Shuker and Whiley reach Wimbledon final
11 months ago
Lucy Shuker and Jordanne Whiley have become the first all-British wheelchair tennis pair to reach a Wimbledon final after they won their semi-final encounter at The Championships.
Shuker and Whiley, who won their first ITF1 doubles title together in May at the Atlanta Open, defeated No.2 seeds Sharon Walraven from the Netherlands and Belgian Annick Sevenans in a repeat of that final.
The duo came back from 5-2 down and saved three set points to take it to a tense first set tie-break, which they held strong to claim 7-5. The second set was more straight forward as they clinched the match and a place in the final 7-6(5), 6-3.
“It’s a pretty incredible feeling right now and I absolutely cannot wait for the final on Sunday, especially as we’ll be on Court Three,” said 20-year-old Whiley.
“We had a frustrating loss last week at the French Open and to put that out of our systems and reach the final at Wimbledon shows how far we’ve come as a partnership.”Jordanne Whiley
“It’s my third final at Wimbledon but to reach it with a fellow Brit in Paralympic year is extra special. We were a bit tense to begin with but both started hitting well and we’re here to win our first Grand Slam title in front of a home crowd,” added Shuker, who reached the final in 2009 and 2010 with Australian Daniela di Toro.
They will face Dutchwomen Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot in Sunday’s final after they caused an upset to defeat top seeds and compatriots Esther Vergeer and Marjolein Buis 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Saturday sees Brits Gordon Reid and Marc McCarroll in action in their men's semi-final against top seeds Robin Ammerlaan and Ronald Vink.
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