Shrewsbury Summer Open once again proves a big hit with wheelchair tennis players

More than 40 players, including a number of newcomers to the sport, helped make the Shrewsbury Summer Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament a big hit.

Players travelled from across the country to compete on The Shrewsbury Club's indoor courts in last weekend’s event, which is part of the Roma Sport National Wheelchair Tennis Series and supported by the Tennis Foundation.

“It went very well,” said Scott Smith, one of the organisers from the Shropshire Wheelchair Tennis Group, the tournament hosts. "We had over 40 entries, six in the juniors, and the overall entry list featured probably 10 new faces, including some new players to wheelchair tennis, which was good to see.

“One came up from Southampton to play and we also had a French player, who is living over here at the moment, taking part. 
“We had good feedback from the players, who always enjoy coming to Shrewsbury, and there was a lot of great tennis played.
“We also managed to raise over £100 for the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust from the sale of cakes and other donations.”

Asif Abbasi, who was runner-up in Shrewsbury last year, went one better this time by winning the singles title in the main draw. He beat Philip Fielding 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

But Fielding was not to be denied a title and teamed up with Mark Langeveld to get the better of John Lambert and Mehboob Hussain in the doubles final.

The junior winner was Martha Harris, with the trophies presented by Simon Jones, the vice-chairman of Tennis Shropshire, which support the popular annual event. 

Tennis Shropshire chairman Bob Kerr said: “It was once again an excellent tournament and extremely well supported. The new players were impressed with the welcome they received and enjoyed the social side as well as the tennis.

“This event just keeps getting better year on year and has established an impressive reputation as a tournament to really look forward to with the players." 

The Shrewsbury Club will host the National Wheelchair Tennis Championships and National Series Finals for a second time later this year between November 29 and December 2.

Pictured: Craig Nicholson, from Craven Arms, in action during the Shrewsbury Summer Open at The Shrewsbury Club last weekend. Picture: Richard Dawson Photography.