Kamiji aiming to repeat Masters history after Van Koot win
World No. 2 Yui Kamiji secured what is statistically her most dominant performance since 2017 against world No. 3 Aniek van Koot as the 2013 women's singles champion took firm control of their round-robin group on the third day of the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters and UNQLO Wheelchair Doubles Masters in Orlando.
It will be eight years next week since Kamiji became the first and so far only non-Dutch player to win the women’s title at the ITF’s year-end championships and she remains hungry to try and repeat history, especially having not been home since the Tokyo Paralympics due to Covid-19 quarantine rules in Japan.
“I really want to try and win the Masters again. In Japan we still have to have 14 days quarantine when we go home, so I didn’t get home yet. After this tournament, finally I will go home,” said Kamiji after beating Van Koot 6-1 6-1 in their Group B contest. “I can’t wait to see my friends and my family, but first of all I want another achievement this week to take home with me.
“I liked my performance today, we played in Tokyo and many matches before and I think she knows what I am going to try, but my level was good to keep today. I tried a few new things, but they are not good enough yet, so it was nice to keep a good balance between the quality of my tennis and trying new things.”
Of the eight players in the women’s singles field in Mission Viejo, California in 2013, when Kamiji won the Masters title, only the 27-year-old and South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane are among the eight players contesting the singles title in Orlando. Kamiji recognises that wheelchair tennis has moved on even in just that eight-year period, hence her desire to keep trying new things. But the format of the tournament is the same and that is something she likes.
“I think in the women’s game, we used to wait more until our opponent made a mistake then (in 2013). It’s more tough these days to get a point and it’s not just waiting for the mistake from the opponent,” added Kamiji, who has played world No.1 Diede de Groot in the last three Singles Masters finals
“I remember that I lost against Jiske (Griffioen) in the round-robin in 2013, but then beat her in the final. The Masters is different to other events, you get a second chance if you lose first time and I like that.”
With two wins under her belt in Orlando for the loss of just three games, Kamiji plays Chinese world No.6 Zhenzhen Zhu in her last round-robin group match, after which losing will not be an option in the semi-finals if she wants to lift the title again. Zhu beat Macarena Cabrillana 6-2 6-2
In women’s Group A, De Groot produced a more assured performance than in her first match against Dana Mathewson, earning a 6-2 6-3 win over Momoko Ohtani, while it was Montjane’s turn to be taken to three sets by Mathewson before emerging as the victor 2-6 7-6(4) 6-1.
The 50th career meeting between world No. 4 Gustavo Fernandez and world No. 6 Stephane Houdet produced an enthralling three-set battle as Fernandez beat his French opponent in the round-robin phase of the Singles Masters for the third successive time.
With the Argentinian still looking for his first Masters title, he fought back from 5-2 down in the first set against the 2011 champion, only to lose the set on a tie-break. However, Fernandez made a much better start to the second set of the Group B contest, his eventual 6-7(2) 6-2 6-4 victory earning his sixth successive win over Houdet as he extended a sequence that started with another three-set win in Orlando in 2019.
While Fernandez plays Tokyo silver medallist Tom Egberink in his final group match, Houdet faces a crucial contest against Takuya Miki. Miki rendered Egberink winless so far in what is the Singles Masters debut for both players after taking their contest 6-4 3-6 6-1.
The all-British Group A match-up between Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, a repeat of the 2017 Masters final, saw top seed Hewett come out on top 6-4 2-6 6-4 after losing a 2-0 third set lead before breaking Reid’s serve to love in the last game of the match.
With Hewett and Reid currently sitting in the top two positions in the group, Hewett plays Nicolas Peifer in his last round-robin match, Peifer joining Reid on a win and a loss apiece in their first two matches after the Frenchman held off a spirited challenge from Singles Masters first-timer Martin de La Puente 7-5 6-4.