ITF

A delighted Zhu said, "Before the match we reviewed other Holland matches and we made a strategy. We carried out all the plans that we made. (I had) a very strong belief I can do this, we have been preparing for this match for a long time. We wanted to make a miracle as Holland have won for a long time. I can't express my joy with words." In a rematch of the Rio 2016 Paralympic final, Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer beat Great Britain's Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid 63 60 in the deciding doubles rubber to hand France an eighth BNP Paribas World Team Cup men's title. Hewett had given the Brits an early lead by defeating Peifer in the opening match, but world No. 1 Houdet drew level when he beat Reid in the second singles. Great Britain did however win the quad event, the combined efforts of Rio silver medallist Andy Lapthorne, Antony Cotterill and James Shaw getting the better of Israel. USA defeated Russia to take home the juniors trophy for the third successive year. For more results, visit www.itftennis.com/wheelchair. China P.R. pulled off one of the biggest upsets in BNP Paribas World Team Cup history in May when the nation's women defeated top seed and 29-time champion Netherlands 2-0 to win a first title in the competition. With Netherlands seeking a landmark 30th women's crown in the wheelchair tennis team event held in Alghero, Sardinia, Hui Min Huang and Zhenzhen Zhu both won three-set singles rubbers against world No. 5 Aniek van Koot and world No. 3 Diede de Groot. China, who reached the final for the first time in 2016, became just the fourth nation after Netherlands, USA and Australia to win the women's title. SUMMER 2017 NEWS ROUND-UP Italy reclaimed the ITF Beach Tennis World Team Championship title in Moscow in July, defeating Brazil 2-0 for its fourth victory in six editions of the event. The Italians lost the prestigious title when they fell to Russia in last year's final, but they got their revenge this time around by defeating the hosts in the semifinals. The talented Brazilian pairing of Joana Cortez and Rafaella Miiller made Italy work for the title in the final, but Italy's Sofia Cimatti and Flaminia Daina came back from the loss of the first set to win the opening match in three. Luca Cramarossa and Marco Garavini then secured victory with a three-set win over Vinicius Font and Diogo Carneiro. The junior event, now in its third year, was won by Venezuela, who defeated Italy 2-1 after a deciding mixed doubles showdown was clinched by Eduardo Garay and Fabiola Rios against Filippo Boscolo and Claudia Lazzarini. In early August, the ITF Beach Tennis World Championships, which crowns the world's best pairs, was won by two more Italian pairings, repeat winners Michele Cappelletti and Luca Carli for the men, and Federica Bacchetta and Giulia Gasparri for the women. Full results from the event, held in Cervia, Italy, can be found at www.itftennis.com/beachtennis. CHINA WINS FIRST BNP PARIBAS WORLD TEAM CUP TITLE ITALY REIGNS AGAIN IN BEACH TENNIS 30 ITFWORLD SUMMER 2017 OBITUARY: NANCY JEFFETT Nancy Jeffett, a tennis industry leader who was instrumental in advancing women's professional tennis and in developing opportunities for promising junior players, passed away in July at the age of 88. After an accomplished playing career as a junior, Jeffett joined forces in 1968 with her good friend Maureen Connolly, the recently retired nine-time Grand Slam singles champion, to co-found the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation with the goal of engaging more people with the sport, especially children and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Jeffett continued to run the foundation following Connolly's death in 1969. Jeffett became one of the first female tennis promoters in the sport when she staged the inaugural Maureen Connolly Brinker Memorial Tournament in 1969. She made history in 1972 when she facilitated its broadcast on network television, the first such broadcast of any women's tournament. The event was also the first to award prize money, and became the Virginia Slims of Dallas, one of the most important tournaments in the early years of the WTA Tour. As part of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, Jeffett created the Road to the Little Mo Nationals, a year-long US circuit of tournaments for juniors aged 8-11. The foundation also staged numerous international junior competitions in the United States, Great Britain and Australia. Jeffett served the sport in numerous capacities, including as an active member of the USTA Executive Committee (1973-1994) and on the ITF Fed Cup Committee (1988-1996). In 2007, Jeffett was honoured with the Golden Achievement Award, given jointly by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the ITF in recognition of her efforts to grow tennis worldwide. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2015.

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