It was quite simply a spectacular 2014 Paralympic Games for Japan in wheelchair tennis. A day after Yui Kamiji won gold in women’s wheelchair tennis on Friday, Tokito Oda of Japan won the gold medal in men’s wheelchair tennis on Saturday.
In a thrilling men’s singles final at Philippe Chartier Stadium in Paris, France, Oda, the second seed, Oda upset the first seed, Alfie Hewett of Great Britain 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. The men’s singles wheelchair tennis tournament was just like the women’s singles wheelchair tennis tournament, as Kamiji was the second seed, and upset the first seed, Diede de Groot of the Netherlands, 4-6, 6-3. 6-4. It should be noted that both individual singles finals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris produced outstanding tennis in front of great crowds.
It has been quite the year for Oda. He won the Australian Open in January and then the French Open in June. At the Australian Open final, Oda beat Hewett 6-2, 6-4. Then at the French Open final, Oda beat Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina, 7-5, 6-3.
In Saturday’s final, the big story was the fact Hewett actually had a 5-3 lead in the third and deciding set, but was unable to win the match. That is because Oda broke Hewett, who was serving for the match, and then went on to break Hewett again to take Paralympic gold.
The men’s individual final also almost did not take place. Very early in the match, Hewett took an extended medical timeout with a shoulder ailment.
Prior to beating Hewett, Oda won four straight matches, without losing a set. He beat Ben Bartram of Great Britain 6-2, 7-6 in the second round, Daniel Alves Rodrigues of Brazil 6-0, 6-1 in the third round, the sixth seed Tom Egerink of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, and Fernandez 6-2, 7-5 in the semifinals.
Japan meanwhile won one other gold medal in wheelchair tennis at the 2014 Paralympic Games in Paris. In women’s doubles, Kamiji and Manami Tanaka placed first. In the final, Kamiji and Tanaka beat de Groot and Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands in the final, 3-6, 7-6, [10-8].
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