US Open To Include Wheelchair Competition

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 2nd August 2013

Wheelchair Tennis Package Australian Open 2013

US Open To Include Wheelchair Competition

epa03557697 WHEELCHAIR TENNIS PACKAGE AUSTRALIAN OPEN Shingo Kuniedo of Japan pumps fist during a match in the men's singles wheelchair event at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2013. After being treated for spinal cancer, Kunieda started his wheelchair tennis career at the age of 11 and then joined the international circuit at 17. He won Paralympic Gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Wheelchair Tennis took place in the First Grand Slam of the Year In Melbourne Park from 23-28 January 2013, Australia. The top seven ranked players from the various countries plus a wirldcard entry participated from the men and women events. In the 1970s Brad Parks, an acrobatic skier who suffered an injury which leaves him paraplegic, and wheelchair athlete Jeff Minnenbraker started promoting wheelchair tennis. In 1977 the Los Angeles City Parks and Recreation Department hosted the first ever wheelchair tennis tournament with around 20 players. EPA/Narendra Shrestha |

The USTA announced the field for the 2013 US Open Wheelchair Competition. The event, in its sixth year, will be held Sept. 5-8, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

The 2013 US Open Wheelchair Competition will feature a Men’s, Women’s and Quad Division, and will include six events: men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, quad singles and quad doubles. Wheelchair tennis follows the same rules as able-bodied tennis, except that the ball can bounce twice.

This is the first time that each of the divisions will feature the world’s Top 8-ranked men’s and women’s wheelchair players (according to the July 22 ITF rankings). The Top 4 quad players in the world also will be competing. The total purse for the event will be $150,000, a $30,000 increase in prize money from 2011.

Men

(1) Shingo Kunieda (JPN)

(2) Stephane Houdet (FRA)

(3) Maikel Scheffers (NED)

(4) Joachim Gerard (BEL)

(5) Gustavo Fernandez (ARG)

(6) Gordon Reid (GBR)

(7) Ronald Vink (NED)

(8) Michael Jeremiasz (FRA)

Women

(1) Sabine Ellerbrock (GER)

(2) Aniek van Koot (NED)