Japanese Tokito Oda, aged just 18, was crowned Paralympic wheelchair tennis champion on Saturday 7 September at Roland-Garros, after his victory in the final against the British Alfie Hewett, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
The encounter was a clash at the top between Oda, world No. 2, already a great in his discipline with four Grand Slam titles to his name, and Hewett, 26, No. 1 and nine major titles.
But the advantage turned to the Japanese, the two-time reigning Roland-Garros winner who once again made the difference on the clay of the Philippe-Chatrier court. He saved a match point in the third set before turning the tide to claim his first Paralympic title.
Hewett crowned in doubles against Oda the day before
Tokito Oda had already beaten Alfie Hewett in three of the four Grand Slam finals he has won. That was at Roland Garros in 2023, at Wimbledon the same year and most recently at the Australian Open.
The Briton, winner of this season’s Wimbledon, won his second individual silver medal, after the one he won in Rio in 2016. The day before, he had taken the upper hand in doubles against his opponent of the day. With Gordon Reid, the British won in two sets 6-2, 6-1 against the Oda/Takuya Miki pair.
