Victory at British Open Real Tennis champs gives Claire Vigrass her first ‘double’ Grand Slam
Reigning women’s world Real Tennis champion Claire Vigrass, 21, from Essexr, underlined her dominance of the women’s game as she retained her Neptune British Open singles crown at Seacourt Club, Hampshire in spectacular style, dropping just 2 games throughout the event. In the final, she met her former bogey player, world number 2 Karen Hird from High Wycombe who put up a spirited fight but lacked her opponent’s weight of shot or reach and went down 6-1 6-1, amid a barrage of thumping volleys, forces and viciously cut groundstrokes. Vigrass then partnered her sister Sarah, 24, to the doubles title, defeating Karen Hird and the US number 1 Frederika Adam in straight sets, avenging their shock defeat last year. This was the final leg of Claire’s bid to win her first singles and doubles Grand Slam as she now holds all four majors: the British French, Australian and US singles and doubles crowns as well as both world titles.
“It was a great thrill to win both championships” said Claire, “and fun to partner Sarah as we understand each other’s games so well. I’ve been working very hard at my game so it was extremely satisfying to see it all falling into place when it really mattered.”
Claire and Sarah began playing 10 years ago at the Prested Hall Club, just two miles from their home and rapidly rose through the ranks of the women’s game. Sarah, a fine all-round sportswoman, studied at Cambridge University and is now an executive with Nectar Points. Claire however opted to concentrate on Real Tennis and turned professional last year after winning a scholarship to train at Lord’s and recently reached the highest standard ever achieved by a woman. She won her first world singles championship at Melbourne last May, having already won the otherwise all-male British Under 21 championship, beating several young professionals. She has also had astounding success in the National League, competing on equal terms with many of the game’s top male players. Claire trains with the men’s world champion Rob Fahey and when not on court or working out in the gym, helps the game’s governing body, the Tennis and Rackets Association to promote Real Tennis and encourage the next generation of girls to take up the sport. Fahey, who defends his world title at Queen’s Club later this month has been credited with taking Claire’s big-hitting game to a new level of power and precision and helping her develop the speed round the court and athleticism that sets her apart from her rivals.
Last month she also retained her British Open crown in the explosive sport of rackets, the ancient forerunner of squash and is one of the first group of women to take up this previously all-male game.
REAL TENNIS BACKGROUND:
Real Tennis is thought to have begun as a street game which then spread to the monasteries and royal courts of medieval Europe. It was popularised by Henry VIII in England and is still played on 25 courts in Britain and 48 worldwide. It is a picturesque, tactical sport sometimes compared to three dimensional chess, with sloping porches called penthouses and scoring similar to lawn tennis but including terms like "the dedans", “the grille", "hazard half-a-yard" and "chase the door". Women only started playing seriously in the early 1980s but the game has expanded rapidly and some top players, particularly Claire Vigrass, now compete on equal terms with men. The development of light cut-down rackets has opened up the game, allowing juniors to start playing far earlier than before.
Real Tennis has become more professional over the past decade with an international circuit of men’s and women’s tournaments plus increasing publicity, prize money and sponsorship from blue chip firms. Results: Seacourt Club, Hayling Island, Hampshire. Neptune British Open women’s Real Tennis Championship. (Names British unless stated) Singles Semi-finals: C.Vigrass bt F.Adam (US) 6-0 6-0K.Hird bt S.Vigrass 6-3 5-6 6-5Final C.Vigrass bt K.Hird 6-1 6-1 Doubles semi-finals: C and S.Vigrass bt P and T.Lumley 6-0 6-0K.Hird and F.Adam (US) bt A.Garside and A. Greenwood 6-2 6-3Final: C and S.Vigrass bt K.Hird and F.Adam (US) 6-3 6-1
