DYLAN CHILLIN’ IN TWEED WIN
AUSTRALIA’S top ranked tennis player Dylan Alcott has taken home the inaugural Tweed Heads International Quad Wheelchair Singles title.
The 29-year-old world No.1 defeated fifth-ranked Sam Schroder
of the Netherlands in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, in the tournament final yesterday.
The Tweed Heads tournament saw many of the world’s leading wheelchair tennis stars converge on the town’s Regional Tennis Centre in preparation for the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Alcott’s victory places him in good stead to defend his 2019 crown and add his sixth consecutive Australian Open title at the event.
Alcott defeated British world No.2 Andy Lapthorne 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-final on a rain-affected Saturday schedule.
His luck ran out in Sunday’s doubles final, dropping his only match of the tournament in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 defeat to a Netherlands outfit led by singles opponent Schroder and world No.6 Niels Vink.
THE future of Australian wheelchair tennis shone brightly at the Tweed Heads International with World Team Cup champions Riley Dumsday and Hayley Slocombe facing off in the tournament doubles final.
The pair joined forces last year to bring wheelchair tennis’s equivalent to the Davis and Fed Cup to Australia and met on opposite ends of the court in Saturday’s tournament final.
World No.4 Dumsday, 14, and partner Oliver Pizzey Stratford triumphed 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 over 18-year-old world No.6 Slocombe and her partner Sally Schwartz.
Slocombe missed out on the chance to get Dumsday back in the singles final when she was beaten in the semis.
Slocombe said the Tweed Heads International had been a valuable experience.
“This tournament is before the Melbourne Open and Australian Open, so for those that are going it’s great practice and to see everyone’s game,” she said.
“My heroes are the Aussie men here, Heath Davidson and Ben Weekes, and they’re definitely great role models.
“Doing your match analysis and watching some of the older, more experienced players and how they’re serving and working is definitely important because you can watch and learn.”
For Dumsday, the chance to watch men’s world No.1 Gustavo Fernandez from Argentina was as exciting a prospect as taking out his own events.
“It’s pretty crazy to be sitting here watching Gustavo and Alfie (Hewett, world No.2),” the youngster said. “This is one of the best tournaments in the world because of the bigger draw and seeing some of the top players.
“It’s good to watch and analyse because my weakness (as a player) is probably my decision making.”