Andy Lapthorne continued the defence of his Lexus British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships title as he prevailed in a rematch of last year’s quad singles final against Heath Davidson in Nottingham.
Londoner Lapthorne won a thrilling quarter-final 7-5 5-7 6-2 against Davidson, sealing his first win in four matches against the Australian and his first since last year’s meeting at the British Open.
“Heath is always a tough opponent,” said Lapthorne, who receives support from the LTA’s Elite Wheelchair Programme. “Obviously we played in the final here last year so I had good memories of playing on that court and against him.
“I started really strong again, lost my way a bit in the middle of the first set but managed to pull it out and always a tough match against him so great to come through.
“I think it’s important to just stay aggressive. I think I’m at my best when I play aggressive tennis and when I’m attacking.
“When I go a bit passive is when the other play seems to be able to get on top a bit so for me just to remind myself mentally and physically to stay aggressive and good things happen when I do that.”
Lapthorne clearly relishes the chance to play at the LTA’s Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre, with the images of his memorable British Open triumph from last year still fresh in his mind.
“It’s always great to come back here and be at home with home comforts,” he continued. “Obviously winning here was great and I have fond memories of being here which is always nice coming back to an event with positive memories and yeah I just go onto this court feeling really confident.
“I don’t know how many in a row that is now on that court but it’s quite a few so I have good confidence going into the semi-finals.”
Lapthorne celebrated his latest win with pet dog Bernie in Nottingham and confirmed his furry friend is a great source of inspiration to him on and off the court.
“He’s my world,” added Lapthorne of Bernie. “He lives at home with me and we’re together all the time so when I have to come away it’s always tough to leave him and be away from him so to have him here after a win is great.”
To find out more about wheelchair tennis, check out the LTA’s website
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