Brazilian quad and junior teams experience conflicting fortunes
The last time that Ymanitu Silva and Leandro Pena were at the Vilamoura Tennis Academy they finished runners-up in the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup Qualification to earn their place in last year’s World Group event in Sardinia.
Twelve months on and Silva and Pena won both singles matches against second seeds USA on Tuesday’s second day of the 2022 World Team Cup, Silva beating David Wagner 6-0 6-7(6) 6-1 to put the tie beyond the nine-time World Team Cup quad champions.
While fourth seeds Brazil and USA remain on course to qualify for the semi-finals ahead of Wednesday’s remaining Group B ties against Israel and Great Britain, respectively, they first need do complete their doubles match, which was one of several contests postponed towards the end of Tuesday’s schedule due to the arrival of heavy rain.
Those remaining contests include the Group A match-up between Netherlands and South Africa, which started with current world No. 2 Sam Schroder defeating former world No. 2 Lucas Sithole 6-0 6-0.
World No. 1 Niels Vink held a narrow 4-3 lead against Donald Ramphadi when the first set of their singles match was suspended.
Japan, the 2019 World Team Cup quad champions, had no weather delays to consider in Group A, comfortably securing a 3-0 win over Turkey ahead of playing South Africa on Wednesday’s third day of action. Meanwhile, Israel built an unassailable 2-0 lead against Great Britain after their Group B singles matches,
France and USA juniors set for vital round-robin contest
France and USA finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the junior event at the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Sardinia, but seventh months on the two teams will go head-to-head for a place in this year’s semi-finals after each winning one of their first two Group A round-robin ties in Vilamoura.
Seeded seventh for this year’s World Team Cup junior event, which is once again supported by ITF Programme Partner the Johan Cruyff Foundation, France gained their first win of the week in Vilamoura after a 2-1 victory over fifth seeds Brazil.
Playing in her first World Team Cup, 16-year-old Ksenia Chasteau beat Brazil’s Victoria Miranda 6-1 6-3 to secure her first international singles match win and set France on their way. However, Jade Lanai’s 6-4 6-3 win over Justin Michel left the tie in the balance before Chasteau and Michel secured the doubles 6-2 6-2.
Top seeds Great Britain and second seeds Australia ended the second day of play having secured their second round-robin victories in successive days, with Australia’s doubles against Netherlands still to finish.
Meanwhile Argentina and Japan’s Group B head-to-head is finely balanced at 1-1 after Matias D’Agosto clinched a final a set tie-break against Yuma Takamuro 3-6 7-5 7-6.