Carter and Hunter Repeat as National Wheelchair Tennis Champions

The 2010 Birmingham Nationals concluded at White Oaks Resort & Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on Sunday with two familiar names taking home the titles. Lee Carter (Winnipeg) and Sarah Hunter (White Rock, British Columbia) won the men’s and quad division championships respectively, each adding to their already impressive number of national trophies.
 
Carter became just the third Canadian male to win at least four consecutive national titles joining Paul Johnson (1991-1998) and Colin McKeage (2001-2004) in the record books. Carter defeated Yann Mathieu (Trois-Rivieres, Quebec) in a close two-set match with a final score of 7-6(3), 6-3.
 
“Winning four titles in a row feels fantastic,” said Carter. “Yann played well but I stuck with my gameplan. Having my coach Jared Connell here and sharing it with him is really special. He has supported me throughout my career and helped me so much with my success.”
 
In the quad singles division, Hunter claimed her ninth national singles title with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Gary Luker.  Hunter now owns the record for most singles titles won with Johnson (men’s singles) and Yuka Chokyu (women’s singles) already on the elite list. 
 
“It’s really exciting to win another title,” said Hunter. “Gary played so well and has really improved. I’m already looking forward to the 2011 World Team Cup as the quad team has a real chance to get to the podium.”
 
Carter not only claimed the singles title, but after a quick rest period he went back on court with partner Corey Blatchford (Saskatoon) to compete for the men’s doubles championship. Carter and Blatchford won their match against Philippe Bedard (Quebec) and Joel Dembe (Ontario) in a hard-fought three sets with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. It is the third consecutive year that the duo has captured the doubles title as a tandem and the fourth straight doubles title for Carter who won in 2007 with Phil Rowe.