Lapthorne comes up short in British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships final

Tokyo 2021

Andy Lapthorne couldn’t find a way past 16-year-old Dutchman Niels Vink in the Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships final, falling 7-5 3-6 6-2 in a hard-fought contest.

After an excellent summer of tennis, including a huge win in the Wimbledon doubles final and another final in the singles, Lapthorne came into the contest in a rich vein of form.

Unfortunately, the Dutch prodigy Vink was not to be beaten in in Nottingham.

Vink just edged the first set in a thrilling start to the clash, but Lapthorne came back fighting, showing fantastic resilience to claim the second set and set up a tense finale. But Vink finished strongly, proving too clinical for Lapthorne after some wonderful tennis.

In the end it was not to be this year for Lapthorne, but another strong showing in a final to add to his sparkling resume. As for Vink, the sky is the limit for the supremely talented youngster.

Join

The ParalympicsGB movement

Sign up to our email list to get updates on the team and the inside track on our sporting heroes – We're building a movement, with your support, to break down barriers for disabled people across the UK.

First Name

Last Name

Email address

I am over 18 and would like to receive emails about news, fundraising and how I can get involved with ParalympicsGB

We may include relevant updates from our trusted partners, but will never sell your data on. We take your privacy seriously and you can opt out at any time Privacy Policy