IC of GB Centenary Week - Day 4 Report

“It was very nice out there today. We did a great job considering we played against France, who were number one! It was 1-1 after the singles, so the doubles decided the match and we won, so it was great.

“I played here when I was a pro, and it’s so nice to be back. Grass is not my best surface, but we’ve made the semi-finals, so it can’t be too bad!

“It’s been a perfect week. The tournament and everything is wonderful; it’s so lovely to feel like a pro again!”

Hosts Great Britain also secured their place in the semi-finals with victory over Denmark. Karen Lamb worked really hard to overcome Karina Jacobgaard in three sets whilst Emily Arbuthnott beat Julie Noe 6-2 6-1. They will now face Australia in the semi-finals tomorrow.

Australia beat their local rivals New Zealand winning both singles to take the fixture and secure their place in the semis. 

In the Windmill Cup two fixtures were affected by the rain with both Denmark v Italy and Spain v Australia resuming in the morning. Italy are currently 3-1 up and need just one set to secure their semi-final spot. Meanwhile top seeds Spain need to win their first doubles to guarantee themselves a spot in the semis.

Third seeds France secured their spot in the last four with a very tight win over Netherlands. It came down to the number of sets won, with France securing victory 7-6 and setting up a tie against Denmark or Italy.

Hosts Great Britain succumbed to the Czech Republic in a really tight fixture. Having won three matches apiece, the Czech Republicans won by just one set. They will now face either Spain or Australia.

Also on display on the Thursday of Centenary Week was the inaugural wheelchair competition in an IC tournament. The first event featured teams from Great Britain, Spain and a mixed team of Ireland and Brazil. Playing a round robin using the fast four format with a tiebreak at 4-4 and a seven-point tiebreak if the sets are tied, the players showcased a competitive level of wheelchair tennis with Spain taking the overall win. Enrique Meseguer and Lola Ribes were both dominant in their respective singles fixtures and made a great pairing in the doubles, especially considering it was the first time they had both played on grass. Enrique now turns his attention back to clay as he heads to Paris to compete in the forthcoming Paralympics. 

After the win, Lola said: “It was amazing to be here in Wimbledon. It was the first time we have played on grass and the ambience and everything else is amazing. We are very happy, and we won so it’s great!

“We are very pleased to be involved with the wheelchair tennis for the first time as part of the IC family. We have also spoken to the other Spanish teams and supported each other today. It’s amazing to have this opportunity and for people to see wheelchair tennis and to have more visibility.”

Enrique added: “It’s also my first time playing Wimbledon, and I am very happy. I always watch it on television and to play here is a one-off for me. I’m so happy to have been able to play with Lola and to win it is perfect!

“I’m now going to be playing in the Paralympics in Paris, so it’s very special for me. Today I’m playing in Wimbledon and next week I’ll play in Roland Garros. It’s perfect! It’s a dream for me and I am very happy!”

The introduction of wheelchair tennis to the IC family was the idea of IC Council Chairman Peter Mcquibban. He appointed disability and wheelchair tennis experts Geoff Newton, the former IC of GB Chairman who led the 75th anniversary celebrations in 1999, and Mark Bullock, who this year was awarded the Brad Parks Award – the ITF’s highest award for lifetime contribution to wheelchair tennis, to organise the wheelchair tournament as part of the IC of GB Centenary Week celebrations. After the success of today’s event the hope is that wheelchair tennis will feature on more IC tournaments around the globe more regularly, raising awareness of the sport and providing social and competitive opportunities to keep retired players in the sport, whilst increasing visibility for those players and others and creating a platform for more players to play the game.

Interspersed amongst the tennis (and rain) today, players and their guests enjoyed a spot of croquet on the famous lawns, before boarding a Routemaster bus in the evening for an open top bus tour around London.