The Dutch women, competing on home soil, were locked in a competitive battle for top honours against Great Britain at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup.

Britain's world number 10 Lucy Shuker moved 2-0 up in both the first and second sets of her opening singles rubber against Dutch world number six Marjolein Buis.

While Buis fought back to take the opening set, Shuker held on in the second and continued her momentum into the third and deciding set, pulling out a 4-1 lead before winning the match 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

But with 26 titles in 28 previous World Team Cup women's events, The Netherlands duo, who won Paralympic silver at London 2012, showed their winning pedigree to stretch their country's winning streak to 15 years.

World number three Aniek van Koot beat Britain's world number five Jordanne Whiley 6-4, 6-1, forcing a deciding doubles rubber.

Buis and van Koot won the last two games of the first set and dropped just the first game of the second set to earn another 6-4 6-1 victory and claim the trophy.

Aniek van Koot won her singles match to force a deciding rubber, which she and team mate Marjolein Buis won ©Getty Images



"It was pretty good tennis," said van Koot.

"After Marjolein lost singles I was actually quite calm going on court, which I really enjoyed.

"For the doubles I was a bit shaky, but Marjolein kept on smiling and kept on really motivating me and that really helped.

"We are here as a team and together with [captain] Hans-Jurgen Striek we figured out a plan.

"If you have a plan and it works it's a very good feeling, but congratulations to Great Britain, they played a great match."

Japan won the bronze medal for the second year in a row after being awarded a walkover against Germany, who had two players unable to play because of injury and illness.

In the men's World Team Cup final, France won their third straight title after Nicolas Peifer and Stéphane Houdet won both singles rubbers in straight sets to beat host nation and second seed The Netherlands 2-0.

Stéphane Houdet said the wind provided a stiff challenge as he and partner Nicolas Peifer dispatched The Netherlands 2-0 ©Getty Images



World number nine Nicolas Peifer defeated Tom Egberink 6-2, 6-2, while world number two Houdet beat Maikel Scheffers 6-3, 6-2.

"The most important thing today was managing the wind," said Houdet.

"There was quite a lot of wind on the court, so the situation changed every time we had to switch sides.

"That was very difficult."

Great Britain denied Japan bronze after clinching a deciding doubles rubber for a 2-1 victory in their playoff.

It was the fourth time The Netherlands has hosted the International Tennis Federation's flagship wheelchair tennis team event in its 30-year history, with games played at the Nieuwe Sloot Tennis Centre.

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