U.S. WHEELCHAIR TENNIS TEAM TAKES HOME FOUR MEDALS AT PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES IN TORONTO

Written by: Staff on 14th August 2015

U.S. WHEELCHAIR TENNIS TEAM TAKES HOME FOUR MEDALS AT PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES IN TORONTO |

“Just witnessed greatness. These world class athletes were amazing. #BRASIL #GOLD #PARAPANAM #TORONTO2015 #UTSC #TENNIS” – Photo by @charliebitesca via Instagram.

U.S. Wheelchair Tennis Team Takes Home Four Medals

at Parapan American Games in Toronto

The U.S. wheelchair tennis team won four medals this week at the Parapan American Games in Toronto.

Kaitlyn Verfuerth, 30, of Port Washington, Wis., earned the women’s singles silver medal today, while Jon Rydberg, 37, of Saint Paul, Minn., earned silver in men’s singles. Emmy Kaiser, 25, of Fort Mitchell, Ky., took home the women’s singles bronze medal with a win over Chile’s Francisca Mardones. Yesterday, Kaiser and Verfuerth won the women’s doubles bronze medal, defeating Chile’s Macareana Cabrillana and Francisca Mardones.

Verfuerth, who lost the gold-medal match to Brazil’s Natalia Mayara, is ranked No. 18 in the world and is the top-ranked American women’s wheelchair player. Verfuerth is a singles and doubles gold medalist from the 2007 Parapan Am Games and has participated in two Paralympic Games (Beijing in 2008 and Athens in 2004). This year, she won two doubles titles and represented the U.S. in Turkey at the World Team Cup, helping the women’s team to a sixth-place finish. Verfuerth, who received a wild card into this year’s US Open Wheelchair Competition in Flushing, N.Y., is also the head coach of the girls’ tennis team at Flagstaff High School. She also started a nonprofit called Over the Rainbow, which helps children with disabilities.

Rydberg, who lost in his gold-medal bid to Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez, peaked at No. 11 in the world in 2002 and competed in the Paralympics in 2004 and 2008. He captured the singles gold medal at the 2007 Parapan Am Games and won the doubles silver medal that year with Lee Hinson. Rydberg has represented the U.S. at the World Team Cup and competed in three US Open wheelchair competitions. In addition to being a successful wheelchair tennis player, he is an accomplished wheelchair basketball player, earning a scholarship to play at the University of Texas-Arlington, where he helped lead the school to a national championship in 1997. Rydberg holds a degree in art from the University of Texas-Arlington and currently coaches tennis at East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minn.

Kaiser is ranked No. 20 in the world and has been competing on the wheelchair tour since 2006. She competed in the US Open as a wild card in 2009 and 2011 and has been a strong presence in the World Team Cup, representing the U.S. from 2009 through 2011. She formerly ranked No. 3 in the junior rankings and played on the Junior World Team Cup team for five years.Kaiser graduated from Mt. San Antonio College in 2009 with an Associate’s degree in Language Arts Communication and from the University of Arizona in 2012 with a BA in Psychology.

Started in 1999, the Parapan Am Games are an international multi-sport event for athletes with a physical disability. The Games are held every four years in the year immediately prior to the Paralympic Games.

“THE #CHAMPS ARE HERE!!! w/ Natalia Mayara and Gusti Fernandez #TORONTO2015 #GOLDMEDAL #PARAPANAM #Brasil #Argentina #wheelchairtennis #singles #doubles #amazing #bestofthebest” – Photo by @charliebitesca via Instagram.

Topics: Parapan American Games, Sports, Toronto 2015, Wheelchair Tennis

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls_com says:

August 14, 2015 at 4:23 pm

U.S. #WheelchairTennis TEAM TAKES HOME FOUR MEDALS AT #ParapanAmGames IN #TORONTO- http://t.co/JIOBZSMZsH #tennis #Toronto2015