GREAT Britain’s quad wheelchair tennis team won their fifth BNP Paribas World Team Cup title in Sardinia, defeating Israel 2-1.
GB men’s team lived up to their second seeding to claim the silver medal behind top seed France, who took the title after another deciding doubles rubber.
Andy Lapthorne, Antony Cotterill and James Shaw all played in in the quad final, before Cotterill and Lapthorne won the crucial doubles rubber.
The GB men’s team of Gordon Reid, Alfie Hewett and Dermot Bailey were beaten 2-1 by France after a rematch of the Rio 2016 Paralympic men’s doubles final.
Shaw, representing Great Britain for just the second time at what is the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup, found London 2012 gold medallist Noam Gershony too strong in the opening singles rubber, Gershony winning 6-2, 6-1 to give Israel the lead.
However, world No. 3 Lapthorne levelled the final with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Shraga Weinberg, and reigning Doubles Masters champions Cotterill and Lapthorne produced a sensational performance to beat London 2012 doubles bronze medallists Gershony and Weinberg 6-3, 6-0.
With the men’s team hoping to seal an historic double of two World Team Cup titles in the same year for Great Britain, world No. 7 Alfie Hewett ensured a winning start to the final after defeating France’s world No. 5 Nicolas Peifer 6-3, 6-3.
World No.1 Stephane Houdet forced the doubles rubber, beating world No.2 Reid 6-4, 6-3 and Rio gold medallists Houdet and Peifer won an enthralling contest 6-3, 6-0 against Rio silver medallists Hewett and Reid.
