1 week Ago
Lucy Shuker, the British number one from Three Legged Cross, returned home with three titles, including her first women's singles title since 2023 at the Cougar Open in Houston. She secured victory in the tournament after winning three successive matches in straight sets. In the final, she defeated Cornelia Oosthuizen 6-3, 6-3, marking the first wheelchair tennis tour singles final between Britain's top two ranked players.
Miss Shuker said: "It feels good to be heading home with some positive momentum and plenty to build on after a long stretch in the US. "I'm grateful for the amazing people in my corner who keep raising me up." Her North American tour began with a runner-up finish alongside Dutchwoman Aniek van Koot at the Georgia Open.
However, a week later, they triumphed at the Cajun Classic in Baton Rouge, defeating Japan's Manami Tanaka and China's Zhenzhen Zhu. The victory in Louisiana earned the 44-year-old her first title at Super Series level since 2019. This is the tier of wheelchair tournaments that sit directly below the four Grand Slams.
Miss Shuker said: "We came close at the Georgia Open. "To turn that loss around to a win felt great and it's so nice to still be up there getting those performances and titles amongst the world’s best – even at my age." The pair's next challenge was the Miami Open Invitational.
Though not for world ranking points, it provided an opportunity to showcase wheelchair tennis during the Masters 1000 tournament. They clinched another title by defeating Colombia's Angelica Bernal and Chile's Macarena Cabrillana 6-3, 7-5 in the women's doubles final. Miss Shuker, a doubles bronze medallist at London 2012 and Rio 2016 and a women's doubles silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, said: "We’re hugely grateful for the opportunity to compete in Miami amongst some of the world’s best players.
"I look forward to watching this tournament grow, giving more players across our sport the opportunity to play these great events and inspire future generations of wheelchair players." Miss Shuker was also selected by her fellow ParalympicsGB team members to be flagbearer at the Paris 2024 opening ceremony. Her impressive performances this year demonstrate her continued success and dedication to the sport.
She is an inspiration to future generations of wheelchair players, proving that age is no barrier to success..
