Lucy Shuker completed a tremendous eight days in Bolton with back-to-back ITF 2 and ITF 3 titles, results which see her equal a career-best world ranking of World No. 5.
Lucy Shuker spearheaded a series of impressive results for home players after claiming three titles in ten days in back-to-back tournaments at Bolton Arena, resulting in the British No.1 equalling her career-best women’s singles world ranking.
With the Lancashire venue hosting the LTA’s first two wheelchair tennis world ranking events of the years for the first time, Shuker won seven singles matches across the ITF 3 and ITF 2 events, claiming her first singles titles in Bolton in seven attempts since Bolton Arena first hosted international wheelchair tennis in 2014.
Having beaten USA second seed Dana Mathewson 64 60 to win the ITF 3 title at the start of last week, adding the women’s doubles title partnering the American, Shuker and Mathewson again reached the women’s singles final at the ITF 2 tournament before Mathewson had to withdraw due to injury. After winning her first singles titles of 2022 and subsequently moving up one place in this week’s world rankings to equal her career-best at No.5, Shuker, said:
“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to play a repeat final of last week as Dana sustained a wrist injury after a lot of tennis for us both these past few weeks. I wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to being back on court together at our next events in the USA.
“It’s been a huge push to get me back to this level both physically and mentally and there are a lot of people to say thank you to for believing in me, backing me and being part of my journey.”