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Lawn Tennis Association GB Deaf Women Finish Fourth In Munich
The Great Britain Women's Deaf Tennis Team has finished fourth in the 2007 Maere Cup, the Fed Cup of deaf tennis, after slipping to a 2-1 loss against Spain in their final play-off match on Friday in Munich.
Oxfordshire's Beth Simmons lost the opening singles rubber against Spain's Beatriz Villamandos-Lorenzo 6-3, 6-3. However, after losing her serve in the opening game of the second singles rubber against the other Spanish sister, Raquel Villamandos-Lorenzo, three-time National Champion Catherine Graham (Lincolnshire) took control to earn an encouraging 6-2, 6-3 victory.
But the two Villamandos-Lorenzo sisters proved too tough for Graham and Beth Simmons's twin sister Alex in the deciding doubles rubber, opening up a 5-0 lead before taking the first set 6-1. Although Graham and Simmons took a 3-2 lead in the second set their efforts to level the match proved fruitless and the Spanish duo went on record a 6-1, 6-4 victory to clinch the tie.
The Dresse and Maere Cups are held on a four year-cycle and Graham and the Simmons sisters formed three quarters of the Great Britain Women's Team that won the Maere Cup in Poertschach, Austria, in 2003.
There was also disappointment on Friday for the Great Britain Men's Deaf Team, who narrowly missed out on reaching the final of the Dresse Cup, the Davis Cup of deaf tennis, for the second time in succession.
In a semi-final against the Netherlands, seven-time National Champion Peter Willcox (Tiverton, Devon) won the 1st set against Eric Brugman 6-1. Willcox had dropped just two games in four singles rubbers coming in to his match against Brugman, but as the Dutchman upped his game in the second set Willcox was unable to respond and Brugman took the set 6-3. However, Willcox regrouped at the start of the final set and found his form again to go on a record a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
Sheffield-based student and former National Champion Anthony Sinclair (Northern Ireland) took on the previously unbeaten Jan Jaap Uiterwjik Winkel in the second singles rubber. Winkel had not lost a set in four singles rubbers so far this week, but Sinclair fought hard to edge the first set of their match 7-5. However, Winkel produced a fightback to take the second set for the loss of just one game and despite Sinclair fighting for every point the Dutchman went on to level the tie with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win.
Wiltshire-based coach Lewis Fletcher (Surrey) partnered Willcox for the deciding doubles rubber, but the British duo were unable to rescue the tie as Brugman and Winkel earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory that puts them in to Saturday's final.
Team members Fletcher, Daniel Tunstall and Willcox formed three-quarters of the Great Britain Men's Team that finished as runners-up to top seeds Germany in the Dresse Cup in Poertschach in 2003.
The German Men's Team will now be Great Britain's final opponents on Saturday after a surprise loss to Austria in their Dresse Cup semi-final on Friday. Austria's Mario Kargl inflicted a rare defeat on Germany's reigning Deaflympic champion Ronald-Oliver Krieg to earn Austria's place in Saturday's final.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's play-off against Germany for third and fourth places is now likely to feature a rematch between Sinclair and Krieg after Sinclair became Great Britain's first Deaflympic Men's Singles Silver medallist for 40 years when reaching the final of the last Deaflympic Games in Melbourne in January 2005.
GB Women: Catherine Graham, Alex Simmons, Beth Simmons National Coach: Julie Jones
GB Men: Lewis Fletcher, Anthony Sinclair, Daniel Tunstall, Peter Willcox National Coach: Roger Jones
The official 2007 Dresse and Maere Cups website is at:
Dresse & Maere Cups 2007
The Great Britain Women's Deaf Tennis Team has finished fourth in the 2007 Maere Cup, the Fed Cup of deaf tennis, after slipping to a 2-1 loss against Spain in their final play-off match on Friday in Munich.
Oxfordshire's Beth Simmons lost the opening singles rubber against Spain's Beatriz Villamandos-Lorenzo 6-3, 6-3. However, after losing her serve in the opening game of the second singles rubber against the other Spanish sister, Raquel Villamandos-Lorenzo, three-time National Champion Catherine Graham (Lincolnshire) took control to earn an encouraging 6-2, 6-3 victory.
But the two Villamandos-Lorenzo sisters proved too tough for Graham and Beth Simmons's twin sister Alex in the deciding doubles rubber, opening up a 5-0 lead before taking the first set 6-1. Although Graham and Simmons took a 3-2 lead in the second set their efforts to level the match proved fruitless and the Spanish duo went on record a 6-1, 6-4 victory to clinch the tie.
The Dresse and Maere Cups are held on a four year-cycle and Graham and the Simmons sisters formed three quarters of the Great Britain Women's Team that won the Maere Cup in Poertschach, Austria, in 2003.
There was also disappointment on Friday for the Great Britain Men's Deaf Team, who narrowly missed out on reaching the final of the Dresse Cup, the Davis Cup of deaf tennis, for the second time in succession.
In a semi-final against the Netherlands, seven-time National Champion Peter Willcox (Tiverton, Devon) won the 1st set against Eric Brugman 6-1. Willcox had dropped just two games in four singles rubbers coming in to his match against Brugman, but as the Dutchman upped his game in the second set Willcox was unable to respond and Brugman took the set 6-3. However, Willcox regrouped at the start of the final set and found his form again to go on a record a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
Sheffield-based student and former National Champion Anthony Sinclair (Northern Ireland) took on the previously unbeaten Jan Jaap Uiterwjik Winkel in the second singles rubber. Winkel had not lost a set in four singles rubbers so far this week, but Sinclair fought hard to edge the first set of their match 7-5. However, Winkel produced a fightback to take the second set for the loss of just one game and despite Sinclair fighting for every point the Dutchman went on to level the tie with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win.
Wiltshire-based coach Lewis Fletcher (Surrey) partnered Willcox for the deciding doubles rubber, but the British duo were unable to rescue the tie as Brugman and Winkel earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory that puts them in to Saturday's final.
Team members Fletcher, Daniel Tunstall and Willcox formed three-quarters of the Great Britain Men's Team that finished as runners-up to top seeds Germany in the Dresse Cup in Poertschach in 2003.
The German Men's Team will now be Great Britain's final opponents on Saturday after a surprise loss to Austria in their Dresse Cup semi-final on Friday. Austria's Mario Kargl inflicted a rare defeat on Germany's reigning Deaflympic champion Ronald-Oliver Krieg to earn Austria's place in Saturday's final.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's play-off against Germany for third and fourth places is now likely to feature a rematch between Sinclair and Krieg after Sinclair became Great Britain's first Deaflympic Men's Singles Silver medallist for 40 years when reaching the final of the last Deaflympic Games in Melbourne in January 2005.
GB Women: Catherine Graham, Alex Simmons, Beth Simmons National Coach: Julie Jones
GB Men: Lewis Fletcher, Anthony Sinclair, Daniel Tunstall, Peter Willcox National Coach: Roger Jones
The official 2007 Dresse and Maere Cups website is at:
Dresse & Maere Cups 2007