Brilliant Whiley enjoys perfect day at French Open

Jordanne Whiley enjoyed a superb start to her French Open campaign on Thursday as she beat the world number one in the wheelchair singles and later reached the doubles final.

Ickenham-based Whiley’s perfect day at Roland Garros began when she beat top seed and defending champion Jiske Griffioen in three sets.

The 23-year-old took full advantage of poor service games from the Dutchwoman to race through the first set 6-0 but Griffioen – twice an Australian Open champion as well – hit back to take it into a decider.

Whiley struck a crucial blow in the eighth game and went on to close out the match 6-0, 2-6, 6-3. She will meet Sabine Ellerbrock of Germany in Friday’s semi-final.

In the doubles, where Whiley has six grand slam titles to her name, she and Yui Kamiji overcame Britain’s Lucy Shuker and the Netherlands’ Marjolein Buis.

Shuker and Buis took the opening set 6-4 but Whiley and Kamiji, the second seeds and 2014 French Open champions, responded in kind.

In the deciding tie-break, the Anglo-Japanese pairing romped home 10-3 and will take on either the Dutch top seeds, Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot, or Ellerbrock and her French partner Charlotte Famin.