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2024 Real Tennis World Doubles Championship

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2024 Real Tennis World Doubles Championship
Date24-28 April
Edition12th
CategoryIRTPA
Draw4D
LocationChicago, Illinois
VenueRacquet Club of Chicago
Champions
Men's doubles
United States Tim Chisholm / United States Camden Riviere
← 2023 · Real Tennis World Championship · 2026 →

The 2024 Real Tennis World Doubles Championship (known in the US as the 2024 Court Tennis World Doubles Championship) was the 12th edition of the real tennis World Doubles Championship and was held at the Racquet Club of Chicago from April 24-28th 2024.[1][2] The event was won by defending champions Tim Chisholm and Camden Riviere representing the United States. It was their fifth consecutive title, with Chisholm equalling Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona with 6 overall titles.

Qualification

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Qualification to the event was based on the World Doubles Rankings published by the IRTPA, with the defending champions automatically allocated as first seeds. Only the top four pairs were eligible, with eligibility determined by the sum of the ranking points of the players in the pair.[3] At the conclusion of the final qualifying event, the 2024 US Open, the standings were as follows:[4]

Rank Player Club Points Qualified
1 United States Camden Riviere International Tennis Club of Washington 92676 Yes (with Chisholm)
2 United Kingdom John Lumley Racquet Club of Philadelphia 60167 Yes (with Virgona)
3 Australia Nick Howell Aiken Tennis Club 49518 Yes (with Fahey)
4 Australia Robert Fahey The Oratory School 43480 Yes (with Howell)
5 United Kingdom Ben Taylor-Matthews Bristol and Bath Tennis Club 37795 Yes (with Sayers)
6 Australia Steve Virgona Racquet Club of Chicago 31688 Yes (with Lumley)
7 United States Tim Chisholm Tuxedo Club 30208 Yes (with Riviere)
8 Australia Chris Chapman Royal Melbourne Tennis Club 25889 No
9 United Kingdom Bryn Sayers Queen's Club 22084 Yes (with Taylor-Matthews)
10 United Kingdom Leon Smart Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston 19639 No
11 United Kingdom Darren Long Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club 13001 No
12 United Kingdom Robert Shenkman Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club 11906 No

Even though he was in the top eight players, Chris Chapman had retired from international competitions during the 2023 British Open. The four pairings were announced as:

  1. United States Camden Riviere / United States Tim Chisholm (defending champions)
  2. Australia Robert Fahey / Australia Nick Howell
  3. United Kingdom John Lumley / Australia Steve Virgona
  4. United Kingdom Ben Taylor-Matthews / United Kingdom Bryn Sayers

The pairings and seedings were exactly the same as the previous edition in 2022 in Bordeaux.

Riviere and Chisholm were a well established pair, having played together continuously since they won the US Open doubles in 2006. They first contest a World Championship together in 2007, reaching the final, and had been World Champions since 2015, winning five previous editions. Chisholm had also been World Champion at the inaugural event with Julian Snow, and Riviere was the incumbent singles World Champion. They were undefeated in the format since 2013 across all competitions.

Lumley and Virgona first played together at the 2012 French Open, reaching the final against Chisholm and Riviere. However they only started regularly playing together from the 2021 US Open onwards. Together, they won the 2024 Australian Open and reached the final of the 2024 US Open, losing to Riviere and Chisolm in 5 sets. Virgona had separately been the World Champion on 6 occasions from 2003 to 2013, partnering Robert Fahey.

Fahey and Howell began playing together at the 2017 US Open, and made their World Championship debut as a pair in Hobart in 2019. They won the 2021 British Open and were finalists in 2023. However, in the last tournament before the World Championships, they were upset in the quarter final at the 2024 US Open to Barney Tanfield and Freddie Bristowe. Fahey had been World Champion on 6 occasions with Steve Virgona from 2003 to 2013. Fahey retired from competitive singles play at the 2022 British Open but continued to play doubles competitions.[5]

Sayers and Taylor-Matthews briefly played together in the 2010 season, competing at the French and British Opens together. They would briefly recombine in 2018, winning the IRTPA Professional Doubles, and would play the 2019 and 2021 British Opens together. Separately, they had each reached one World Doubles Championship final; Sayers in 2009 with Ricardo Smith and Taylor-Matthews in 2011 with Julian Snow. In their last match together before the championships, they were upset by Robert Shenkman and Darren Long in the quarter final of the 2024 US Open.[6]

World Championships

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Venue

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The event was hosted at the Racquet Club of Chicago and organised by the United States Court Tennis Association. The host country was determined by international rotation, in the order United Kingdom-Australia-France-United States. It would be the first world championship, male or female, singles or doubles, hosted in Chicago following the reopenining of the court tennis court in 2012. Chicago sacrificed hosting rights for the 2024 US Open - which is normally determined by rotation of clubs in the United States - in order to host the event. The Racquet Club of Chicago is the home club of Steve Virgona.[7]

Results

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SemifinalsFinal
April 24, 25
1United States Camden Riviere
United States Tim Chisholm
6646665
April 27, April 28
4United Kingdom Ben Taylor-Matthews
United Kingdom Bryn Sayers
1162451
1United States Camden Riviere
United States Tim Chisholm
16366665
April 24, 25
3United Kingdom John Lumley
Australia Steve Virgona
65633352
2Australia Robert Fahey
Australia Nick Howell
4641331
3United Kingdom John Lumley
Australia Steve Virgona
6566665

Summary

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The first day saw the first four sets of each of the semi finals. Play begain with Virogna and Lumley against Fahey and Howell, with three very tight sets with play lasting 3 hours and 40 minutes.[8] The second seeds finally got a break in the fourth set to secure a 3–1 lead. Riviere and Chisholm blitzed the first two sets, before Sayers and Taylor-Matthews rallied to take the third set 6/4. The Americans then closed out the day to take a 3–1 lead into the second day.

Lumley and Virgona were too good for Fahey and Howell on the second day, winning both sets comfortably. The tension was in the second match, where Chisholm and Riviere were within one game of winning the match in the sixth set. Sayers and Taylor-Matthews clawed back a 3-game deficit to reach 5-all with the serve, but the defending champions laid two short chases to win the set and the match.[9][10]

After the rest day, the day 3 saw the first four sets of the final. Lumley and Virgona dominated Chisholm and Riviere in the first set, and built a big lead in the second. Chisholm and Riviere clawed back the set to win 6/5 against the momentum of the match. Lumley and Virgona continued well into the third set, with Chisholm and Riviere finally gaining the momentum in the fourth set, the day finishing with the match level at two sets all.[11] Chisholm reflected that their performance was poor and hoped to improve the following day. On the final day, Riviere and Chisholm returned to the dominant form they had displayed over the previous decade, maintaining momentum throughout the day and winning the required three sets to close out the match.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "2024 World Doubles Championship". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  2. ^ "World Doubles Championship". Royal Melbourne Tennis Club. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ "World Championship Doubles Updated". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ "World Rankings Doubles". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ "A Tribute to Rob Fahey". Tennis and Rackets Association. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ "2024 US Open". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ^ "World Doubles Championship (real tennis) at Chicago". Tennis and Rackets Association. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  8. ^ "WDC - Semi Finals - 1st 4 Sets". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  9. ^ "WDC - Semi Finals - 2nd Day". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  10. ^ "World Doubles Championship in Chicago". Tennis and Rackets Association. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. ^ "WDC - Finals - Day 1". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  12. ^ "WDC - The Final - Simply The Best". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.