Quadfather dumped out
Peter Norfolk's bid to defend his quad tennis singles title was ended by Israeli Shraga Weinberg at Eton Manor.
Last Updated: 04/09/12 5:04pm
Peter Norfolk's bid to defend his quad tennis singles title was ended by Israeli Shraga Weinberg at Eton Manor.
Great Britain's Paralympics flagbearer won singles gold and silver in the doubles in Beijing but his hopes for a similar double in London were dashed after a problem with the tape securing the racquet in his hand.
Norfolk won the opening set but Weinberg fought back to level the tie before dominating the decider to win 3-6 7-5 6-0.
"I thought Shraga played okay," said the 51-year-old. "The big change was in my grip and not hitting it back in court. If you don't hit it in the court you can't win.
"Once it (the grip) goes there's not a lot you can do. It was a combination of tape and loss of strength when you go to swing. But it's no excuse."
Norfolk and partner Andy Lapthorne bid for doubles gold against American duo David Wagner and Nick Taylor on Wednesday.
He said: "I should be ready for that. It's always a good match against the Americans.
"It's almost a consolation, but I'm disappointed I didn't get into a medal position to defend my (singles) title. I came up short."