Shuker, Houdet, Wagner seal US Open Super Series titles
Houdet and Wagner continue their success on the UNIQLO Tour, while Shuker claims her first Super Series title. 10 Oct 2016Great Britain’s Lucy Shuker claimed her first women’s singles Super Series title, as the US Open UTSA Wheelchair Championships concluded on Sunday (9 October) in St. Louis.
The Championships is part of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and is an important step in the qualification process for the year-end NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters
Third seed Shuker, playing in her third singles final in St. Louis since 2012, secured a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over US fourth seed Emmy Kaiser. Shuker completed two weeks of tournaments in the USA with back-to-back singles titles after victory at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) 2 Series PTR Championships on Hilton Head Island.
There was another first-time Super Series champion in the women’s doubles as Chile’s Macarena Cabrillana partnered with South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane to victory.
Cabrillana, who had upset Germany’s top seed Katharina Kruger earlier in the week to reach the women’s singles semi-finals, joined forces with Montjane to defeat top seeds the USA’s Dana Mathewson and Shuker 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Houdet retains men’s singles title
France’s world No. 2 and top seed Stephane Houdet retained the men’s singles title after beating Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez in the final for the second successive year.
Houdet sealed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Fernandez to win his third USA Open USTA Championships title since 2012 and his fourth Super Series singles title of 2016 after previous victories this year at the South Africa, Japan and British Opens.
Victory in the singles final brought the Frenchman his second title of the tournament after partnering Japan’s Shingo Kunieda to win the men’s doubles crown.
The top seeds and multiple Grand Slam champions powered past current and former world No. 1 ranked juniors Alfie Hewett of Great Britain and Spain’s Martin de la Puente 6-0, 6-1 in the doubles final.
Wagner maintains success
The USA’s David Wagner clinched his fifth successive quad singles title in St. Louis and his seventh US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships crown overall after defeating South Africa’s second seed Lucas Sithole 7-6(4), 6-4 in this year’s final.
World No. 2 and top seed Wagner edged out Sithole to continue his unbeaten winning streak at the tournament since 2012, having also won the title in 2007 and 2009.
Wagner and his regular doubles partner Nick Taylor passed another significant landmark in the quad doubles.
The top seeds, three-time Paralympic champions and Rio silver medallists claimed their 10th US Open USTA Championships quad doubles title after completing a 7-5, 6-1 win over their compatriot Greg Hasterok and Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne.
Complete results from the US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships can be found on the USTA’s website.