Team Bath’s Ben Jones among finalists after excellent week of ITF World Tennis Tour competition at University of Bath
Team Bath Tennis player Ben Jones was among the finalists on his home court when the University of Bath hosted ITF World Tennis Tour (WTT) M25 and W25 tournaments this week.
Jones, a former sporting scholar at the University who continues to train at the Sports Training Village, reached the men’s doubles final alongside partner Dan Little after battling to 6-4 4-6 10-8 victory in the semi-finals.
It was top seeds Scott Duncan and Marcus Willis who came away with the winners’ trophy, though, after overcoming Jones and Little 6-3 6-4 in the final.
Germany’s Henry Squire claimed the men’s singles title after beating Jules Marie of France 6-3 6-3 in Sunday’s final. They had both seen off British opposition in the semi-finals, defeating Daniel Cox 6-7(4) 6-1 6-0 and George Loffhagen 6-3 6-3 respectively.
The women’s singles final saw Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, who had knocked out number one seed Sonay Kartal in the first round, record a 6-2 6-2 victory over Teresa Smitkova of Czechia. Britain’s Lauryn John-Baptiste and Katarina Stresnakova took the women’s doubles title with a 7-6(4) 6-4 win against the number one seeds, Britain’s Emily Appleton and Isabelle Haverlag of the Netherlands.
The Bath event – hosted on the indoor courts at the Team Bath Sports Training Village – was the fourth on the LTA’s 2023 Performance Competitions Calendar for professional players. The international tournaments provide significantly-enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway – all on home soil.
LTA Tournament Director Juan Escobar reflected on a successful event, saying: “It was a great week for British tennis in Bath. I would like to thank the Officials and the tournament team who worked hard to deliver this successful event. Also thanks to the players, who performed exceptionally, and I hope had a good week and we look forward to returning in the future.”
The Team Bath Tennis courts used for the international competition are available for hire by students, staff and members of the public. Click here to find out more.
Pictured top: Ben Jones (left) with men’s doubles partner Dan Little.
