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May 2010
Clay Court titles galore for Tennis Midlands players!
Tennis Midlands players bagged an outstanding 6 titles at the Aegon National Clay Court Championships. Many congratulations to the following players:
14U Boys Singles Champion
Peter Ashley (coach: Dave Ireland)
12U Boys Singles Champion
Sam Ferguson (coach: Mark Winship)
9U Girls Singles Champion
Victoria Allen (coach: Mike Peel)
14U Boys Doubles Champions:
Peter Ashley (coach: Dave Ireland)
Shakeel Manji (coach: Dave Ireland)
14U Girls Doubles Champion:
Freya Christie (coach: Dave Ireland)
12U Boys Doubles Champions:
Sam Ferguson (coach: Mark Winship)
Marcus Walters (coach: Phil Newbury)
May 2010
11 Tennis Midlands Superminis selected for National Talent ID!
Many congratulations to the following players who were selected for National Talent ID:
Alice Hill (coach: Mark Winship)
Hannah Davey (coach: Mark Winship/Mike Peel)
Rahul Dhokia (coach: Mike Peel/James Rushby)
Harry Finney (coach: Phil Newbury)
Anna Chesca (coach: Mark Winship)
Victoria Allen (coach: Mike Peel)
Alex Lunn (coach: Jon Pankhurst)
Reuben Shahidullah
Joe Fisher
Ethan Watson (coach: Mike Peel)
Faith Coffey
Grace King (coach: Ash Broomhead)
National Talent ID is the LTA system for identifying the next Aegon Future Stars.
May 2010
Thomson reaches final of Player Plus
Well done to Bjorn Thomson (coach: Mark Winship) who reached the final of the Tennis Coach UK Player Plus event. Bjorn is a year young for this age category.
May 2010
Ashley and Manji dominate Slovenia Tennis Europe
Congratulations to Peter Ashley (coach: David Ireland) who reached the final of the 14U Tennis Europe Event in Slovenia. Shakell Manji (coach: David Ireland) won the doubles event partnering Josh Sapwell and beating fellow Tennis Midlands players Peter Ashley and Chris Egan-Morriss (coach: David Ireland) in the final.
May 2010
Simpson wins Hatfield British Tour
Congratulations to Chris Simpson (coach: Tom Rushby) who won the British Tour event in Hatfield.
May 2010
Simpson finalist in ITF Romania
Very well done to Chris Simpson (coach: Tom Rushby) who reached the final of the Grade 3 ITF event in Romania. Chris also reached the semi-finals of the doubles event with fellow Tennis Midlands player Connor Glennon (coach: Dave Ireland).
April 2010
Mullis makes final in Nottingham ITF
A fantastic effort from Ben Mullis who reached the final of the second Nottingham ITF this week.
April 2010
Ashley wins 14U Tennis Europe!
Congratulations to Pete Ashley who won the singles at the 14U Tennis Europe event in Maia. Pete then went on to win the doubles with fellow Tennis Midlands player Shakeel Manji.
April 2010
Christie and Thomson excel in Nottingham TE!
Congratulations to both Freya Christie (coach: Dave Ireland) and Bjorn Thomson (coach: Mark Winship) who reached the semi-finals of the 14U Tennis Europe event at Nottingham. Both players are a year young for this age category.
March 2010
Pearce finalist in 16U Tennis Europe
Congratulations to Chris Pearce (coach: Dave Ireland) who reached the final of the 16U Tennis Europe event at Roehampton. Chris progressed to the final without dropping a set.
March 2010
Quarter-finals for Parker in 16U Tennis Europe
Well done to Jordan Parker (coach: James Rushby) who reached the quarter-finals of the 16U Tennis Europe event at Roehampton. Jordan beat the 5th seed from Greece in the first round, bowing out to the eventual winner in the quarter-finals.
March 2010
Christie excels in Finland!
Congratulations to Freya Christie (coach: Dave Ireland) who reached the semi-final of the singles and final of the doubles in the 14U Tennis Europe Kaliba Open in Finland.
March 2010
Parker wins Indoor Series!
Well done to Jordan Parker (coach: James Rushby) who won the 16U Indoor Series in Sunderland.
March 2010
Chesca, Allen, and Finney perform in 9U Masters!
Very well done to Anna Chesca (coach: Mark Winship), Victoria Allen (coach: Mike Peel), and Harry Finney (coach: Phil Newbury) who achieved 3rd, 4th, and 4th places respectively in the 9U Masters event at Roehampton this weekend. All three players train as members of the Superminis Academy at Tennis Midlands.
March 2010
Christie wins Finland 14U Tennis Europe!
