Medalists Crowned in Men’s II3 Singles and II1 Women’s Doubles at Annecy 2024

Many of the Semi-finals and final matches made their way into the Annecy tennis court today.

Men’s II3 Singles

The Men’s II3 Singles final was a thrilling match, as two best friends off the court, Hayden Ballard and Hunter Thompson from Australia, went head-to-head in an intense showdown. Having first met at the Australian Open while competing in the People with Intellectual Impairment (PWII) category, their deep friendship was evident throughout the match. Despite their close bond, they pushed each other to the limit, exchanging fierce rallies. Hunter ultimately emerged victorious with his aggressive play, defeating Hayden 6/7 (2), 6/3, 10/8. Both players showcased incredible sportsmanship and skill in this memorable final.

Reflecting on their long rallies, they shared a mutual love for the competition. “I like to stay in the point. It’s just a bit of cardio for me,” said the silver medalist, enjoying the thrill of the back-and-forth exchanges. They train together just once a week, but that familiarity certainly played a role in their strategy.

“When we first played at PWII, he didn’t give me a lot of challenge but he has definitely grown a lot now. He got me in the round robin so I knew straight away that I had to play a lot more attacking today. At times, I didn’t even know how to attack, but that’s what pushed me,” said Hunter. 

Their friendship blossomed through a PWII tournament during the Australian Open.

“I had no friends when I first met him at a PWII tournament, but we built a friendship through Thursday night dinners and catching up outside of matches. He makes me wanna play better and be better,” Hayden told Virtus.

In the II3 Men’s Singles at the Virtus World Tennis Championship, Jonathan Doring from the USA secured a commanding victory over Italy’s Umberto Pellis with a 6-0, 6-4 win. Both players, making their debut in the championship, delivered an engaging match, but Jonathan ultimately outplayed Umberto to advance.

“I feel great. It was kind of very easy in the first match, but in the second match, he just found some momentum going. But I finally got something going in the end. Sometimes he’s making me run, run all over the place.”

II1 Women’s Doubles

In the II1 Women’s Doubles at Annecy 2024, host nation France’s Eva Blanc and Elise Delvas dominated Australia’s Kelly Wren and Andriana Petrakis, winning the gold medal match with a score of 4-0, 4-0. After the match, the French duo shared their excitement with Virtus Sport.

“It feels great. This is the second time we’ve won together, after Vichy.”

Elise added, “Yes, it’s my second time in the French team with Eva, and it feels amazing to win again.”

In the bronze medal match, Great Britain’s Anna McBride and Lily Mills triumphed over Carla Leonarduzzi and Breanna Tunny, winning 4-2, 4-3.

Reflecting on their win, Anna said,

Reflecting on their achievement, Anna shared her excitement, “It was absolutely amazing! Last year in Vichy was our first time playing together, and we’ve had over a year now to practice and improve our communication. That really helped us today, and Lily played incredibly well.”

“I’m really pleased with the results. I served well and figured out their weaknesses, so I just focused on attacking the ball. Last year, we struggled a bit with communication, but this time, we worked much better together. We adjusted our tactics, and that made all the difference,” Lily also weighed in on their performance.

Despite living far apart, the duo managed to practice whenever they could, and their hard work paid off. When asked about their match strategy, Anna explained: “Our coach, James, helped a lot with that. Lily’s forehand is amazing, so we kept that in mind during the game. I’m really happy with how it all turned out.”