Kamiji's latest US Open triumph made more special by 50th anniversary
Japan’s Yui Kamiji has been there and done pretty much all there is to do in wheelchair tennis, but there was something particularly special about her latest Grand Slam triumph at the US Open.
The 32-year-old dispatched old adversary Diede de Groot in the women’s singles final, 6-2 1-6 6-3, to claim the fourth US Open singles title of her career and her second Grand Slam singles title of the season.
Her first came at Wimbledon in July, a victory which handed Kamiji the Career Golden Slam, which constitutes titles at all four Grand Slams as well as a gold medal at the Paralympic Games.
Sealing the Career Golden Slam was of monumental significance to Kamiji, as it would be for any player, and while all Grand Slam trophies are treasured, her US Open victory could be construed as more run-of-the-mill in comparison.
But given the ongoing celebrations to mark 50 years of wheelchair tennis, and the ceremony which took place at Flushing Meadows in particular, Kamiji concluded this US Open meant more to her than previous ones.
“This year is the 50th anniversary of wheelchair tennis and earlier this week there were many legendary players, including Shingo Kunieda of Japan here,” said Kamiji. “It was really nice to meet with them and to talk with them.
“I already knew that I would love seeing them, but I appreciated the feeling of meeting them more than I thought I would and I really want to say that. There is another reason why I wanted to win; they inspired me and I wanted to honour them.”
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It was a twin celebration for Kamiji as she and Zhu Zhenzhen of China, P.R. claimed the women’s doubles title after they defeated China, P.R.'s Guo Luoyao and Japan’s Momoko Ohtani in the final.
It was Kamiji and Zhu’s third Grand Slam doubles title as a pairing this season after victories and Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“It is always special to win Grand Slam titles and always special when you win the singles and doubles titles at a Grand Slam,” added Kamiji. “Zhenzhen and I have never won together at the US Open, so this feels like a fresh moment.”
De Groot, Kamiji’s opponent in the women's singles final, spoke in the build-up about not being as dominant after hip surgery and an eight-month sabbatical from the sport following the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event.
Prior to this, De Groot had won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including 15 in succession, while she also chalked up an astonishing 145-match winning streak between 2021 and 2024.
Since returning – a period in which she has also struggled with a shoulder injury – De Groot has claimed just one Grand Slam title which came at Roland Garros earlier this year. No mean feat, but she has not been as prolific as before.
Kamiji, who beat De Groot in the final at Wimbledon 6-0 6-0, has now won seven of her last 10 matches against her rival. However, she insists De Groot's level of play is improving all the time.
“In the first set, I had good timing and confidence,” said Kamiji. “But, as always, she came back to play better and better, and she pushed me a lot. She had good timing and she managed to play better.
“She created more space than she did at Wimbledon. She had more time to come in front of the baseline and I had to stay at the back, which makes it tougher to make the winner, especially against her. She had more time and that’s what she wanted to do.”
A full list of results from the 2026 US Open Wheelchair Championships can be found here