Tuesday 19th January, 2010

Scottish University Tennis ace wins!

A University of Stirling tennis scholar went a step further to earning some world ranking points with a great victory on home soil.

Joe Gill, from Sheffield upset the odds to win the AEGON British Tour - his first tour event win in his career - at the Gannochy National Tennis Centre.

Gill, a fourth year Sport and Politics student, defeated number two seed Ian Samuels to take the second of the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) 2010 British Tour events. Surrey player Samuels boasts a 1.2 rating, just 0.1 off the highest rank available for domestic players, but Gill was in uncompromising mood, winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Victory brought with it a cheque for £400, but more importantly for Gill, who also won a first round qualifier at the ITF Futures Tour event at Scotstoun in the same week, another sign he is on course to his 2010 target of some world ranking points.

"It's definitely another step in the right direction," said Gill, rated 3.1, whose win moves him into the top 50. "I have proved to myself I can win this type of tournament, beating a guy who has plenty of experience and has been winning these tournaments for a long time.

"The next move is to try and get into the main draw at a Futures event. I won a qualifier, but you need to win three matches to make the draw and four to pick up world ranking points. It will be tough, but with the tournament win under my belt, I am a lot more confident. At the start of the year, my coach Euan [McGinn] said I needed to develop a more attacking game and he has worked hard with me on it so the win is credit to him too."

The 21-year-old only lost one set in his four wins, defeating Chris Anguelov 6-1, 6-3 in the semi-final and claiming the scalps of his fellow University sports scholars James Saker (6-0, 6-0) and Jordan McCulloch (7-6, 6-4). Gill is now two wins to one up on McCulloch, having also beaten him on his way to the Scottish Grand Prix final in November.

And he believes the on-court rivalry with his Stirling team-mates is all healthy. Gill added: "Games against Jordan [McCulloch] have become like needle matches as it can determine who is picked as the top University player. We don't speak to one another when we are on court, but it's a friendly rivalry and we bring out the best in one another."

Several of the Stirling scholars had good performances, such as James Ickringill who reached the quarter finals. Others competing were: Hannah Pickford, Aimee Black, David Horton, Callum Lloyd, Cameron Malik and Sean Smith.

University of Stirling High Performance Tennis Coach Euan McGinn said: "For our scholars to have done so well lets them know they can compete at that level which gives them a focus in training. It is a big individual win for Joe who has improved a lot over the last six months. He has put a lot of work in and been getting the results which will give him the confidence going into a busy calendar of events. It is brilliant to be able to host that level of tournament and we are very keen to increase the number of events here at Stirling."

AEGON British Tour Tournament Director Richard Joyner said: "It was great to see the AEGON British Tour in Scotland, with a good showing from Stirling University students. It was very appropriate that Stirling student Joe Gill won the first tour event of his career on his home courts. As well as the accolade and prize money, his victory entitles him to a wild card at an AEGON Pro-Series Qualifying event during 2010, a well deserved achievement."

In other tennis news, first year Sports Studies student Gordon Reid collected the men's wheelchair doubles title at the Adelaide Wheelchair Tennis Open in Victoria, Australia. The British No.1 teamed up with fellow Brit Marc McCarroll and the top seeds clinched their second ITF 3 Series men's doubles title in successive weeks, having won the Queensland Open in Brisbane. In both matches they played Australia's Michael Dobbie and Ben Weekes, this time winning 6-2, 6-3.