive weeks.
He began his current run of three tournaments in the United States at the Florida Open in Boca Raton, where world No. 5 Maikel Scheffers awaited in the first round. Reid produced a superb effort to take the fourth seeded Scheffers to a first set tie-break before the Dutchman went on to clinch a hard won 7-6(1) 6-3 victory.
After his first round loss in Boca Raton, Reid progressed to the quarter-finals of the Men's Main draw Consolation Singles, where he was edged out 6-7(2) 4-6 by Phillipson. However, Reid reversed that result in Pensacola to climb to his new career high.
Having won four singles titles and three doubles titles so far this year, Reid is enjoying a rich vein of form, as demonstrated by his performances against Scheffers and Vink over the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, after reaching the Men's Main draw Doubles quarter-finals with Phillipson in Boca Raton a fortnight ago, Reid's chances of doubles progress this week have received a boost after he was approached by Austrian Martin Legner to form a first-time partnership. Legner, world ranked No. 8, has won the most international doubles titles of any Men's player currently competing on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour and is a former world No. 1 ranked doubles player.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. April 24th 2008)
A feast of good tennis was served up during the eight days of the tournament.
There was much local interest in the events as Ciaran Losh and Fiona Burnet (both Helensburgh LTC) fought through the U12 and U14 draws.
Fiona played well, winning the U12 Singles title, with some attacking and thoughtful play, defeating Meghan Montgomerie 6-1 6-4. Fiona's toughest match was in the semi-final where she defeated Anastasia Mikheeva. At only 8-years-old Anastasia is a name to watch. In the Under 14 event, Fiona won one round then lost out to eventual winner Emily Lauder of Esporta Hamilton.
Ciaran also had a grand week, reaching his second seeded place in the Under 12 Singles. In the final his opponent Reuben Henry was just too strong, but Ciaran fought hard and despite nursing a nasty blister on his racquet hand, reached the semi-final of the Under 14 Singles.
Other players from the area taking part were: Adam Hepworth of Craighelen, who had a good first round win in the Under 16 Singles, Cameron Burt, Jack Keating and David Reid (all Helensburgh) who also had good first round wins.
Niall Hope (Helensburgh), Fraser Brown and Dylan Black (both Craighelen) lost difficult first round encounters.
In the Under 10 singles event Ben Adlington (Craighelen) and Lewis Serpell (Helensburgh) gained valuable tournament experience, while Katherine McPhie (Helensburgh) was runner up in the Under 10 Girls Singles, winning two of her three matches.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. April 17th 2008)
There is just no stopping wheelchair tennis sensation Gordon Reid as he won another title and leaped up the rankings.
The 16-year-old from Helensburgh collected the Men's Main Draw Singles title on Sunday at the North East tournament in Sunderland. And straight after he attained a new career high doubles ranking of No. 30.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. March 20th 2008)
Helensburgh's reigning Wheelchair Tennis National Champion Gordon Reid clinched his sixth title in four tournaments on Sunday when he paired up with Laszlo Farkas of Hungary to win the Men's Main Draw Doubles at the Biel-Berne Indoors in Switzerland. The 16-year-old Scot is now set to gain new career high rankings in both singles and doubles.
Sunday's success comes after Reid won singles titles at his first three tournaments of the year, adding the Boys Doubles title in his seasonal debut at the International Wheelchair Tennis Junior Masters in Tarbes France, and also the Men's Main Draw Doubles title at the North West Challenge in Preston.
A week after retaining his Men's Main Draw Singles title at the North West Challenge, the first British-based world ranking event on the 2008 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, Reid reached the semi-finals in Biel-Berne before succumbing to world no. 6 Ronald Vink from Holland.
Reid is now set to improve upon his previous career high world ranking of no. 60 and is likely to climb to a position just outside the world's top 50.
In the Men's Main Draw Doubles, Reid and Farkas opened with a 7-5 6-2 win over Mazzei and Cristian Mira of Spain before a 5-7 6-3 6-0 semi-final win over Sommerfield and Niclas Larsson of Sweden. Reid and Farkas then produced a superb effort in Sunday's final to come back from 1-4 down in the first set to beat Belgian second seeds Gert Vos and Joachim Gerard 6-4 6-1.
Reid will now hope to continue his amazing start to 2008 when he contests the North East Wheelchair Tennis Tournament which held in Sunderland.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. March 13th 2008)
National Wheelchair Tennis Champion Gordon Reid remains unbeaten in 2008 after clinching his third successive international title within a month. The Helensburgh ace won the North west Challenge in Preston on Sunday, the first British-based world ranking event of this year.
The ITF Futures Series event also brought the 16-year-old Scot his second doubles title in three tournaments, alongside Alex Jewitt.
Defending champion and fourth seed reid, who needed to retain his title to consolidate his senior ranking just outside the World's top 60, overcame a tough first round draw against experienced Yorkshireman Kevin Plowman.
He then strode through the quarter and semi-finals, beating the Slovak Republic's David Chabrecek 6-2 6-1 then powering past Spanish top seed Francesco Tur 6-1 6-2, to set up a final showdown with British second seed Jamie Robinson.
Robinson, formerly a two-time champion in Preston, proved no match for Reid who won 6-2 6-2. Reid is now off to the Biel-Bienne tournament in Switzerland which starts today (Thursday).
