Vergeer, Houdet and Gershony Take Pensacola Open Wheelchair Tennis Titles

Aniek van Koot took world no 1 Vergeer to a third set for the first time in their 22 career meetings 03 Apr 2012

French Wheelchair Tennis player Stephane Houdet is now ranked No. 1 in the world in men's singles.

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By IPC

"(That's) what a good focus can do... I was so close! (I'm) very satisfied with how I played."

Esther Vergeer (NED), Stephane Houdet (FRA), and Noam Gershony (ISR) won the singles titles at the Pensacola Open, a part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, in Florida on Sunday (1 April).

World no. 1 Vergeer had to fight hard to win her first tournament in her new tennis chair against world no. 2 Aniek van Koot. Van Koot took her Dutch compatriot Vergeer to a third set for the first time in their 22 career meetings after snatching a second set tiebreak in the final. However, Vergeer was unperturbed and went on to win the title 6-3 6-7 6-2.

Both players showed their satisfaction with their performance after the match via Twitter. "(That's) what a good focus can do... I was so close! (I'm) very satisfied with how I played," van Koot posted while Verger said: “I beat world number 2 Aniek van Koot.... What a match! Happy with the result!"

World no. 2 Houdet successfully retained his men's singles title after becoming the third player this season to defeat Dutch world no. 1 Maikel Scheffers. After winning last week's Cajun Classic, Houdet comfortably wrapped up his second successive title 6-3 6-1, earning his fourth Pensacola Open crown since 2007.

Twelve months on from winning the quad second draw singles title in Pensacola, Gershony won the quad main draw singles after overcoming world no. 1 and defending champion Peter Norfolk 4-6 6-2 7-5.

Norfolk snatched the first set of the quad singles final before Gershony levelled the contest and then came from 4-1 down in the final set to earn just his second victory over Norfolk in seven career meetings, having also won their semifinal at this year's Sydney International Open after three tiebreaks.

Fourth seeds Michael Jeremiasz (FRA) and Gordon Reid (GBR) won the men's doubles title. Jeremiasz and Reid defeated Dutch third seeds Tom Egberink and Maikel Scheffers 6-4 6-1 as Scheffers ended the tournament with two runners-up trophies, while Jeremiasz and Reid collected their first doubles title together.

There was an upset in the all-Dutch women's doubles final as Vergeer and Sharon Walraven, the winners of all four Grand Slam titles and the Invacare Doubles Masters in 2011, lost to Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot.

Almost a year on from Griffioen and van Koot inflicting Vergeer and Walraven's last doubles defeat in the final of the 2011 Florida Open, the second seeds gained a hard won 7-6 3-6 6-3 victory after more than three hours.

Top seeds Nick Taylor and David Wagner retained the quad doubles title, the American duo beating British second seeds Jamie Burdekin and Norfolk 6-7 6-0 6-2.

For more information on Wheelchair Tennis, visit www.itftennis.com/wheelchair.