British sweep wheelchair tennis tournament in Rotterdam

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid ensured a British sweep of men’s titles at the ABN AMRO World Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sunday. 

Hewett, who put his rollercoaster Australian Open singles final against Joachim Gerard behind him, topped compatriot Reid for the singles title as he had in 2020 – though the final was a closer affair than it had been 12 months ago. 

World No. 3 Hewett had beaten his countryman and doubles partner 6-0 6-3 in 2020, but it was Reid who forced the early pace this time, requiring Hewett to come from 5-2 down in the opening set and 2-0 in the second before completing a 7-5 6-4 win. 

“I think it was a really good level from both of us today and it was just a few points at crucial moments that decided it in the end,” said Hewett after claiming his first singles title of the year.

“I had to move on pretty swiftly from 5-2 down and just tried to make balls and go for it a little bit more. I just wanted to focus on my game and try and get my face back up on that winners wall.” 

Imagen

The doubles competition saw Dutch duo Tom Egberink and Maikel Scheffers upsetting the odds in the semi-finals by beating Australian Open finalists Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France 6-2, 6-1.

The final proved a different story, however, as Egberink and Scheffers struggled to keep pace with Hewett and Reid, with the top seeds easing to a 6-1, 6-1 victory and a ninth doubles title in their 10 tournaments together since the start of 2020.