Hewett lays foundations for Wimbledon with pair of LTA's Lexus British Open Roehampton triumphs
Alfie Hewett says his stirring singles fightback should set the perfect blueprint for Wimbledon after clinching a pair of titles at the LTA's Lexus British Open Roehampton.
The Norfolk wheelchair tennis star, 27, grabbed both singles and doubles glory alongside Gordon Reid on Friday afternoon.
Advertisement
Hewett trailed Argentine Gustavo Fernandez in his opening singles final before resurgently turning the tables to seal a 2-6 6-4 6-4 triumph.
And he carried that momentum with him into the doubles, joining forces with long-term partner Reid – who he beat in the singles semi-finals – to decisively down Martin De la Puente and Ruben Spaargaren to cap a fabulous Friday in south-west London.
Hewett heads into Wimbledon next week as both the defending singles and doubles champion and hopes the resilience shown against Fernandez will stand him in good stead.
'I have to try and perform at the same level and intensity I did in the second and third sets today,' he said.
Advertisement
'There are a lot of strong players and this week was the perfect opportunity to test myself.
'I take a lot of confidence from it but next week is an even bigger one to try and manage.
'I'm delighted - playing on home turf is a really special feeling and you want to do as well as you can, especially in the lead up to an event like Wimbledon.
'It's been a great week – I've been building as it's gone on which is what you want to do.'
After battling back against Fernandez, 31, on Friday morning, Hewett combined with Reid – a player he has won a remarkable 23 Grand Slams alongside – to cruise past Spaniard De la Puente and Dutch player Spaargaren.
Advertisement
The dynamic duo dropped just two games as a 6-0 6-2 triumph sent them into Wimbledon with even more momentum.
Reid said: 'We're very happy with the performance today and happy with the result.
'Those guys (De la Puente and Spaargaren) are a dangerous team so we had to play well and I think we did that today.
'It's great preparation for all of us to be here on these courts this week, so big thanks to Kirsty (Thomson, LTA Tournament Director) and the team for a great event.'
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Genie Bouchard wins in Montreal to extend her tennis career. Raducanu and Osaka advance
MONTREAL (AP) — Genie Bouchard extended her tennis career for at least one more match Monday, beating Emiliana Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round of the National Bank Open. Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final and two other Grand Slam semifinals in 2014, announced this month that she would retire after a final appearance in her hometown tournament. She then opened it with her first WTA Tour victory since 2023 — and the 300th of her career — and advanced to face No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic. Bouchard reached No. 5 in the rankings in 2014 but the 31-year-old has largely switched to pickleball, playing just one match this season before being given a wild card into the Montreal tournament. After splitting the first two sets, Bouchard broke the 82nd-ranked Arango twice — first with a forehand, then from the Colombian's missed volley — to build a 5-1 lead in the decisive third. Arango broke back with Bouchard serving for the match to make it 5-2, but the Canadian went up 40-love in the ensuing game. Arango then sent her backhand wide on Bouchard's second match point. Bouchard waved and blew kisses to the crowd after the win. 'I told my family that if I won, I would come out of retirement,' she said from center court. 'I felt like the old Genie out there.' Emma Raducanu, playing just two days after losing in the semifinals in Washington, beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-2, 6-4. Naomi Osaka, in her first tournament since announcing she would no longer work with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, eliminated Ariana Arseneault 6-4, 6-2. ___ AP tennis:
Associated Press
3 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Genie Bouchard wins in Montreal to extend her tennis career. Raducanu and Osaka advance
MONTREAL (AP) — Genie Bouchard extended her tennis career for at least one more match Monday, beating Emiliana Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round of the National Bank Open. Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final and two other Grand Slam semifinals in 2014, announced this month that she would retire after a final appearance in her hometown tournament. She then opened it with her first WTA Tour victory since 2023 — and the 300th of her career — and advanced to face No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic. Bouchard reached No. 5 in the rankings in 2014 but the 31-year-old has largely switched to pickleball, playing just one match this season before being given a wild card into the Montreal tournament. After splitting the first two sets, Bouchard broke the 82nd-ranked Arango twice — first with a forehand, then from the Colombian's missed volley — to build a 5-1 lead in the decisive third. Arango broke back with Bouchard serving for the match to make it 5-2, but the Canadian went up 40-love in the ensuing game. Arango then sent her backhand wide on Bouchard's second match point. Bouchard waved and blew kisses to the crowd after the win. 'I told my family that if I won, I would come out of retirement,' she said from center court. 'I felt like the old Genie out there.' Emma Raducanu, playing just two days after losing in the semifinals in Washington, beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-2, 6-4. Naomi Osaka, in her first tournament since announcing she would no longer work with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, eliminated Ariana Arseneault 6-4, 6-2. ___ AP tennis:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Top light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi closing in on promotional deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry
Light heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi is Queensberry bound. Buatsi is expected to depart from Ben Shalom's BOXXER and finalize a promotional deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions this week, sources close to the situation told Uncrowned. The London-based former WBO interim champion previously left Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing to sign with BOXXER in 2023. The move was the subject of a £7.7 million ($9.5 million) high court battle after Matchroom alleged that BOXXER and Sky Sports had persuaded Buatsi to unlawfully abandon his exclusive promotional contract with them. The lawsuit resulted in the respective parties reaching a settlement earlier this year. Per court documents obtained by Uncrowned, Buatsi was offered an 18-month agreement with BOXXER for a minimum of four bouts with a minimum total aggregate purse between £3.25 million ($4.05 million) and £3.75 million ($4.68 million). Buatsi had his fourth contest with BOXXER when he dropped his WBO interim title to Callum Smith this past February on the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev 2 undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Buatsi's departure from BOXXER is expected to be the first of many fighters exiting the promotional stable after Sky Sports chose not to renew its four-year, £36 million ($45.5 million) agreement with the British promoter. Uncrowned understands that talks have taken place between BOXXER and the BBC to broadcast shows on iPlayer, although if a deal were to be reached, it would be significantly smaller than the one BOXXER had with Sky. BOXXER's primary rivals, Matchroom and Queensberry, have existing output agreements with streaming service DAZN. Queensberry also promotes Anthony Yarde, who challenges David Benavidez for the WBC light heavyweight title in November. A Buatsi vs. Yarde fight has been desired by British fans for the better part of the last decade, though an agreement for the matchup has yet to materialize.
