Tia Norton was the most impressive British performer at last weekend’s FIP RISE Stratford with a run to the quarter-finals alongside regular Dutch partner Rosalie van der Hoek.
Both draws were packed with union flags but it was GB No.1 Tia, just back from an enforced break due to tendonitis in her knee, who went deepest into the tournament before going down 6-2 6-2 to Maaike Betz and Marta Gonzalez.
GB No.2 Aimee Gibson partnered with France’s Elodie Invernon and after a routine victory in round one they succumbed to eventual losing finalists Caterina Vilela and Carla Touly in three sets.
None of the all-British pairings made it beyond round one apart from Helen Crook and Jo Ward. Abi Tordoff lined up with Japan’s Kotomi Ozawa but lost 6-4 in the third.
The women’s title went to Spain’s Aitana Garcia Roman and Argentina’s Marianela Montesi, the seventh seeds, thanks to a 6-4 7-6 win in the final over Spain’s Catarina Castro Vilela and France’s Carla Touly.
There were similar stories among GB’s men at Stratford as only two pairs – Sam MacNeil and Rafa Vega as well as Alfonso Patacho and Chris Salisbury – made round two.
Louie Harris, playing with Spain’s Miguel Martin Cano, fell to a disappointing 6-3 6-4 defeat against Italian pair Joshua Pirraglia and Nicolas Brusa.
Portugal’s Deus brothers, Nuno and Miguel (pictured above), took the men’s title – their fourth FIP trophy of the season. The sixth seeds conquered Guillem Figuerola Santiago and Joaquim Florensa Hernandez 6-2 6-1.