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. March 6th 2008)
It was an ace performance from team Helensburgh as they stormed into the final of the West of Scotland Winter Knock Out Tournament. Victory against Uddingston means Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club are now in with a great chance of securing the title for the ninth time in the last 15 years.
Katie Fulton (pictured right) and Karrie Walters got the team off to a flying start as they won easily by two sets to nil.
In the gents match Steve Losh and Niall Hope were also in great form as they won 6-1 6-0. In the first mixed doubles match Steve and Katie brushed aside their opponents in under an hour 6-1 6-1.
The other mixed doubles went all the way to a tie break in the deciding set. Niall and Karrie came back from 3-6 down in the tie break to level the score at 6-6, but it was the visitors who got the final winner, taking it 9-7. Helensburgh now play Esporta at Hamilton on Sunday.
Plans are also well underway for the Easter tennis camps. They are on Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm daily, weeks commencing Mondays March 31st, April 7th and April 14th. Children must be in Primary 2 or upwards year 2007/2008. The camps cost £45 for members and £60 for non-members. For more information, or to make a booking, contact Ann Morison (coaching convener) on 01436 673974.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. February 28th 2008)
For the second successive weekend, Helensburgh's Gordon Reid secured an international tennis title on Sunday, scooping the Men's Second Draw Singles in Switzerland.
Sixteen-year-old Reid adds this series event on the 2008 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour to his Junior Masters Boys' Singles title he won last week in France.
Reid, who became Britain's first international champion, narrowly missed out on a place in the field for the Men's Main draw Singles by one single world ranking place. However, he fully justified his top seeding for the Men's Second Draw Singles and after a first round bye, got his challenge underway with a 6-2 6-0 win over Ahmed Jeddi of Morocco.
The quarter-finals were much tighter but Reid managed to edge out fifth seed Luca Spano of Italy 6-4 7-5.
Reid dropped the first set of his semi-final against French third seed David Dalmasso, but broke early in the second set and maintained his advantage to level the match. With the momentum firmly in his favour, the young Scot then powered through the third and deciding set to seal a 3-6 6-3 6-0 victory.
Up against Swiss fourth seed Daniel Pellegrina in the final in Sion, Reid broke Pellegrina's serve in the sixth game of the first set to seize the initiative and then fought back from 1-4 down in the second set to have a match point at 5-4 up. Although Pellegrina took the set to a tie-break, Reid then went 3-0 ahead before securing a 6-3 7-6(4) victory on his third match point.
Despite another promising performance in the Men's Main Draw Doubles, Reid and his Italian partner Fabian Mazzei were unable to make it to the semi-finals, losing out to the eventual champions.
Reid and Mazzei came back from 4-1 down in the first set of their quarter-final against Nicolas Peifer of France and Josef Felix of the Slovak Republic to lead 6-5 before going a mini-break up in the subsequent tie-break. However, Peifer and Felix took the last five points of the tie-break. They then won the last two games of a closely fought second set to prevail 7-6(4) 6-4 en route to taking the title.
Reid's Sion victory will see him edge ever closer to his highest career ranking of 60, achieved in March last year. He will now bid to defend his Men's Main Draw title at the ITF Futures Series North West Challenge in Preston, the first British-based world ranking event on the 2008 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. This takes place in two weeks' time.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. February 14th 2008)
Teenage wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid made history on Sunday when he became Britain's first ever Boy's Singles Champion at the Junior Masters in France.
Reid, from Helensburgh, was part of a clean sweep of all four titles by British players at the Cruyff Foundation International Wheelchair Tennis Junior Masters in Tarbes - the most prestigious tournament on the circuit. It was quite literally double glory for Reid who also won the Boys' Doubles title for the second successive year.
The tournament, open to eight of the world's top male players under the age of 18, ran alongside the final four days of the renowned Les Petits As, the event for able-bodied players aged 12-14, where Andy Murray was a finalist in 2001.
Reid, 16, was making his second appearance in Tarbes after just missing out on last year's Boy's Singles final, following a narrow loss to the top seed in his third and final pool match. This year, however, second seed Reid dropped just three round-robin pool matches against Sven Jonker of the Netherlands, Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina and fellow Briton Philip Cochrane.
Finishing unbeaten at the top of his pool, Reid played out a tough final against Dutch top seed Tom Egberink. With his coach Karen Ross watching on, Reid was always on top, serving out for a 6-3 6-3 victory on his first match point.
His victory capped off a superb weekend, having already secured the doubles title with his Polish partner Jaroslaw Zyla. The pairing defeated Cochrane and Fernandez 6-2 6-2 in the final.
Reid said: "I'm delighted to become the first British player to win the title. Tarbes is a great place to win, the atmosphere is great and there were two British finalists in the Les Petits As tournament, so we all got behind each other. I don't feel I played my best tennis, but I played well and against Tom in the final I did the basics right which was enough to win."
Reid, who previously became Britain's youngest Men's Singles National Champion at the age of 15, will now hope he can translate his Junior Masters success onto the senior platform at the Sion Indoor tournament in Switzerland. Currently ranked 64th in the senior world singles, a series of good results in Sion could put him in contention for the Beijing Paralympic Ganes in September.
(From an article that appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser - Thu. February 7th 2008)
