Tennis
Bothwell and Appleton crowned national champions
Down native Peter Bothwell delivered a magnificent display at Carrickmines yesterday evening to claim the AIG Irish Open Tennis Championship men’s singles title at the expense of Britain’s Ryan James Storrie.
The DCU Academy star had been left with a mountain climb when he conceded the opening set to Storrie, who defeated Germany’s Stefan Seifert at the semi-final stage on Saturday.
However, Bothwell was determined to leave his mark on the day’s showpiece decider – and he ultimately got the better of Storrie in a gruelling three-set affair (5-7 6-3 6-3).
Speaking on court Bothwell identified the partisan home crowd as a major factor in his success.
“It gave me five, 10 per cent extra. Especially in the third set. I felt a little bit fatigued and you got me through it,” he said.
Emily Appleton was earlier crowned women’s singles champion with a straight sets victory (6-4 to 6-3) over fellow Briton Sasha Hill.