Candy gets sweet taste of success

The St Leonards-based player won the over-55 women’s singles and doubles in Dudley despite going into the event not having played a competitive match for almost a year.

She said: “It’s always good to win in your last year (in the age group). I struggled a little bit at times because although I’m match fit, I’m not match tight. I think my concentration goes wandering a little and then suddenly I wake up and think ‘come on’.”

In the singles, top seed Candy saw off Jenny Chin 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Jane Timmis 6-0, 7-5 in the semi-finals. She then got the better of second seed Sally Freeman 6-2, 6-4 in the final.

“I raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set, but then I went walkabouts for a couple of games before I got back in gear,” continued Candy. “Sally’s being playing in the Worlds for a hugely long time, but I did win it quite comfortably.”

Candy was also the number one seed in the doubles where she was partnered by Anne Clark. The pair eased past Jane Ling and Patricia Peal 6-2, 6-1 in the semi-finals before defeating second seeds Freeman and Jane Rushby 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in the final.

“We were 5-0 up in the first set, then 6-5 down and won the tie-break,” Candy went on. “The second set was tight and there were some really good rallies, but we were just ahead all the time.”

Candy has now won the singles title three years running and the doubles crown for the last two years. The Rye LTC head coach used the event to get some match practice ahead of the ITF Seniors World Team Championships in Antalya, Turkey, next month.