De Groot hits double figures with second Roland Garros crown
Diede de Groot took her tally of career Grand Slam singles titles to 10 on the penultimate day of wheelchair tennis action at Roland Garros as the first three of six finals were decided.
The women's world No. 1 sealed her second title in Paris with a 6-4 6-3 victory over world No. 2 and defending champion Yui Kamiji after an hour and 12 minutes, winning the opening set after trailing 2-0 and earning the all-important breakthrough for a 4-2 second set lead.
It was a cushion that she would maintain to add to her maiden Roland Garros tile in 2019, having lost out in three sets to Kamiji last year.
“I think every slam that I win becomes more special because there's so much more pressure that comes with it every time,” said the 24-year-old. “People are expecting you to win. You have to sort of fulfil that expectation, otherwise you failed. That's something that is difficult to have, that pressure. At the same time I'm doing well in just handling it, just focusing on my own thing.”
Following on from her Australian Open title in February, where she also beat Kamiji in the final, De Groot insists she is focusing on her own thing and not entertaining any thoughts of the calendar Grand Slam - or a Golden Slam, with the Tokyo Paralympics now a little over 50 days away.
“The Golden Slam or the Grand Slam, they're not really like specific goals for me," said De Groot, whose victory at Roland Garros in 2019 saw her become the first wheelchair player to hold all four singles crowns at once.
"I really don't have that in my mind, like that's what I want to get. I had that in 2019. It didn't really work for me. I put too much pressure on winning Wimbledon. It just wasn't working. Right now I'm just playing week by week.”
There was an element of history in the men’s doubles final, albeit not on a global scale, as top seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid became the most successful all-British doubles partnership in Grand Slam competition.
With their 6-3 6-0 victory over French second seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer, Hewett and Reid not only successfully retained the Roland Garros title they won last October, they won their 11th Grand Slam title together to break a national record that has stood since 1905.
“I think what we're doing as a doubles partnership is very special within wheelchair tennis. We've created a good bond on court. Obviously the last four or five slams have proved that,” said Hewett, who plays world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda in Monday’s men’s singles final.
“We're a force to be reckoned with right now. To have the results come through - and so convincingly today - it speaks volumes for how far we've come.”
On a good day for British players, Andy Lapthorne completed a career Grand Slam of quad doubles crowns, partnering the USA’s David Wagner to defeat Australian Dylan Alcott and Dutchman Sam Schroder 7-6(1) 4-6 [10-7].
The 30-year-old had previously won three Australian Open titles and two US Open titles partnering Wagner, and the 2019 Wimbledon title with Alcott.
“It’s incredible," said Lapthorne, who admitted that the doubles career Grand Slam "has been one of my goals for a while. Playing here last year and having match point and not getting over the line was so tough.”
Alcott and Schroder will contest the quad singles final on Monday, which will also see a repeat of the 2020 women's doubles final.
Reigning champions De Groot and Aniek van Koot beat Dana Mathewson and Kgothatso Montjane 6-4 6-3 in their semi-final to start their bid for a fourth successive Roland Garros title. Awaiting the Dutch duo are two-time champions Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley, who powered past first-time Grand Slam doubles partners Angelica Bernal and Emmanuelle Morch 6-0 6-3.