Gershony fights back from 0-6 down to win NEC Masters

Gershony, who was wounded during the Second Lebanon War while serving as a combat helicopter pilot, beat the top two seeds.

By JERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
Noam Gershony 311 (photo credit: Nimrod Bichler)
Noam Gershony 311
(photo credit: Nimrod Bichler)
Israel’s Noam Gershony recorded a dramatic comeback on Friday, winning the prestigious NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in Mechelen, Belgium, beating Great Britain’s Andrew Lapthorne 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the quad singles final.
Gershony, who was wounded during the Second Lebanon War while serving as a combat helicopter pilot, beat the top two seeds – Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands and Stephane Houdet of France – to reach the final.
“I couldn’t understand how I had lost the first set so quickly, and thought it would be embarrassing if I lost 6-0, 6-0 in front of all these people, but thankfully his level dropped in the second set and I was able to take advantage of that,” said world number 3 Gershony, who collected a check for $5,000 for his efforts.
“This is all new to me as it is my first win in a major final outside of the Super Series events and my first NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, so to be champion feels quite strange, but I am very, very happy.”