A tearful Jiske Griffioen was overcome by emotion after defeating Dutch compatriot Aniek van Koot to surge into the semi-finals of the women’s wheelchair singles at The Championships, Wimbledon.  

The 37-year-old dispatched Van Koot 6-2 6-2 to set up a last-four showdown with Japan’s Yui Kamiji, who booked her own place in the semis with a straight sets victory over Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa.

Her clash with Kamiji can wait for the time being, however, as her victory over Van Koot was more than just another win – it really meant something, an enormous amount in fact.

Wimbledon has always been a special place for Griffioen as this was the place she was crowned women’s wheelchair singles champion in 2016 – the first time the men’s and women’s wheelchair events were held at SW19.

Much has happened in the meantime, principally Griffioen announcing her retirement from tennis in 2017 citing she “did not feel the fire anymore”, only to return to the game in 2019. This was her first match-win here since her return.

“This means the world,” world No. 5 Griffioen, who won gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, told itftennis.com.

“I found it really hard to come back. I lost everything in 2017 and to be back at this level, competing with the best, is a dream. I knew it would be hard work, it was never going to be easy, and that’s what makes it beautiful.

“I said that I would never go back to full-time tennis. But when I started to feel better, I was doing some gym work and it was really boring, so I thought I’d play a little bit of tennis because it is more fun.

“Then you start to hit with the girls that are still playing, and you feel like you still have the level. You then play some matches, and the itch comes. I started thinking, ‘what if 2017 was not the end for me?’

“I decided to make a comeback and a lot of people were like, are you sure? I was not the youngest, but I felt like I wanted to leave on my own terms.

“I did some coaching in the same period, so I was like, ‘what do I do, coaching or playing?’. But this is the only time I can still do it as a player. I wanted to do it one last time.”

In the other women’s wheelchair quarter-finals, defending champion Diede de Groot was at her clinical best and verpowered Dana Mathewson of the United States. De Groot, who now has a 15-1 win-loss record on grass, prevailed 6-1 6-1.

De Groot, who is bidding to claim a fourth Wimbledon singles title, will draw swords with wild card Momoko Ohtani of Japan following her 6-2 6-2 triumph over Great Britain’s Lucy Shuker.

In the men’s wheelchair singles, Belgium’s Joachim Gerard began his quest to retain his Wimbledon singles title with a closely-fought 6-4 7-6(2) victory over Japanese teenage sensation Tokito Oda.

Gerard now faces world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda who overpowered Tom Egberink, but not before the Dutchman once again claimed a set from the three-time Paralympic champion. Kunieda ultimately showed his class, however, and chalked up a 6-1 6-7(5) 6-1 success.

Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez, who was crowned men’s wheelchair singles champion here in 2019, advanced at the expense of Frenchman Nicolas Peifer, while Alfie Hewett won the battle of the Brits against Gordon Reid. Fernandez and Hewett now meet in the semi-finals.

In the quad division, the skirmish to seal the Wimbledon crown vacated by the now-retired Dylan Alcott is firmly underway and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Sam Schroder made his move by outmanoeuvring Koji Sugeno 6-4 0-6 6-0.

In this year’s expanded quad draw, which features eight players for the first time, world No. 1 Niels Vink reached the semi-finals following a 6-1 6-1 victory over Brazil’s Ymanitu Silva.

Vink will now meet Australia’s Heath Davidson in the semi-finals following his 6-1 6-3 victory over Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne, while Schroder faces a showdown with American David Wagner in the last four. Wagner brushed aside South Africa’s Donald Ramphadi 6-1 6-3.