WHEELCHAIR tennis ace Peter Norfolk produced a near faultless display as he launched his Australian Open quad singles title defence with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over American Nick Taylor.
And fellow Briton Lucy Shuker put up a determined effort in her opening women’s singles match, but eventually lost out to French world No 3 Florence Gravellier in three sets.
World No 1 Norfolk dropped just one point on his own serve in the first set against Taylor and was taken to deuce only once before ending with his fourth love game of the set.
The opening exchanges in the second set proved to be a lot closer and Taylor had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the tenth game, but Norfolk broke Taylor to love again to close out the first of his three round-robin matches this week.
Alton’s two-time Paralympic champion continues his bid for a fourth Australian Open title today against world No 2 David Wagner, of the United States, and will then play Sweden’s Beijing Paralympic silver medallist Johan Andersson.
The top two after the round-robin matches will go forward to Saturday’s final.
Somerset-based world No 11 Shuker went in to her contest with Gravellier with just one win in five contests, but she took the second seed to three sets for the third time in her career before Gravellier finally prevailed 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Shuker now partners Australian Daniela di Toro as the duo bid to reach their second Grand Slam women’s doubles final.
Last year’s Wimbledon runners-up take on Germany’s Katharina Kruger and Annick Sevenans of Belgium in their semi-final in Melbourne.
