It appears as if one Wanstead tennis club firmly capitalised on the feelgood factor brought about by a combination of the longest summer heatwave since 1976 and the Wimbledon fortnight.

Linkside Tennis Club, in Overton Drive, held their annual Open Tournament on Sunday, July 8, in the midst of the All England Lawn Tennis Championships.

It left club tournament organisers Edwin El Guedj, Ophelia Soares and Sam Roberts toasting another successful event following a showcase of the array of Linkside’s tennis talent.

In the Ladies’ Singles final, played under the intensity of the July heat, Rae Potter triumphed in straight sets over Misa Corlett 6-4, 7-6, a decider that came down to endurance as much as tennis ability.

In the Men's Singles final, Roberts saw off the challenge of former champion Darren Lee over three sets 6-2, 6-7, 6-1.

The Ladies’ Doubles crown, on the other hand, went to Carole Durcan and Soares who triumphed in two close sets 7-6, 7-6 against Angela Shea and Potter, retaining their title from a year ago in the process.

By far the most hotly contested of the events, however, was the Men's Doubles which featured 13 hopeful pairs that whittled down to an impressive final between a new pairing of Roberts and Lee against Roland Gurney and James Trueman.

Roberts and Lee did enough to claim the trophy on this occasion though, edging out their opponents 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a competitive final.

The tournament was brought to a close with the mixed doubles final featuring last year’s winners Andy Antoniou and Katie Brant against Lee and Shea.

It was always likely to be a tall order for Lee and Shea, who were participating in their second finals of the day respectively, and a combination of the sweltering heat and tiredness forced them to concede the match with the scores locked at 5-5.