Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/366594
ITFWORLD SUMMER 2014 31 www.itftennis.com SUMMER 2014 NEWS ROUND-UP France won its sixth men's title and Netherlands its 27th crown at the 2014 BNP Paribas World Team Cup. Held in Alphen, Netherlands in May, the quad event was won by Great Britain for the fourth time and Russia won its first junior title. A pair of straight-sets singles victories for Nicolas Peifer and world No. 2 Stephane Houdet ensured France defeated Netherlands 2-0 in the men's final, the pair beating Tom Egberink and Maikel Scheffers respectively. It was France's third successive victory in the ITF's wheelchair tennis team competition. FRANCE AND NETHERLANDS RETAIN BNP PARIBAS WORLD TEAM CUP The Dutch women needed a deciding doubles to edge out Great Britain 2-1 after Lucy Shuker defeated Marjolein Buis 46 60 63 in the opening match. World No. 2 Aniek van Koot started the fightback with a win against Jordanne Whiley 64 61, and teamed with Buis to complete victory against the British pair in the doubles by the same score. Netherlands is now on a 15-title winning streak in the event. Great Britain defeated defending champions USA 2-1 in a thrilling quad final that was decided by a match tiebreak in the doubles rubber. Jamie Burdekin beat Nick Taylor for the loss of just one game, but world No. 1 David Wagner was equally dominant against Andy Lapthorne. In the doubles Taylor and Wagner pushed the British pair all the way before Burdekin and Lapthorne prevailed 61 26 [10-7]. In the junior final, Russia defeated Spain 2-1, while Belgium won the World Group II title with a 2-1 victory over Brazil to ensure promotion back to the men's top tier for 2015. TENNIS STARS HELP OPEN LONDON 2012 LEGACY VENUE London's Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre was officially opened in June with the help of British wheelchair tennis stars Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker. The pair, Paralympic bronze medallists in doubles at London 2012, joined members of England's hockey teams to launch the new facility, which will begin three years as host of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in November. The Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a legacy venue from the London Olympics. Formerly known as Eton Manor, it was the only purpose- built Paralympic venue and was home to the wheelchair tennis competition. The £30 million centre features world- class facilities, to be used for major events and by the local community, and as a hub for disability tennis in Britain. It has US Open-standard hard courts and two floodlit, international competition- standard hockey pitches. Tennis bodies sign cooperaTion agreemenT The French Tennis Federation (FFT), African Tennis Confederation (CAT) and Tennis Europe (TE), represented by their presidents Jean Gachassin, Tarak Cherif and Jacques Dupre, signed a cooperation agreement during Roland Garros. The main aim of the agreement is to improve the development of tennis in Africa and Europe, using the human resources and knowledge of the FFT, which will share its expertise in the training of coaches, referees and much more. The FFT will help its counterparts by setting up partnerships with French training centres, allowing selected players to train at them. The FFT will also put its knowledge of the construction and upkeep of clay courts at the disposal of CAT and Tennis Europe. Obituary: Shirley WOOdhead Former ITF General Secretary Shirley Woodhead passed away in London in June. In 1973 Woodhead and fellow staff-member Basil Reay became the ITF's first-ever paid employees, Woodhead working as assistant secretary to Reay. She went on to succeed David Gray as General Secretary in 1984 and was also appointed director of the new Administration department, before leaving in 1987. Obituary: rObertO NappO The ITF was saddened by the death of tennis journalist and broadcaster Roberto Nappo in Buenos Aires in June. Nappo had worked for the BBC since 1979, covering his first Wimbledon in 1985 and the rest of the Grand Slams since 1994. He wrote for the Buenos Aires Herald and collaborated with Argentine newspapers La Nacion, El Cronista and Tiempo Argentino. He worked as a columnist for various tennis magazines, was a member of the International Tennis Writers Association, and was a radio reporter for Contacto Directo (Del Plata Radio) and Enhorabuena (Radio Argentina), among others. On TV, he worked for Channel 11 and co-hosted sport programme MachOnce for the same network. Obituary: Stig EricSOn Just weeks after being honoured with the 2014 Brad Parks Award, Stig Ericson passed away in May after a long illness. Ericson played a major role in the development of wheelchair tennis in his home nation of Sweden and was involved in the early years of the sport internationally. Ericson was a member of the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation (IWTF) and International Wheelchair Tennis Association (IWTA) committees from 1991, serving as Vice President of the IWTA and as a member of the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee from 1998 to 2009 after wheelchair tennis was fully integrated into the ITF in 1998. From 1974 Ericson was also a member of numerous committees and organisations at the Swedish Tennis Association. The victorious French team