Canada’s prime wheelchair tennis participant Rob Shaw could have one eye on the Paralympics in August, however he’s doing all the fitting issues within the meantime.
The 34-year-old took a while off after a career-best win in April however he was again with a bang in Might, selecting up a pair of titles.
In consecutive weeks, Shaw received the doubles titles on the Tram Barcelona Open and Open Worldwide de Royan, each with Aussie Heath Davidson. The victories introduced his complete to 4 titles in 2024, matching his haul in every of the earlier two seasons.
His career-high was six titles in 2019. General, Shaw is now the proprietor of 27 ITF quad doubles trophies.
Royan was not simply notable for Shaw’s doubles victory, however he additionally went on a run within the singles, reaching his first ultimate of 2024.
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Within the semifinals of that occasion, he scored an enormous victory, taking down world No. 4 Donald Ramphadi in straight units on a busy day the place he performed (and received) each his quarter and semifinal matches.
“As we speak might be the very best I’ve felt on a tennis courtroom in near a yr,” stated Shaw after the win over Ramphadi. “I totally dedicated to enjoying the best way I wished to play and mentally stayed extraordinarily robust, regardless of some difficult moments. There have been alternatives for me to self implode, or hand over, however I dug deep once I wanted to, and produced some nice tennis. Each of my opponents had gotten the very best of me the previous three matches so it was good to get some redemption wins.”
He misplaced within the ultimate to Ahmet Kaplan.
Sadly, Shaw was unable to hold the momentum from the 2 occasions into Paris. He misplaced his opening singles and doubles matches at Roland-Garros, the place he was the lone Canadian competing within the wheelchair competitors.
McIntyre, Venos Make it Three Every
Mitch McIntyre and Thomas Venos joined Shaw within the winner’s circle over the past 4 weeks, every selecting up their third ITF doubles title of the yr.
The identical week that Shaw received his third title of 2024, McIntyre did the identical, claiming the quad doubles title at an occasion in Padova, Italy with Finn Broadbent. It’s the first time post-COVID that McIntyre has received three titles in a season.
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Venos practically made it two Canadian victories at that occasion in Padova as he reached the boys’s doubles ultimate however misplaced to prime seeds Robin Groenewoud and Maarten Ter Hofte with accomplice Ezequiel Casco.
Nonetheless, that might have been Venos’ fourth title of the yr. He already claimed No. 3 every week earlier on the 27e Tournoi Bulle Indoors in Switzerland with Andrew Penney.
It’s the first season with three titles within the 25-year-old’s profession.
ITF Boucherville
The ITF Wheelchair Tour will make its first cease in Canada since April this week with the Futures Collection occasion in Boucherville, Quebec. Play will get underway on Thursday.
Thomas Venos leads the Canadian contingent on the boys’s aspect, with Natalia Lanucha being the highest Canadian within the girls’s draw.
Highway to Paris
Time is working out for gamers to get their rating in a ok place to qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Video games in Paris. Qualification might be partially based mostly on the ITF Wheelchair Singles World Rating on July 15, leaving just below a month for gamers to get their rating up.
Thomas Venos is a methods again, at present sitting 28 spots out at No. 60. Nonetheless, the hole isn’t too giant as he’s at present simply 146 factors again of Thirty second-ranked Conner Stroud, at present the final participant within the qualifying zone.
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The ladies face a good longer street. Prime Canadian Natalia Lanuche is 29 spots exterior the Prime 20 who qualify for Paris, however is over 400 factors again of the twentieth spot within the rankings.
Nonetheless, Rob Shaw has already booked his spot on the Paralympics.
