Lumsden finishes WTA 250 runner-up, Reid makes final in Germany, Scots in US win conference titles
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A very eventful week of tennis around the world has seen a number of Scots succeed in pro, college and junior events.
Maia Lumsden reaches WTA 250 final
Maia Lumsden and Naiktha Bains reached the final at the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole, a WTA 250 clay-court event in France.
The pair got through a close opening encounter with Amina Anshba and Valeriya Srakhova 3-6 6-4 10-4 to move into the quarter-finals.
They played fourth seeds Lidziya Marozava and Kimberly Zimmerman, who they upset in straight sets 7-5 6-1.
In the semi-final, Lumsden and Bains were again able to battle back from a set down to Nao Hibino and Oksana Kalashnikova, who had defeated the top seeds earlier in the tournament, 4-6 6-2 10-6 to book a spot in the final.
Lumsden and Bains, who were playing for their first WTA 250 title, faced multiple Grand Slam champion and former world number one Timea Babos and partner Irina Khromacheva, who had been on a strong run.
It wasn’t to be for Lumsden and Bains as they lost out 3-6 4-6 in the title decider. The run to the final has now put Maia up to 67 in the live rankings.
Gordon Reid in singles final
Gordon Reid made his first singles final since the 2023 US Open at the Allianz Para Trophy, an ITF 1 Series in Munich, Germany.
Seeded four, Reid opened the week with a win over Nicolas Charrier 6-4 6-2 before moving past Brit Dahnon Ward 6-3 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
In the final four, Reid downed second seed and world number three Gustavo Fernandez in straight sets 6-4 6-4 to book his spot in the championship match.
Reid played third-seeded Spaniard Martin De la Puente in a duel that went the distance.
The Scot struck first, taking the opening set 6-2, before De la Puente won the second set 7-5 to level the tie.
There was little between them in the decider as the title was settled in a tie-break, which went the way of De la Puente 7-5.
Scots win conference championships
A busy weekend in the US saw three Scots emerge with conference tournament titles. Jamie Connel, Matt Rankin and Charlie Miller were all part of the winning teams in their respective conferences.
Connel and the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles pulled off an incredible run to win the programme’s first ever Atlantic Coast Conference title.
FSU, ranked #17 in college national rankings, were seeded six heading into the tournament. After beating Virginia Tech and North Carolina State in the first two rounds, the Seminoles upset second seed Wake Forest 4-3, with Connel clinching the deciding rubber at 3-3 to put FSU into the championship round.
Connel played a pivotal role against top seeded Virginia, current NCAA title holders, as he defeated Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg 6-4 7-6 at the third position to put FSU on the board at 0-2.
From there, the rest of the team came through a series of tight battles to clinch the Championships and make history.
Connel went undefeated in singles play for the weekend, winning all four matches and will be back on court for the NCAA Championships next month.
Rankin and the University of Kentucky retained their Southeastern Conference title on Sunday as they defeated Connor Thomson's South Carolina in the final.
Rankin’s freshman year has seen him accrue 11 wins and only four losses in singles and his doubles play has contributed to one of the best seasons the programme has had.
The team is currently ranked #4 in the nation, and they await their draw for the NCAA Championships.
Miller and the University of Denver Pioneers secured another Summit League Conference title.
The team is undefeated so far this year, boasting a 23-0 record. They kept up their perfect form to beat North Dakota before taking down tournament hosts Drake University in the final to secure their spot in the NCAA tournament.
Miller has played an integral part in this season’s campaign and went unbeaten during the Summit League tournament to assist the Pioneers in their title win.
Additionally, Jacob Fearnley helped TCU make the final of the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Returning to the team, Fearnley clinched the opening tie against Baylor University at the top spot before providing TCU with a singles and doubles win versus Oklahoma in the semi-finals.
Jacob also won his doubles on the final day and was unfinished in singles during the final loss to top-ranked University of Texas.
MacNeil misses out at Scottish Championships
West of Scotland Padel hosted the Scottish Padel Championships, an LTA British Tour grade one event in Stevenston.
The tournament saw many Scots compete, but it was Sam MacNeil and Nick Hatchett who stood out as they made a run to the final.
The fourth seeds started strong with a 6-0 6-0 win over Maniel Bains and Andrew Smith before another commanding win versus Gavin and Mark Picken 6-1 6-2.
In the semi-finals, the duo picked off top seeds Jake Bewley and Sam Jones 6-3 6-3 to secure a final spot.
They were up against second seeds Louie Harris and Rafael Vega Otaolaurruchi in the final. It was not to be for MacNeil and Hatchett as they were narrowly edged out 4-6 5-7 in the title decider.
Sam is currently ranked second in the LTA men’s open padel rankings, having had a strong start to the year, winning a Padel National Tour and reaching multiple finals.
Junior County Cup
In Nottingham, the 9U West of Scotland boys took home silverware at the North Area Finals.
The team consisting of James Crowther, Harrison Fox, Scott Mcgeoch, Gregory Philiastides and Arran Shields finished runners-up to Yorkshire.
The team won two tie-break shootouts to beat winners Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire. They also beat Cheshire 5-1 but lost out to Warwickshire meaning that they finished in second place. 
