Jay Clarke lifts singles & doubles titles at ITF event in Turkey
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With all the excitement at the Davis Cup last week – many of the Brits were still focusing on closing out their season on a high on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Catch up with all the latest titles and standout performances from the last week.
Clarke clinches the double in Antalya
Former world No.153 Jay Clarke marked the latest milestone in his return from injury by sealing both the singles and doubles titles at the M25 Antalya.
Having reached the semi-final there the week before, Clarke went one further in the singles draw this time around, making the final with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Germany’s Tim Handel.
Challenging for his second M25 singles title of the season, the 25-year-old British star defeated world No.223 Nerman Fatic 6-4, 7-5 – finishing the week without dropping a set.
However, the job wasn’t over for Clarke, who still had the doubles final to contest alongside Croatia’s Josip Simundza.
Clarke and Simundza made the final having come through two match tie-breaks and completed their hat-trick in the championship match – beating Cengiz Aksu and Mert Naci Turker 1-6, 7-6(8), 10-8.
Following his double win in Turkey, Clarke took to Instagram to say: “There were a lot of people who thought that the injury or surgery would be the end of my tennis career after I left it and continued to play with pain for so long, but I have always had a deep belief in my ability to come back from anything, and that belief has never wavered. This is not my biggest title, but it is oddly the one that means the most, and if you’re reading this, I hope you take inspiration and know that if I come back from the brink, so can you.”
Houghton & Stewart champions in Spain
It was a standout week for top seeds George Houghton and Hamish Stewart, who claimed the M15 Alcala de Henares doubles title.
The British duo battled their way to the final without losing a set, where they came up against second seeds Jesse Flores and Finn Reynolds.
Houghton and Stewart came up clutch in the biggest moment – defeating the Costa Rico, New Zealand team 6-4, 6-7(3), 14-12.
The trophy marks Houghton’s third ITF doubles crown of the season, while Stewart captured his second of his career.
Strong runs for Miyazaki, Gray, Jubb, Hudd & Ward
Elsewhere on the tours this week, Lily Miyazaki, Alastair Gray, Paul Jubb, Emile Hudd and Dahnon Ward all enjoyed impressive final and semi-final runs at tournaments across the world.
Miyazaki enjoyed one of the best weeks of her season in making the semis at the W100 Takasaki, where she narrowly lost to China’s Yue Yuan 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. The result comes off the back of Miyazaki making quarter-finals at back-to-back W60 events in Glasgow and Nantes.
Gray – one of the stars of our Beyond the Baseline series – made his way to the final at the M15 Heraklion but eventually finished runner-up to France’s Arthur Gea 7-6(2), 6-3.
Jubb had a great run of performances at the M25 Vale do Lobo in Portugal last week – reaching the final four before losing out to Jules Marie 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3.
23-year-old Hudd lost out in the semi-finals of the M25 Brisbane to third seed Blake Ellis 6-3, 6-4, but also finished runner-up in the doubles alongside Joshua Charlton.
British wheelchair tennis star Ward reached his first final since the Junior US Open competing at the BNP Paribas Yvelines Wheelchair Tournament. Having defeated fellow Brit Andrew Penney and France’s Geoffrey Jasiak en route to the final, he eventually lost to third seed Guilhem Laget 6-3, 6-2.
