The IBTA World Blind Tennis Championship, taking place at SEB Arena in Vilnius, is approaching its climax. Today, on the penultimate day of the tournament, the semifinals will be played, while the new world champions will be crowned on the arena’s Centre Court on Saturday.
The final day will begin at 9:00 on Saturday. The B1 men’s final, featuring totally blind athletes, is scheduled for no earlier than 15:00. The most important matches of the final day will take place on SEB Arena’s Centre Court.
Four countries represented in the men B1 semifinals
Four players remain in contention for the men’s B1 world title. In the first semifinal, world No. 1 Naqi Rizvi of Great Britain will face Argentina’s Gabriel Caparrós, while Finland’s Jani Kallunki will take on Japan’s Harufumi Shiozawa in the other semifinal.
In the women’s B1 semifinals, Argentina’s Rosana Lescano will face Great Britain’s Tracy Compton, while Australia’s Tess Whelan will take on one of the tournament favourites, Italy’s Rosa Daniela Pierri.
Semifinals in the B2 and B3 categories will also take place on Friday. Meanwhile, the B4 competition will continue in a round-robin format. Heading into the final day, Great Britain’s Ivan Rodríguez Deb leads the men’s competition, while Australia’s Grace Hobbs tops the women’s standings.
Three Lithuanians reached the B1 knockout stage but will not contend for medals
Karolis Verbliugevičius, Justas Pažarauskas and Gražvydas Butrimas all successfully progressed through the group stage of the men’s B1 competition and reached the knockout rounds. However, their hopes of winning a medal ended in the first round of the knockout stage.
Verbliugevičius lost to Finland’s Kallunki, Pažarauskas was beaten by Argentina’s Caparrós, while Butrimas fell to Japan’s Shiozawa. All three players who defeated the Lithuanians went on to reach the Championship semifinals.
“I lost in the round of 16 to a strong opponent from Finland, Jani Kallunki. My coach and I had set ourselves a clear goal – to win this Championship. We believed we could do it and we prepared for it. But sport sometimes writes a completely different script. This time I did not make it into the top eight at the World Championship. It hurts. When you put in so much work, time, energy and heart, a defeat is not easy to accept. But at the same time, I feel something else – I am here in my hometown of Vilnius, competing at a World Championship, surrounded by people who support me, believe in me and are here for me. And that means a great deal,” said Lithuanian team leader Verbliugevičius after his round-of-16 defeat.
The Lithuanians have not yet finished their Championship and continue to compete in the consolation draw.
Verbliugevičius and Butrimas have already won their opening matches in the 9th–16th place competition and will face each other in the consolation semifinal on Friday.
Pažarauskas lost a closely fought match in the same competition to Italy’s Renzo Del Cont, 5:4(4), 1:4, 8:10.
World champions to receive €1,000 in prize money
The Championship in Vilnius is also historic because, for the first time, athletes are competing for prize money. The world champion in each category will receive €1,000, the runner-up €700 and the bronze medallist €400.
According to Championship Director Aidas Danilovas, the introduction of prize money is not only an additional motivation for the athletes, but also a sign that blind tennis is entering a new stage in its development.
“We want blind tennis players to receive the same recognition for their work and achievements as athletes in other sports. There has never previously been a prize fund at a World Championship, so it is very important to us that we have taken this step here in Vilnius. I believe that in the future this will become the norm and a regular part of the biggest blind tennis tournaments,” said Danilovas.
IBTA President: Vilnius has set an example for Europe
IBTA President Samir Mahir, who is attending the World Championship in Vilnius, has praised both the work of the organisers and the Championship infrastructure. According to Mahir, SEB Arena is one of the best sports facilities of its kind in Europe. For athletes who are blind or have low vision, having the tennis courts, restaurant and hotel all in one location is particularly important, as it helps avoid additional accessibility challenges when travelling between different venues.
The IBTA President stressed that the Championship in Vilnius is important not only for Lithuania, but also for the development of blind tennis worldwide.
“This week, Blind Sport Lithuania and SEB Arena have shown that they can take a leading role in Europe and set an example of how a major international blind tennis event can be organised,” Mahir said.
According to the IBTA President, blind tennis is also making rapid progress towards becoming a Paralympic sport. He says that around 75 per cent of the criteria required to become part of the Paralympic Games programme have already been met.
Blind tennis has already received official recognition at international level, and next year the sport will be included in the programme of the World Blind Sports Games in Uzbekistan.
The finals of the IBTA World Blind Tennis Championship at SEB Arena will take place on Saturday, August 29. The decisive matches will begin at 9:00, with the men’s B1 final scheduled for no earlier than 15:00. Admission to all Championship matches is free.
