NEC Masters semi-finalists confirmed in Orlando
Alfie Hewett, Joachim Gerard, Jordanne Whiley and Marjolein Buis clinched crucial victories in their last round-robin matches to earn their places among the men’s and women’s singles semi-finalists on enthralling fifth and last day of pool contests at the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters and UNIQLO Wheelchair Doubles Masters in Orlando.
Hewett joins Shingo Kunieda, Gustavo Fernandez and Gerard in Sunday’s men’s last four as the quest for the NEC Masters title enters the knockout phase.
Whiley lines up alongside Diede de Groot, Buis and Yui Kamiji in the women’s semi-finals.
Kunieda-Hewett and Fernandez-Gerard set for men’s semis
Two years ago it was Stephane Houdet that stood between Hewett and a place in the men’s semi-finals, while this time the 2017 champion went into his last pool match on the same one win and one loss record as former two-time champion Stefan Olsson. It was a challenge that Hewett was more than equal to, winning 6-4, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Kunieda for a place in Tuesday’s final.
“I thought I was really composed today, even though I knew there was a lot on the line and whoever won that was going to go through,” said Hewett after finishing runner-up in Pool B. “He’d had a very good group so far, beating Gusti (Fernandez) and demolishing (Stephane) Houdet, so I knew had to be on it from the very first game. So I think it was that composure on my service games and only dropping one throughout the whole match that as the big advantage. I thought I was really clinical.
“Shingo’s obviously a legend in the sport and always someone that I love to play against and it’s going to be a good match, for sure,” added world No. 6 and US Open champion Hewett. “I’m just going to try and do the same as I did in New York and play my game and then whatever happens, happens.”
Hewett goes into the semifinals from Pool A alongside world No. 1 Fernandez, after the top seed made it two three-set wins in his three matches.
Unbeaten so far after defeating Houdet 6-1 2-6 7-5, Fernandez will continue his quest for a first NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters title when he faces defending champion Joachim Gerard.
Fernandez was the only player to beat Gerard on the Belgium’s march towards a third NEC Masters title in 2018, the Argentinian winning their round-robin pool match 6-4 6-4 12 months ago.
Gerard again finished runner-up in his round-robin group this year after defeating Gordon Reid 3-6 6-0 6-1. Meanwhile, Kunieda has dropped just one set in his three matches so far, cementing his place at the top of Pool B with a comprehensive 6-0 6-4 victory over Nicolas Peifer as the 2014 finalists went head-to-head.
De Groot-Whiley and Kamiji-Buis set for women’s semis
The winner-takes-all women’s singles Pool B match between Whiley and Montjane produced a thrilling encounter that very nearly came down to a final set tiebreak
Montjane served out the opening set to love before Whiley raced into a 5-1 second set lead on her way to forcing the decider and there was very little to choose between the two players in the third set.
However, a cross-court forehand winner saw Whiley edge into a 6-5 lead. Just as a final set tiebreak looked to be inevitable, world No. 5 Whiley recovered from 40-0 down. Montjane produced an ace to save the first match point against her, but a double fault from the South African world No. 7 brought up a second match point for world No. 6 Whiley. Ultimately, having created seven chances to force a final set tiebreak, Montjane netted a backhand as her final contribution to the contest and Whiley advanced to the semi-finals 4-6 6-2 7-5.
“I wasn’t actually expecting KD to come out and play that game, so it took me by surprise a bit in the first set, but then I started to figure out how to play her,” said Whiley, who now plays world No. 1 and defending champion Diede de Groot in the semi-finals. “The wind was tough for both of us, so I think it depended what ends we were to where we were breaking serve. All I was saying to myself in that final game was ‘make the return’, because she was serving so well today.”
Whiley, playing in her first NEC Masters since 2016 after returning from maternity leave earlier this season, continued: “My aim was to make the semis here, but I know it was going to be tough because it depends on what group you’re going to be in and there’s no easy round here. But now I’m really excited to play Diede again as the last time we played each other at the British Open it was three sets.”
With Whiley claiming second place in Pool B, world No. 2 Yui Kamiji topped the pool despite dropping her first set of the week to reigning Wimbledon champion Aniek van Koot. But with Van Koot having lost her first two matches at the USTA National Campus to end her bid for a second NEC Masters title, Kamiji continued her own bid for a second title at the year-end championship by completing a hard-won 1-6 6-4 7-5 victory.
Top seed De Groot has yet to drop a set, earning her third victory of the week with a 6-2 6-2 win over Zhenzhen Zhu, the first Chinese player to have qualified for the NEC Masters. That means that De Groot has dropped just four games in each of her matches so far in Orlando.
De Groot, playing her first tournament since back-to-back Grand Slam and Super Series titles in the USA in September, said: “I’m feeling quite happy. It’s been a long while since there’s been matches for me. I haven’t played any tournaments since St. Louis, so it’s quite nice to come out here and play some more matches and for it to go so well. I’m expecting the semifinals to be a good match. I’m sure both of us are going to need our best play to win the match.”
With Kamiji still the only non-Dutch player to have won the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters women’s title, two Dutchwomen feature in this year’s semi-finals after world No. 4 Marjolein Buis completed round-robin Pool B in second place following her 6-0 3-6 7-5 victory over Sabine Ellerbrock.
Buis therefore plays Kamiji for a place in Tuesday’s women’s singles final and will aim to beat Kamiji for the first time since Roland Garros in 2016.
LIVE STREAMING OF THE 2019 NEC WHEELCHAIR SINGLES MASTERS AND UNIQLO WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES MASTERS WILL BE AVAILABLE EACH DAY VIA THE ITF WHEELCHAIR TENNIS WEBSITE.