20 May 2019 | Tennis Australia

Australia’s top ranked junior wheelchair tennis players have pulled off an historic 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Israel to win the junior BNP Paribas World Team Cup title.

The title is the nation’s best junior wheelchair tennis result and etches Australia on the trophy for the first time in the 19-year-long history of the junior World Team Cup event.

Team Australia, including Australia’s first ever junior female competitor, 17-year-old Hayley Slocombe (Engadine, NSW), 17-year-old Finn Broadbent (Brighton, Vic) and 13-year-old Riley Dumsday (Mornington, Vic), pulled off the win in an exciting deciding doubles rubber, defeating Great Britain 6-4 2-6 14-12.

Head coach Greg Crump who last year received the ITF’s highest wheelchair honour, the Brad Park’s award, admitted he was still in a bit of shock following the result.

“What an amazing effort by all our team, I am so incredibly proud of what Hayley, Finn, Riley and the support crew have been able to achieve this week, and can’t praise their on-and-off court attitude and tenacity enough,” Crump said.

“This is the best result we’ve ever had in our junior wheelchair program, and it’s a credit to our existing wheelchair tennis role models who have been a major influence for these players.

“This result just proves we have one of the best wheelchair tennis programs in the world, and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone back home at Tennis Australia for supporting these athletes on their journey.

“Every year more-and-more juniors and young kids are picking up a racquet and starting to play wheelchair tennis and I can’t wait to see how far this next generation can go.

Australia, USA and the Netherlands are now the only countries to have won all events across men’s, women’s, quad, and juniors.

BNP Paribas World Team Cup 2019 – Junior results

Round robin
• Great Britain def. Australia 2-1
• Australia def. Colombia 3-0
• Australia def. Argentina 2-1

Semifinal
• Australia def. Turkey 3-0

Final
Australia def. Great Britain 2-1
• Riley Dumsday (AUS) def. Ben Bartram (GBR) 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4
• Dahnon Ward (GBR) def. Finn Broadbent (AUS) 6-2 6-2
• Riley Dumsday / Finn Broadbent (AUS) def. Ben Bartram / Dahnon Ward (GBR) 6-4 2-6 14-12

World Team Cup 2019 – Australian Junior Wheelchair Tennis team

World No.4 (Girls) Hayley Slocombe (Engadine, NSW)
World No.9 (Boys) Riley Dumsday (Mornington, Vic)
World No.10 (Boys) Finn Broadbent (Brighton, Vic)