Maripa wins first trophy of season

Top-ranked South African male wheelchair tennis player, Evans Maripa won the doubles title together with Stefan Olsson.

The pair played together for the second time following their team debut at the 2016 SA Open where they reached the doubles semi-finals.

The champions dispatched Daniel Caverzaschi and Maikel Scheffers with a dazzling 6-3 6-1 in the final round of the USN Bolton Arena, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) level two event on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour 2017, their first doubles title for the season.

“Despite losing the singles quarter-final, I am super happy that Stefan and I were able to take the doubles title and this victory will definitely boost my morale throughout the season,” said Maripa.

In the men’s singles event, the 26-year-old Maripa easily disposed of Ruairi Logan from Britain 6-2 6-2 in the opening round but was denied a semi-final spot by his doubles partner Olsson when the world number seven ended the Limpopo star’s run with a 6-3 6-3 win in the quarter-finals.

Prior to the USN Bolton Arena, Maripa participated in the ABN AMRO World Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands where he reached the quarter-final round in the singles and doubles events.

The world number 14 impressed when he caused a huge upset by demolishing the world number 11 Tom Egberink from the Netherlands with a stunning 6-1 0-6 6-1 thriller to reach the quarter-final round but was knocked out in the last eight by world number one Stephane Houdet from France.