Simmonds wins Futures title
Simmonds made it a doubles title when she teamed up with fellow Fed Cup squad member, Michelle Sammons, to win the doubles title
CHANEL Simmonds of Van Riebeeck Park won the Sun City Futures 3 title when she beat third seed, Madrie le Roux, 6-2, 6-2.
Simmonds showed her class and experience in her one-hour, 28-minute final against a fellow South African.
Playing her best tennis all week, Simmonds took control of the match in the fifth game of the first set when she broke serve to lead 3-2. Le Roux put so much effort into the first four games, she looked like a tired and weary marathon runner on the changeover after the break.
Le Roux broke Simmonds’ serve in the first game of the match and looked like a player on a mission. Simmonds promptly broke serve back the second game and then both players held serve until the sixth game where Simmonds broke to lead 4-2.
In the second set Simmonds got the early break (second game) and raced to a 3-0 lead. Two further breaks by Simmonds in the sixth and eighth games gave her the set 6-2, the match and her second Futures title in South Africa.The first was the Potchefstroom Futures in 2012.
“I was very consistent, kept the ball going, yet played with good pace which tired Madrie,” said Simmonds. “I was also playing the high ball which forced Madrie to put in extra effort on her shots.”
Simmonds made it a doubles title when she teamed up with fellow Fed Cup squad member, Michelle Sammons, to win the doubles title. The top seeds beat fourth seeds, Ilze Hattingh and Madrie le Roux (the former African junior champions) 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Simmonds got sweet revenge when she beat Ilze Hattingh 6-4, 7-5 in the semi-final of the Futures 3. In the Futures 2 quarter finals, Simmonds lost to Hattingh.
