Van Koot and Whiley go the distance to reach Tokyo 2020 semi-finals
Aniek van Koot and Jordanne Whiley were made to earn their Tokyo 2020 women’s singles semi-final spots the hard way on Tuesday, both coming through their last-eight clashes in three sets amid stifling humidity at Ariake Tennis Park.
For No. 3 seed van Koot, who defeated China P.R.’s unseeded 23-year-old Wang Ziying 7-6(7) 2-6 6-2, a clash with Japan’s No. 2 seed Yui Kamiji awaits, while Whiley’s first Paralympic singles semi-final pits her against world No. 1 Diede De Groot.
Van Koot conceded that from the moment the draw came out she had concerns about facing one of the Chinese players in the draw, with their reputation for springing upsets after having not been seen on tour for some time.
“They always show up and beat everyone – they are a bit of a stress factor,” the 31-year-old said, and so it has proved. Wang was one of two Chinese players to reach the quarter-finals along with Zhu Zhenzhen, who pushed Kamiji in a hotly contested opening set before the Japanese Paralympic torchbearer prevailed 7-5 6-1.
Wang proved even more of a handful, even reaching set point in the opener before van Koot clinched a crucial lead.
“It was a little bit frustrating, because I was doing everything according to plan up to 4-1,” said the Dutchwoman. “Then there were two or three shots she fired that were perfect, and I thought, ‘Oh dear, now what?’ I went into stress mode. She fights really hard – it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride with loops.”
Wang ran away with the second set but at the start of the third van Koot regained control, digging in to grind out what she conceded was a scrappy victory.
“I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “Yesterday was a really good match against Emmanuelle [Morch], but I was still a little bit shaky on some points. Today, I fought for it a little bit harder. It didn’t deserve a beauty prize, it didn’t look very nice, but I’m still proud of it. I’m world No. 3, and I am in the semi-final. It’s good to be there.”
No. 4 seed Whiley found herself in a battle with both the heat and USA’s Dana Mathewson in the first match on Court 1 to be played at 11am at these Paralympics as she set up a semi-final clash with De Groot, a 6-3 6-2 victor over Japan’s Momoko Ohtani.
With the first set to her name, Whiley looked to be well on her way to her second Tokyo 2020 semi-final, having already reached the doubles semis with Lucy Shuker. But her composure slipped as the early exertions in the humid conditions took their toll, handing Mathewson a route back into the match.
The third set was as much about heart as head, body and shot-making for Whiley, who cooled off and focused on her reason for returning for these Paralympics.
“I just kept saying to myself: this isn’t for me, this is for my son,” she said after closing out a 6-3 3-6 7-5 win. “That gave me a lot of motivation to find that extra 10 per cent when I was struggling. And I was struggling with nerves: this is mentally a very big match for me, as I’d never been in a semi-final match before.
“To have two shots at a medal now is just such an amazing place to be, after a global pandemic, a baby, and everything else. I’m really proud of what I did today, even though I’m not pleased with my performance. I’m proud I came through it and found a way. My whole goal here is to be on both podiums and now I have two shots at that each. It’s such an amazing place to be.”