Many congratulations to Freya Christie (coach: Dave Ireland) who won the 14U Tennis Europe event in Finland. A fantastic effort. Also very well done to Chris Egan-Morriss who reached the final of the same event.
March 2010
9th and 10th Place for Hill and Davey in 10U Masters
Well done to Alice Hill (coach: Mark Winship) and Hannah Davey (coach: Mark Winship) who competed in the 10U Masters event at Roehampton this weekend. Both girls battled hard to earn 9th and 10th place respectively in a draw of the top 16 girls in the country in the 10U age group.
March 2010
Mullins wins 14U Indoor Series
Congratulations to Ceire Mullins (coach: Mark Winship) who won the 14U Indoor Series at South Ribble this weekend. Ceire Beat the 1st and 3rd seeded players on the way to claiming the title without dropping a set.
February 2010
Glennon awarded AEGON Player Of the Month!
Congratulations to Connor Glennon who was awarded AEGON Player Of the Month February 2010.
February 2010
Ashley and Manji dominate 14U Masters!
Peter Ashley and Shakeel Manji went head-to-head for an all-Tennis Midlands showdown in the final of the LTA 14U Masters event at Roehampton. Pete brought the title home with a 7-6 6-1 victory. This event is the culmination of a circuit of national tournaments that kicked off back in September. A fantastic achievement by both boys. Freya Christie also reached the semi-finals of the girls event (a year young in the age group).
February 2010
Glennon wins Finland ITF!
Well done to Connor Glennon who won the ITF title in Finland. Connor beat the 2nd, 4th, and 5th seeds on the way to the final where he beat De Vroome from Netherlands 6-3 6-4. Communicating from Finland immediately after the event via the Tennis Midlands Facebook page Connor said "I am very pleased with the win and felt like throughout the event I played with a good positive attitude and I feel like I am getting rewards for all the hard work that I have put in alongside the work that Tennis Midlands and my dad have put in, and I would like to thank them!"
February 2010
Baker selected for Davis Cup duty!
Congratulations to Jamie Baker who has been selected to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup fixture versus Lithuania in March. Former Tennis Midlands player Daniel Evans has also been selected.
February 2010
Walters and Ferguson excel in LTA 12U Grand Prix circuit
Marcus Walters and Sam Ferguson, currently ranked 2 and 3 in the 12U GB rankings respectively, have enjoyed consistent success throughout the 12U winter Grand Prix circuit. Marcus achieved two 2nd placings and a 4th place in the 3 Grand Prix events and a quarter-final placing in the end of season Masters event. Sam achieved a 3rd place in the second Grand Prix before beating Marcus in an all-Tennis Midlands showdown in the final of the third Grand Prix. Sam then reached the semi-finals of the Masters event at Roehampton.
December 2009
All-Tennis Midlands Grand Prix Final!
Well done to Peter Ashley and Shakeel Manji who reached the final of the LTA 14U Grand Prix. Pete won and this match-up booked both players a place in the end of season Masters event in February.
August 2009
National Championship success for Christie, Bambridge, and Pearce.
Congratulations to Freya Christie who won the girls doubles and reached the final of the girls singles in the LTA 14U National Championships. Luke Bambridge was runner up in the 14U boys and won the boys doubles with fellow-Tennis Midlands player Chris Pearce.
July 2009
Shak takes Edinburgh crown!
Congratulations to Shakeel Manji for winning the Tennis Europe category 3 event in Edinburgh.
May 2009
West is best at u10 Clay Court Finals!
Dominic West has won the LTA u10 Clay Court invitational event held at Queenswood School, Hertfordshire. He beat Cheshire's Ewan Stafford in the final.
May 2009
Ward-Hibbert makes Slovenian semi!
Josh Ward-Hibbert reached the semi-finals of the Tennis Europe u16 singles event in Maribor. Josh bravely won his 2nd, 3rd and 4th matches in tough 3 setters before bowing out to Slovenian Matej Leljak.
May 2009
Simpson and Morgan victorious in Turkey
Chris Simpson and George Morgan have won both the ITF Junior singles titles in Istanbul. The grade 4 and grade 5 events were played on hard courts in the Turkish capital. The victories have moved George to 292 and Chris to 298 in the junior world rankings.
April 2009
Shak racks up another Euro win!
Shakeel Manji added another trophy to his impressive collection when he won the u14 Tennis Europe grade 3 event in Vinkovci, Croatia. Shak beat Slovenian qualifier Maks Tekavec in the final. Shakeel's Tennis Europe ranking is now an impressive 40.
April 2009
George & Sam take titles at Nottingham ITF!
