06 Apr ITF Seniors Tournament in Mexico City
ITF Seniors Tournament in Mexico City
Men
In the Italia Cup for men of the thirty five category, the Irish team competed in Mexico against Germany last Wednesday. The Irish were unfortunate to suffer a 3-0 loss to the Germans. Colm Og Molloy was defeated in the singles by Gerhard Fahike 6-3 6-3, with Justin Purcell suffering the same fate, with a 6-1 6-0 loss to Thassillo Haun. In the doubles, Molloy and Travis McDonagh lost to Fahike and Olivere Eggers 7-6(5) 6-7(6) 7-6(2). On Thursday, the Irish men competed against Turkey in the 9th-13th playoffs. Ireland was victorious, 2-1. Travis McDonagh defeated Mirza Erkan Naibi 6-1 6-1, while Molloy suffered the only defeat, losing 4-6 7-5 6-2 to Osman Avcu. Molloy and McDonagh teamed up in the doubles and earned a victory over Naibi and Macit Ozen 6-2 6-1. Ireland played Columbia on Saturday, but was defeated 2-0 in the singles matches to finish 10th of 13 in the tournament. Purcell suffered a loss to Enrique Pena 6-1 6-1, while Molloy was defeated by Pedro Mejia 6-0 6-0.
The Irish men of the forty category also continued play last week in the Tony Trabert Cup. On Wednesday the men faced off against Switzerland in the second group. Ireland earned a victory over the Swiss, defeating them 2-1. In the singles, Niall Murphy was victorious over Luc Estermann 6-3 6-2, while Liam Cassidy suffered a loss to Bruno Pfund, 3-6 3-6. Cassidy and Murphy teamed up in the doubles to deliver a 6-1 6-2 defeat to Estermann and Pfund. Ireland was not as lucky against Germany on Thursday, suffering a 3-0 defeat in the 8th-12th playoffs. Murphy was defeated by Olaf Danzfuss 4-6 2-6 in the singles. Richard Birchall was also defeated 1-6 2-6 by Jens Christopher Bloemeke. Birchall and Alan Donnelly suffered the same fate in the doubles, losing to Bloemeke and Danzfuss on a scoreline of 3-6 4-6. The Irish finished in the 12th spot of 17 teams in Mexico City.
The Dubler Cup saw Ireland against France in the second group on Wednesday. France delivered a strong 3-0 defeat to the Irish men of the forty five category. Neil Wilson was defeated by Franck Hervy 1-6 7-5 1-6, while Des Dillon lost in the singles to Christophe Delafond 0-6 0-6. Peter Lowther and Liam O’Brien did not fare any better in the doubles, suffering a 3-6 3-6 loss to Herve Bardot and Franck Fevrier. In the 7th-10th playoffs on Friday, Ireland was up against The Netherlands, who defeated the Irish 3-0. O’Brien lost to Franck Janssen 4-6 2-6 in the singles, while Wilson was defeated by Mike Simon 2-6 4-6. Dillon and Lowther teamed up for the doubles match, but lost to Janssen and Simon 4-6 4-6. In the 9th-10th playoffs, Ireland lost to Mexico 0-3 to finish 10th of 18 in the tournament. O’Brien was defeated by Eusebio Martinez 3-6 4-6, Dillion also lost in the singles to Adrian Raya 3-6 2-6. Lowther and Wilson suffered the same fate, losing to Martinez and Raul Villalbaso on a scoreline of 3-6 4-6.
Competition continued Wednesday in the Fred Perry Cup for men of the fifty category. Ireland was defeated by forth seeded France 0-3 in the third group. Tony Davidson suffered a loss to Frederic Foures 3-6 1-6. William Noteman also lost in the singles, with defeat coming from Stephen Whitecross 1-6 0-6. Tom Barry and Tadgh O’Connell teamed up against Thierrey Froget and Phillipe Joliot, but were defeated 0-6 3-6. Ireland’s next match was against Switzerland in the 9th-14th playoffs on Thursday, resulting in a 3-0 Swiss victory. Tony Davidson was defeated by Roy Kets 2-6 7-5 3-6 in the singles, with William Noteman also losing in the singles to Peter Wilson 6-7(7) 3-6. Noteman was partnered with O’Connell in the doubles against the Swiss pair of Kets and Duard Botha, which ended in a 3-6 3-6 Swiss victory. On Friday, Ireland faced off against Japan in the 13th-14th playoffs, losing to the Japanese 0-3. Barry was defeated 2-6 6-7(5) by Naoki Dobashi and Noteman suffered the same fate to Takamichi Hirooka 2-6 0-6 in the singles. Dobashi and Hirooka were victorious over Davidson and O’Connell in the doubles, winning 6-3 1-6 6-3. Ireland finished the Fred Perry Cup 14th out of 20 teams.
