Keegan Oh-Chee (NSW) and Janine Watson (QLD) have claimed the singles titles at the inaugural Canberra Wheelchair Tennis Open today at the Canberra Tennis Centre.
Oh-Chee went into the event as the top seed, and made it through to the final without dropping a set. In the final he faced fourth seed and former Paralympic silver medallist, Mick Connell (NSW). Connell had progressed to the final after defeating second seed Stephan Rochecouste (NSW) in an epic three set battle yesterday.
It was Oh-Chee who took the early lead, winning the first set 6-4, however Connell fought back in the second to win it 6-3 to force a decider. Oh-Chee regrouped and ran away with the third providing too strong, winning it 6-0 to claim the title.
On winning the title Oh-Chee said, “I was a bit too quick and a bit too solid at times. It was a great tournament, the inaugural event, so good to get the name on the board first up.”
Oh-Chee will now turn his focus to the events in Sydney and Wollongong ahead of the Australian Open 2018 Wildcard playoff in Melbourne in November. “That’s a big one, I lost in the final last year so I really want to get that wildcard this time around.”
In the Women’s singles, Janine Watson claimed her maiden ITF Wheelchair title going through the round robin event without dropping a set. She edged out runner-up Helen Smith (NSW) 6-2, 6-3 to win the title. Watson enjoyed her week in the capital saying, “It was a very challenging especially with the wind yesterday, but it’s been a fantastic competition.
Watson has only been competing for just over twelve months after being picked up at a Paralympic tennis identification event. “I’m just looking at playing as many ITF tournaments as possible and getting some world ranking points, and hopefully start playing internationally,” Watson added.
In the Men’s doubles, Oh-Chee and Jerry Markoja (NSW) defeated top seeds Mick Connell and Stephan Rochecouste, 6-4, 6-4.
In the Women’s doubles, Watson joined with 15 year old Hayley Slocombe (NSW) to defeat Smith and Fiona Sing (NSW), 6-3, 6-2.
Riley Dumsday (VIC) defeated Finn Broadbent (VIC) 6-2, 6-3 to win the junior singles event. Dumsday then teamed up with Marcus Lentini (QLD) to win the doubles title over Broadbent and Hayley Slocombe.
A ‘Come & Try’ Wheelchair Tennis Session was also held on finals day providing free coaching for individuals wanting to try the sport. As part of the hosting legacy initiatives of the Canberra Wheelchair Tennis Open, a new wheelchair tennis program will be launched at North Woden Tennis Club, providing individuals in Canberra an opportunity to get involved and active in the sport of wheelchair tennis. A partnership initiative of Tennis Australia, Tennis ACT, and Wheelchair Sports NSW, this program will be the first wheelchair tennis program ever hosted in ACT.
Full draws and results can be found here
The Canberra Wheelchair Tennis Open, is part of the Wheelchair Sports New South Wales Wheelchair Tennis Series, supported by Tennis Australia and Tennis ACT. This tournament is part of the UNIQLO ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour, providing an opportunity for players to earn their first world ranking points. The UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour consists of more than 150 tournaments in over 40 countries, covering all parts of the world. For more information on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour http://www.itftennis.com/wheelchair
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