Miss-Delectable
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Lawn Tennis Association GB Deaf Women To Play-Off For Third
The Great Britain Women's Deaf Tennis Team saw their hold on the Maere Cup, the Fed Cup of deaf tennis, slip on Thursday when they were beaten by host nation and top seeds Germany in the semi-finals of the 2007 event in Munich.
Oxfordshire's Alex Simmons took on Germany's Tatjana Hebing in the opening singles rubber and Hebing took an early 3-1 lead before Simmons broke serve in the fifth game after 13 deuces to reduce the deficit to just one game. However, Simmons was unable to hold her own serve in the next game and despite continuing to battle for the remainder of the set she served a double fault at set point down in her next service game that gave Hebing the first set 6-2.
Simmons again went 3-1 down in the second set, despite breaking Hebing's serve with some tremendous shots in the third game, and the German went on to etch out a 5-1 lead. However, a determined Simmons fought back to take the next three games before Hebing regrouped and went on to close out the match 6-2, 6-4.
Three-time National Champion Catherine Graham (Lincolnshire) took to the court to face German No 1 Heike Albrecht in the second singles rubber, with Albrecht powering through the first set 6-1. However, after Albrecht again made a good start to take the first three games of the second set the match took a dramatic twist as the German began to fade due to an abdominal strain. With Albrecht forced to start serving underarm, Graham fought back to reduce the deficit to 4-3. However, with home support behind her Albrecht managed to hold on to seal the match 6-1, 6-3 and give Germany an unassailable lead.
With Albrecht's injury a concern for the German team they forfeited the dead doubles rubber, giving them a 2-1 victory over Great Britain.
Great Britain now look set to take on Spain in the play-off for third and fourth places on Saturday after Spain were beaten in a deciding doubles rubber by Chinese Taipei in Thursday's other semi-final. The Chinese Taipei team are the only other team to have beaten Great Britain's Women so far this week, having edged the third and final round robin pool match between the two nations on Tuesday.
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.
The Great Britain Men's Deaf Team of seven-time National Champion Peter Willcox (Tiverton, Devon), Sheffield-based student and former National Champion Anthony Sinclair (Northern Ireland) and Wiltshire-based LTA licensed coaches Lewis Fletcher (Surrey) and Daniel Tunstall (Scotland) now have their semi-final in the Dresse Cup, the Davis Cup of deaf tennis, on Friday, when they face the Netherlands.
Fletcher, 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 and Great Britain will now bid to reach a second successive Dresse Cup final.
The 2007 Dresse and Maere Cups continues until Saturday 28 July.
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 Great Britain Women's Deaf Tennis Team saw their hold on the Maere Cup, the Fed Cup of deaf tennis, slip on Thursday when they were beaten by host nation and top seeds Germany in the semi-finals of the 2007 event in Munich.
Oxfordshire's Alex Simmons took on Germany's Tatjana Hebing in the opening singles rubber and Hebing took an early 3-1 lead before Simmons broke serve in the fifth game after 13 deuces to reduce the deficit to just one game. However, Simmons was unable to hold her own serve in the next game and despite continuing to battle for the remainder of the set she served a double fault at set point down in her next service game that gave Hebing the first set 6-2.
Simmons again went 3-1 down in the second set, despite breaking Hebing's serve with some tremendous shots in the third game, and the German went on to etch out a 5-1 lead. However, a determined Simmons fought back to take the next three games before Hebing regrouped and went on to close out the match 6-2, 6-4.
Three-time National Champion Catherine Graham (Lincolnshire) took to the court to face German No 1 Heike Albrecht in the second singles rubber, with Albrecht powering through the first set 6-1. However, after Albrecht again made a good start to take the first three games of the second set the match took a dramatic twist as the German began to fade due to an abdominal strain. With Albrecht forced to start serving underarm, Graham fought back to reduce the deficit to 4-3. However, with home support behind her Albrecht managed to hold on to seal the match 6-1, 6-3 and give Germany an unassailable lead.
With Albrecht's injury a concern for the German team they forfeited the dead doubles rubber, giving them a 2-1 victory over Great Britain.
Great Britain now look set to take on Spain in the play-off for third and fourth places on Saturday after Spain were beaten in a deciding doubles rubber by Chinese Taipei in Thursday's other semi-final. The Chinese Taipei team are the only other team to have beaten Great Britain's Women so far this week, having edged the third and final round robin pool match between the two nations on Tuesday.
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.
The Great Britain Men's Deaf Team of seven-time National Champion Peter Willcox (Tiverton, Devon), Sheffield-based student and former National Champion Anthony Sinclair (Northern Ireland) and Wiltshire-based LTA licensed coaches Lewis Fletcher (Surrey) and Daniel Tunstall (Scotland) now have their semi-final in the Dresse Cup, the Davis Cup of deaf tennis, on Friday, when they face the Netherlands.
Fletcher, 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 and Great Britain will now bid to reach a second successive Dresse Cup final.
The 2007 Dresse and Maere Cups continues until Saturday 28 July.
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