Wheelchair Replace: Venos Strikes Twice in April

April was an excellent month on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour for the Canadians, particularly Thomas Venos.  

Over the past 4 weeks, the 24-year-old reached three finals, successful two of them. His finest outcomes got here at an occasion in Villers-lès-Nancy, the place he reached each the singles and doubles finals, successful the previous.  

It was a dominant run for Venos in singles, as he didn’t drop a set on his option to the ultimate. He solely misplaced seven video games within the first 5 units he performed. With the title on the road, the New Westminster, BC native was capable of rally from a set down to say his first singles title of the season with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over residence hope Olivier Langlois. 

Venos now has 5 ITF singles titles to his identify and has gained one in each non-COVID-affected season since 2019. 

The singles remaining victory over Langlois was revenge for the day gone by’s doubles remaining, the place Langlois and his associate Yoann Quilliou defeated Venos and his Italian associate Francesco Felici in straight units. The Canadian-Italian pair had dropped simply two video games in two matches heading into the ultimate. 

Learn additionally: Bouchard Makes Return on ITF Tour

Nonetheless, Venos didn’t have to attend lengthy to raise a doubles trophy. The very subsequent week in Poland, the Canadian scored his second ITF doubles title of the season on the V Plock Cup. 

Partnering Sergei Lysov of Israel, they scrapped into the ultimate by upsetting the top-seeded pair of Piotr Jaroszewski and Enrique Siscar Meseguer 11-9 within the match tiebreak within the semifinals. 

Within the title match, Venos and Lysov once more needed to battle, this time holding off the second-seeded staff of Jakub Dominik Bukala and Kamil Fabisiak 10-6 within the match tiebreak to get their fingers on the trophy. 

Learn additionally: Arseneault, Dong Doube-Up at Residence

The 24-year-old is as much as eight profession ITF doubles titles, having gained two every year in 2018, 2019, 2023 and now 2024. His first title of the season got here in Peru again in March. 

McIntyre Makes It Two 

Venos was not the one Canadian to raise a trophy over the past month on the ITF Wheelchair Tour. 

Mitch McIntyre picked up his second quad doubles title of the season on the Biel-Bienne Indoors in Switzerland. Taking part in alongside Shraga Weinberg of Israel, McIntyre cruised to the title with the lack of simply two video games.  

Earlier within the yr, McIntyre gained the Arizona Open which prolonged his ITF doubles titles streak to 3 years. The win in Switzerland brings him as much as eight whole profession ITF doubles titles. 

Markham 

The ITF Wheelchair Tour made a cease in Canada final month for the Premier Racquet Membership Wheelchair Traditional in Markham, ON. 

Two Canadians had been topped champion on residence soil: Gary Luker within the quad singles and John Chen within the junior singles. 

Luker went undefeated within the quad occasion, which consisted of a four-player spherical robin. He misplaced a complete of simply eight video games in his three matches to win his first ITF singles title since 2019 and tenth total. 

Learn additionally: Félix and Leylah’s Mural at IGA Stadium in Montreal

The junior draw was additionally a spherical robin, this time with simply three gamers, and Chen was a reduce above, successful all 4 units he performed in opposition to fellow Canadians Frederique Berube Perron and Lachlan Sandford to say the title. 

Anne-Marie Dolinar reached the ultimate of the ladies’s singles occasion however got here up simply quick within the remaining in opposition to high seed Maria Fernanda Alves of Brazil. 

Right here is the total record of winners from the ITF Markham occasion: 

Street to Paris 

With simply over three months to go earlier than the beginning of the 2024 Paralympic Video games in Paris, thus far Rob Shaw is the lone Canadian to have punched their ticket.  

Learn additionally: Shaw Wins Largest Title of his Profession in Japan

Venos’ sturdy month saved his hopes of qualifying for Paris alive. Whereas he sits plenty of rating spots again of the qualifying zone at No. 56, lower than 100 factors separate him and the Prime 32, which might put in him place for the Paralympics. 

Natalia Lanucha, the highest Canadian lady within the rankings, is far farther away from qualifying, at the moment sitting at No. 44 (the Prime 20 qualify mechanically) with over 400 factors between her and the qualifying zone.