George Morgan and Samantha Vickers took the singles crown at the ITF Grade 4 event held at Nottingham Tennis Centre. Both players competed suprebly all week in tough conditions, the famous Nottingham cold wind living up to its reputation. In the finals Sam beat number 2 seed Christina Mathis of Austria and George overcame stablemate David O'Leary. George doubled up with the doubles crown, partnering Lewis Burton.
April 2009
Busby wins Tennis Europe event at Roehampton
Jack Busby has won the inaugral Aegon Tennis Europe u16 event held at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton. In the semi final Jack fought bravely to overcome a troublesome back problem and beat squad mate Josh Ward-Hibbert. In the final he beat his fellow Warwickshire player Siddhartha Hazarika, again in 3 tough sets. A fantastic achievement for Jack.
March 2009
Pearce and Bambridge win Aegon Award!
The Team GB u14 European Winter Cup winning team were the proud recipients of the Aegon Player of the Month Award for March! The 3 man team included Nottinghamshire's Luke Bambridge and Buckinghamshire's Chris Pearce.
March 2009
Connor takes 16u Tennis Europe crown
Connor Glennon bagged all the spoils at the Kaleva Open u16 Tennis Europe event in Finland. Top seeded Con beat Domingues of Portugal (seeded 6) in the final before winning the doubles final with team mate Joshua Ward-Hibbert.
March 2009
Ward-Hibbert excels in Finland
Joshua Ward-Hibbert brought home the trophy from the Pajulahti Cup u16 Tennis Europe event in Finland. Unseeded Josh fought through 3 rounds of qualifying to progress to the final of the main draw where he beat Felix Kudinoff of Sweden in the final.
March 2009
Manji dominates in helsinki
Shakeel Manji has won the Tennis Europe event in Helsinki. In the quarter final Shak beat number 2 seed Kravstov of Russia (ranked 32 in Europe), and in the final he beat top seeded Czech Peter Horvorka (ranked 21 in Europe).
February 2009
Josh steps up to the plate at u16 Masters!
Josh Poullet capped another fine winter for Tennis Midlands with a strong showing at the u16 Aegon Grand Prix Masters at the National Tennis Centre. Josh hit fine form with victories over Hutt, Whiteley and number 2 seed Glasspool before succumbing to top seed James Hignett in the finals. Josh was joined in the semi finals by squad mate Jack Busby who had a notable victory over fellow Tennis Midlands player Connor Glennon in the last 8.
Therefore our excellent record in the Aegon Grand Prix for 2008/9 was:
u11 - 2 Grand Prix Winners; 2 Grand Prix Finalists; 1 Masters Winner; 1 Masters Finalist.
u12 - 2 Grand Prix Finalists; 1 Masters Winner.
u14 - 2 Grand Prix Winners; 2 Grand Prix Finalists; 1 Masters Winner; 1 Masters Finalist.
u16 - 1 Masters Finalist.
u18 - 1 Grand Prix Finalist; 1 Masters Finalist.
Congratulations to the whole team on a phenomenally successful Aegon Grand Prix 2009.
February 2009
Czech mate Masterclass from Pearce and Bambridge - Champions of Europe!
The Chris Pearce and Luke Bambridge bandwagon rolls and rolls on with a wonderful performance in sealing the u14 Tennis Europe Winter Team Cup for 2009 for Great Britain in Prague. The boys, making up two thirds of the Team GB squad (with Evan Hoyt) had great victories in the finals over Belarus (3-0), The Netherlands (3-0) and in the final France (3-0). An incredible effort from the boys who have both had an extraordinary 6 months. Congratulations, we all very proud of you boys.
February 2009
Clarke wins 11U Masters title
Massive congratulations to Jay Clarke, the 2009 Aegon u11 Grand Prix Masters champion! Our 3rd Masters title of the winter. Jay beat squad mate Marcus Walters in the final of the 16 man event held at the National Tennis Centre. The event sealed an incredible winter of dominance for Tennis Midlands at this age-group with Jay, Marcus and Sam Ferguson taking up 5 out of 6 of the finalist berths throughout the circuit. Huge credit goes to Tennis Midlands coaches Mark Winship and Phil Newbury who have meticulously planned the boys successes.
February 2009
Bambridge wins 14U Masters title
Luke Bambridge continued his fantastic run of form by grabbing the u14 Aegon Masters at the National Tennis Centre. Victories over Shakeel Manji, Jonny O'Mara, Kyle Edmund (ranked 7 in Europe) set up a 'popcorn match' final with squad mate and fellow Team GB compadre Chris Pearce. Chris faught bravely all weekend to make the final. Tough matches with Peter Ashley (saving set point), Jamie Duncan and Ryan Frankel (coming from a set down) meant that a re-enactment of the 2nd Aegon Winter Grand Prix final was set up. On that occasion Piercey took the gold. This time, after nearly 3 gruelling hours, Bambo sealed the victory with a 6-4 6-7 (7) 7-5 victory. Impressively, Luke only lost 1 match in the 3 Winter Grand Prix events.
