FRESH from their French Open triumph earlier this month, Helensburgh wheelchair tennis hero Gordon Reid and his doubles partner Alfie Hewett racked up yet another tournament victory at the weekend.
The British pair took on their long-time French rivals Stephan Houdet and Nicolas Peifer in the final of the French Riviera Open in a rematch of their Roland Garros final – and as with that Grand Slam tie, the British pair secured the trophy in straight sets, this time with a 6-2, 7-6 (7) victory on Saturday.
The top seeds had seen off Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandes and Agustin Ledesma 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter-finals in Biot before beating the Dutch pair of Tom Egberink and Maikel Scheffers in the last four.
It’s Reid and Hewett’s sixth ITF Super Series title together, to go along with their 11 Grand Slam championships, and sets them up in ideal style for the start of the grass court season, which begins on Friday.
The Brits will compete at the British Grass Court Tournament – also known as the Cinch Championships – at the Queen’s Club in London, looking to continue their remarkable recent run of success.
Reid and Hewett won the men’s doubles at the last Queen’s Club tournament in the summer of 2019, and victory this week would set them up perfectly for a tilt at a fourth Wimbledon title together when the year’s third Grand Slam tournament begins at the All England Club on July 8.
The former Hermitage Academy pupil also reached the French Riviera Open singles final, after straight sets wins over Ledesma and Sweden’s Stefan Olsson, but found Hewett too tough an opponent, with the Englishman winning 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here