Reid wins fifth straight Australian Open, McBride defends PWII title, Scots advance at ITA Indoors

Gordon Reid wins fifth straight Australian Open doubles title 

Gordon Reid won his fifth consecutive Australian Open doubles title with Alfie Hewett – their 19th Grand Slam as a team. 

The pair carried momentum from their win at the Melbourne Open to score a convincing first-round win over Aussie duo Anderson Parker and Ben Weekes 6-1 6-0. 

Reid and Hewett then bested Japanese pair Daisuke Arai and Takashi Sanada 6-3 6-3 in the semi-finals. Due to weather delays, the semi-final and final were played on the same day, meaning Reid and Hewett were back on court that afternoon to play for the championship. 

They were unfazed as they overcame Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda 6-3 6-2 to lift yet another Australian Open. 

For Gordon, it marked his 100th career ITF doubles title, his first being a junior title in 2006. 

In the singles draw, the Scot progressed past Maikel Scheffers 6-1 6-2 and Tom Egberink 7-5 6-2 to reach the semi-finals. 

But he was eventually edged out by Tokito Oda 6-7(4) 5-7 in the final four. Oda went on to win the singles, beating Hewett in the final.

Success for McBride and Moody at PWII Australian Open 

Anna McBride and Aidan Moody were successful at the AO PWII Championships, which showcases top players with intellectual impairment.  

Anna had won the 2023 Championships and successfully defended her title with a perfect run, winning her three group-stage matches in straight sets to progress to the semi-finals.  

In the final four, McBride bested Andriana Petrakis 6-0 6-1 to secure her spot in the final, where she played Kelly Wren, who she had beaten once already in the group stage.  

McBride continued her fine form to beat Wren 6-2 6-0 and take home the title for a second year running. 

In the doubles event, Anna partnered with Sophia Schmidt of Germany and went unbeaten in the round robin to win the title.  

The pair beat Hanne Lavreysen and Lily Mills in a close opener 7-5 6-7(5) 10-7 before a convincing victory over Carla Lenarduzzi and Andriana Petrakis 6-0 6-1. 

In their third and final match, they bested Breana Tunny and Kelly Wren 7-5 6-3, which secured them the tournament win. 

Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, Aidan Moody made his debut at Melbourne Park. He fell short in the group stage of the singles, but picked up wins in the doubles round robin with partner Oliver Beadle.  

The pair lost their opener to Aussie duo Archie Graham and Joshua Holloway 0-6 4-6, but they managed to bounce back and beat Fabrice Higgins and Lakshmi Jadala 6-2 6-0.  

In the third and final match, Moody and Beadle defeated Mitchell James and Damian Philips in a thrilling 6-4 2-6 14-12 battle. The win would see Aidan and Oliver finish runners-up overall.

Australian Open Juniors recap 

After an impressive three matches in the Junior Girls’ Australian Open, qualifier Hephzibah Oluwadare fell in the second round. She lost out in a three-set battle to Mia Slama 4-6 6-4 4-6. 

Scottish juniors compete in GB matchplay 

Cameron Rae and Fraser Newcombe travelled south to compete in an 11U National Matchplay Weekend at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. 

The Scots competed against other top 11U juniors throughout the event and got the opportunity to watch GB stars Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper and Kyle Edmund practise.  

US college Scots progress to ITA National Indoor Championships 

Jacob Fearnley and Connor Thomson were among the Scots who punched their tickets to the ITA Indoor National Championships in New York. 

Fearnley and five-ranked TCU qualified for the sixth consecutive year after they defeated Rice and Tulsa without dropping a rubber.  

Jacob played at number one singles position and number 2 doubles position, winning all four of his ties over the weekend. He and doubles partner Jack Pinnington are undefeated so far this season.

Thomson and two-ranked South Carolina also secured their place in New York after they defeated Clemson 4-2 in the first round and Louisiana State University 4-1 in the second round. 

Connor is currently returning to court from injury, helping secure the doubles point at one doubles position with Toby Samuel.

Jamie Connel and 25-ranked Florida State suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Arizona State in the opening round before bouncing back to topple number 12 Mississippi State 4-1, with Connel picking up a crucial win to clinch the tie.  

Matt Rankin helped contribute to Kentucky’s win over Notre Dame in the first round, but the Wildcats lost out to Alabama in the second round.