Netherlands men and Japan juniors earn World Team Cup glory
Netherlands men and Japan juniors both made separate pieces of history on the last day of the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup after Netherlands became the first nation to win all three senior World Team Cup titles in the same year and Japan claimed the junior title for the first time in Alghero, Sardinia.
It’s 10 years this year since Netherlands last won the men’s title, at the 2011 World Team Cup in South Africa. Spain also won the junior title in South Africa, with a team that included Daniel Caverzaschi and 10 years on Caverzaschi opened Spain’s challenge in their first men’s World Group final, taking an early lead against Dutch No. 3 Ruben Spaargaren.
Spaargaren recovered from 3-1 down and 5-3 down to take the opening set on a tie-break before Caverzaschi made his early advantage count in the second set. However, Spaargaren regained the momentum to secure his fourth win in a row over Caverzaschi 7-6(2) 3-6 6-2.
Tom Egberink was part of the Dutch team that won the men’s title for the sixth time in South Africa in 2011 and, now 28, the Tokyo Paralympic silver medallist was severely tested by Spain’s Martin de la Puente.
However, Egberink ultimately extended his winning sequence over De La Puente to six matches as he claimed their first meeting since 2019 4-6 6-3 6-2 to wrap up Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Spain.
Japan clinch first World Team Cup junior title
While Netherlands became the first nation to win the three BNP Paribas World Team Cup men’s, women’s and quad senior titles in the same year, Japan’s first World Team Cup junior title saw them join the select group of nations to have won three of the four titles contested at the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event after beating top seeds Great Britain 2-1.
Two years on from Japan winning the quad title for the very first time, their young players excelled in an enthralling contest against the 2019 silver medallists, despite dropping the opening match.
Dahnon Ward took the first singles against Shogo Takano 6-3 6-2 to boost Great Britain’s hopes of winning a third junior title, but world No. 1 ranked junior boy Tokito Oda changed the momentum as he took on Ben Bartram.
Oda ended Bartram’s near four month-run as world No. 1 junior in April, as the then 14-year-old became the youngest player to top the boys’ ranking.
Having previously made history by becoming the first Japanese player to win the Cruyff Foundation Junior Masters boys’ title in 2020, he put himself and his country in a good position to make more history as he eased past Bartram 6-2 6-2 to bring the junior final down to the decder.
In the event, the doubles was as close a contest as the second set suggests, with the Brits creating more chances in the first set than they converted, but there is no escaping the facts and the records will show a 6-2 7-6(2) victory for Japan.