LAPTHORNE RETAINS US OPEN QUAD DOUBLES TITLE
WORLD NUMBER TWO RETAINS QUAD DOUBLES TITLE AT US OPEN
MIDDLESEX’S Andy Lapthorne secured his fourth successive quad doubles title on Saturday’s penultimate day of the US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition.
Lapthorne ended the 2019 US Open as a singles and doubles champion. However, he had to recover from a below-par singles performance on Saturday before partnering Australian Dylan Alcott to the quad doubles title.
Lapthorne and Alcott, the inaugural Wimbledon quad doubles champions in 2019 before winning their first US Open title together 12 months ago, had to come from behind before retaining their crown with a 3-6, 6-4, (10-8) victory over Dutchman Sam Schroder and David Wagner of the USA.
Schroder and Wagner gained momentum midway through the opening set to take the lead, but Lapthorne and Alcott opened up a 3-0 second-set lead, and although they missed chances to convert game points that would have given them a 5-1 lead, Lapthorne ultimately scrambled a drop shot over the net on set point to force a deciding match tie-break.
After a series of tense exchanges, Lapthorne and Alcott earned three match points and they needed all three before Alcott wrapped up their successful title defence with an ace.
Despite making it four US Open doubles crowns in a row, having won the 2017 and 2018 titles partnering Wagner, world number two Lapthorne still rued his singles performance against Schroder earlier in the day, which saw the Dutchman win their pivotal round-robin match 6-2, 6-1 to earn his place in Sunday’s final.
However, Lapthorne conceded that the doubles final had produced an entertaining match.
He said: “I think today you saw some of the best quad doubles that you could wish to see.
“It’s been a tough week. I expected more, to be honest.
“I feel that the only player that beats me is me. It didn’t go my way today and I’m not happy with the way I played, but it’s not the end of my world.
“I go home with another doubles title and get ready to go again in another few weeks at Roland Garros.”