February 2009
Tennis Europe title for Connor
Connor Glennon won his first Tennis Europe singles title with a stirling performance at the Farum u16 Open in Copenhagen. With strong victories over Domingues (Por) and Glasspool (GB and top seed), Connor comfortably beat Gianluca Cocco (GB) in the final 6-2 6-1. Connor now moves on to the u16 Aegon Masters in Roehampton.
February 2009
Fab Freya takes Masters crown!
Freya Christy took our first Aegon Masters title of 2009 with a superb performance in the u12 Girls event at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton. Seeded 3, and up against hot tournament favourite and top seed Kyra Akinnibi, Freya faught bravely and exhibited superb mental skills to overturn a 2-6 deficit to run out 6-0 6-3. Special accolade should go to Freya's coach Hollie Bambridge who has worked tirelessly on her charge's psychological strength in matches. A telling factor in the final.
February 2009
O'Leary takes British Tour title in Sheffield
David O'Leary pocketed his 2nd British Tour career title with an impressive performance at Graves Tennis Centre, Sheffield. The seventh seed from Coventry had a hard fought semi final against Adam Barraclough, winning in 3 tough sets. In the final David comprehensively beat Tom Knights 6-3 6-2.
January 2009
Bambridge Tarbes Semi-Finalist
Luke Bambridge put in 5 magnificent performances before bowing out at the semi final stage of the famous Les Petits As Tennis Europe event in Tarbes. Les Petits As is widely regarded as the premiuim u14 tennis event in the world and boast previous winners such as Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Anna Kornikova and Justine Henin. Luke's 1/4 final vs Frederico Silva (Por) was played infront on 200 people on the centre court. Having lost the first set 6-0, Luke rallied awesomely to record a 0-6 6-2 6-2 victory which set up a semi final with number one seed Milojevic of Serbia. The match followed a similar pattern to the day before with Luke training 1-6 0-2 before fighting back to lead 1-6 6-4 1-0 with a break of serve. However, it was not to be and Milojevic showed why he's top dog at the moment by recording a brave 6-2 final set victory. He went on to comfotably win the final on Sunday. Chris Pearce recorded an impressive semi final appearance in the boys doubles before bowing out to eventual tournament winners Donnati and Neopolitano of Italy.
January 2009
Pearce so close at Teen Tennis!
Chris Pearce headlined a strong Tennis Midlands showing at the Tennis Europe Grade 1 event in Bolton in January. Reaching the semi final before losing very closely 7-5 7-5 to Europe's number one Milojevic of Serbia was the stand-out performance of the week. Other notable performances came from Luke Bambridge (consolation winner and doubles finalist), Shakeel Manji (winning his first round, a victory that propelled him to 108 in Europe) and Jordan Parker (a brave performance in singles and doubles).
January 2009
Semi finals for Morgan in Germany!
George Morgan reached the semi finals of the ITF Grade 4 event in Hamburg. Travelling with Tennis Midlands coach Mark Hilton, George competed well all week before losing a tough match to eventual winner Florian Fallert.
January 2009
O'Leary narrowly misses out in 18U Masters Final
Dave O'Leary played superbly well at the u18 Grand Prix Masters held in Gosling. Unseeded, he reached the final where he played James Turbervale. In a closely contested match, Dave had 2 match points in the second set before bowing out 6-4 in the 3rd. Dave's coach James Rushby commented on how well he'd competed all weekend.
January 2009
Sam, Livvy and Jay dominate at u11 Grand Prix
Sam Ferguson, Jay Clarke and Livvy Tomkins continued Tennis Midlands strong showing at the u11 Grand Prix. Jay won the boys event beating Sam in the final. Livvy reached the semi finals of the girls event.
January 2009
Strong TM turn-out at Teen Tennis
Tennis Midlands had 4 players competing at the Tennis Europe Grade 1 event in Bolton. Shakeel Manji won his first match (a result that will catapult him into the top 100 in Europe) before bowing out to Donati of Italy; Jordan Parker fought bravely in both singles and doubles losing narrowly in his opeing matches in both events; Luke Bambridge won the consolation singles event and reached the doubles final with Evan Hoyt; and Chris Pearce performed very strongly all week to reach the last 8 before losing to eventual winner Milojovic of Croatia.
January 2009
Thorpe takes Loughborough crown!
Helen Thorpe continued her excellent form with a resounding victory at the u16 Ariel Indoor Series. Helen did not drop a set all weekend.
