By Tom Degun

September 5 - Britain’s Peter Norfolk sealed his 18th major singles title on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour with a spectacular three set victory against American top seed David Wagner in the quad singles final at the US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships in St Louis to complete a fine comeback to the sport after a five month break.



Norfolk, who took time away from the game after became a father for the second time in July, celebrated his return to world number one in the quad singles ranking with a 7-6 6-7 6-2 victory over Wagner in the fifth and final Super Series event of the year.

Norfolk will now head to New York for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, as a heavy favourite having seen off his big rival in St Louis.

Two-time Paralympic champion Norfolk, who lost the world number one ranking to Wagner in July during his break from the sport, had been beaten by Wagner in the final of April’s Florida Open in the  first Super Series tournament of 2010. 

However, in his first tournament since then, Norfolk came from 4-2 down to clinch the opening set with a forehand down the line.

Norfolk lost his focus in the second set, relinquishing a 4-0 lead and serving a double fault on set point in a second successive tie-break.

But he then established a 5-2 lead in the decider before squeezing a backhand slice down the line to wrap up his fifth US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships title and his first since 2006.

Norfolk said: "I’m absolutely delighted to win on my comeback after the birth of our daughter Evie.

"It was always going to be extremely tough and David made it tough, as I expected, in a high quality match that had some high quality service returns. 

"I lost my way in the second set, but was pleased with the way I got myself back on track for the final set and I’m now looking forward to playing in New York, where I hope I can go on and defend my title."


Norfolk, dubbed ‘The Quadfather’ for his numerous achievements in the sport over the past decade, will now bid for his third US Open quad singles Grand Slam title when the wheelchair tennis tournament begins at Flushing Meadows on Thursday (September 9).

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