Israeli wheelchair tennis team advances to semifinals of World Team Cup

Israel leads Pool A with two points, winning five of six rubbers and 10 of 12 sets overall.

By ALLON SINAI
Paralympic gold medalist Noam Gershony. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Paralympic gold medalist Noam Gershony.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israel’s national quad wheelchair tennis team secured its progress to the semifinals of the World Team Cup in Alghero, Sardinia on Wednesday with a tie to spare, extending its perfect start with a 3-0 win over host Italy.
With 2012 London Paralympics singles gold medalist Noam Gershony leading the team despite no longer competing regularly, Israel improved to a perfect 2-0 record in Pool A after also defeating the USA in their opener on Tuesday.
Gershony, who retired after his triumph in London but continues to train and represent Israel in the annual World Team Cup, beat Italy’s Alfredo Di Cosmo 6-1, 6-1 in Wednesday’s first match. Shraga Weinberg then overcame Alberto Corradi 6-3, 7-6 (1) before Gershony teamed up with Patrick Ben Ouriel to defeat Di Cosmo and Marco Innocenti 6-2, 7-5 in the doubles rubber.
On Tuesday, Gershony beat American Bryan Barten 6-3, 6-3 before world No. 2 David Wagner, the silver medalist behind Gershony in London, leveled the tie with a victory over Ben Ouriel. The tie was decided with a rematch of the London 2012 quad doubles semifinal between Nick Taylor and Wagner and Gershony and Weinberg, with the Israelis winning 6-3, 6-3 to defeat the top seed.
Israel leads Pool A with two points, winning five of six rubbers and 10 of 12 sets overall. Even a 3-0 defeat in its final pool game against the Netherlands on Thurs-day won’t deny Israel a top-two finish and a semifinal berth.
A total of 40 teams representing 29 countries are taking part in the different events at the World Team Cup, with the world’s top eight national teams participating in the quad competition.
Israel has won the quad event four times in the past, most recently in South Korea in 2012.