Team Ireland faced the United States in their second match in the Austria Cup for men of the fifty category. The third seeded Americans defeated the Irish 3-0 last Tuesday. Jimmy Wilson suffered a loss to Fred Robinson in the number one singles 0-6 1-6. Bryan Bailie was also defeated in the singles, losing 2-6 2-6 to Tom Smith. Neagle Cathcart and Conor Woods went up against Chris Bennett and Joe Bouquin in the doubles, but the Americans were victorious 6-1 7-5. On Wednesday, Ireland earned a victory, defeating the South African team 2-1. Cathcart was victorious in the first singles over Ronnie Van’t Hof 2-6 7-5 7-5. Victory continued in the singles, with Woods defeating Dani Botha 6-3 6-2. The South African team of Botha and Herman Schoeman was victorious in the doubles, however, defeating Bailie and Wilson 6-1 6-0. In the playoffs for the 9th-12th spots, Ireland went up against the Canadian team, but was defeated 3-0. Cathcart lost to James Cameron in the first singles 3-6 3-6, while Baile was also defeated 3-6 4-6 by Steve Yesowick. The duo of Wilson and Woods competed in the doubles against Cameron and Yesowick, but were defeated 3-6 2-6. Ireland finished in the 12th spot after a 0-3 loss to Switzerland on Friday. Cathcart put up a fight against Peter Heller, but was defeated 6-2 2-6 2-6. Wilson suffered a loss to Rolf Spitzer 2-6 1-6 in the second singles. Woods and Bailie teamed up to represent Ireland in the doubles, but they were defeated 3-6 5-6 by Spitzer and Rene Bortolani.
Women
After a defeat by Luxembourg in their first match, the Irish women of the thirty five category faced off against France in the first group of the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in Mexico City. France was victorious over Ireland 3-0. Deidre Collins was defeated by Caroline Dhenin 0-6 1-6, with Sheila Kilduff suffering the same fate to Anne Degloanni, 1-6 1-6. In the doubles, Collins and Jennifer Ann Mulholland were defeated by the French duo of Degloanni and Berengere Karpenschif 1-6 2-6. On Thursday, Ireland turned its attention to South Africa. Ireland was defeated by the South Africans in the second group 2-1. Deidre Collins put up a fight in the first singles, but lost to Sally Estcourt 6-4 4-6 1-6. Sheila Kilduff faced a simular fate, losing to Adri Combrinck 2-6 1-6. Collins and Jennifer Ann Mulholland were victorious in the doubles match, delivering a defeat to Estcourt and Carryn Ford 6-2 6-2. Ireland faced Mexico in the 10th-11th playoffs, but lost 0-3 to finish 11th in the tournament. Collins was defeated 3-6 2-6 by Shopie Cortina, and Mulholland was delivered a loss by Elena Chiriti 3-6 1-6. In the doubles, Collins and Kilduff suffered a loss to Marcela Rubalcaba and Patricia Navarrete 3-6 5-7.
In the Margaret Court Cup for women of the forty-five category, the Irish women suffered a defeat by the United States 0-3 on Wednesday. Lesley O’Halloran was defeated by Gretchen Magers 4-6 1-6, with Carmel O’Hare also suffering a loss to Frances Chandler 0-6 0-6. In the doubles, O’Halloran and Grace Reidy were defeated 0-6 6-1 0-6 by the American pair Mariana Hollman and Renata Marcinkowska. On Friday, Ireland faced off against Belgium in the 5th-8th playoffs, but was defeated 0-3. O’Halloran lost to Klaartje Van Baarie 2-6 1-6 in the first singles. In second singles, O’Hare was handed a defeat by Valerie Hox 3-6 6-7(4). O’Hare and Reidy teamed up in the doubles, but the Belgiums were victorious, with Hox and Connij de Vleeschouwer winning 7-6(8) 6-3. Ireland finished 7th out of 13 teams in Margaret Court Cup.
In the fifty category Maria Esther Bueno Cup, the Irish women earned a 2-1 victory over the Turkish team on Wednesday. In first singles, Jenny Burrows defeated Sebile Narman 6-1 6-1.. Ellen McCartney was not as successful, suffering a 2-6 5-7 defeat to Nese Aslan in the second singles. The doubles pair of Geraldine Wynne and Gail O’Meara was able to clinch the victory for Ireland with a 6-0 6-2 victory over Aslan and Semima Obut. On Thursday in the 9th-12th playoffs, Ireland was unfortunate to suffer a 0-3 loss to the Canadian team. Burrows was defeated by Cora Wills 1-6 5-7. McCartney was also defeated in the singles, with Janice Holloway winning 6-1 6-4. The doubles team of O’Meara and Wynne put up a good fight, but was defeated by Holloway and Louise Hurteau 6-1 3-6 4-6. Ireland defeated the Swiss in their final match, 2-1, to earn the 11th spor in the tournament. Burrows was defeated by Esther Meili 6-2 4-6 4-6 in the first singles, but in the second singles McCartney was victorious over Trudy Stadler 7-6(3) 6-3. Wynne and O’Meara teamed up to defeat the Swiss duo of Stadler and Beatriz Meister-Pardo 6-4 6-4.