When Shingo Kunieda eventually decides to bring his illustrious career to a close, Japanese men’s wheelchair tennis has an heir apparent in Tokito Oda. However, for now, it is Kunieda who will line up for the first Super Series final of 2022 at the Melbourne Open after winning his first career match against 15-year-old Oda 7-6(2) 7-6(1).

Much has been written about Oda in recent months – and deservedly so – after he started 2021 ranked No.90 in the men’s singles rankings. He became the youngest boys’ singles world No. 1 in April, aged 14, beat his first top 10 ranked opponents in Tom Egberink and Takashi Sanada as he secured his first ITF 2 and ITF 1 men’s singles titles and ended last season at a career-best world No.10.

Oda recently told ITFTennis.com that he was ‘ready to be the best in the world’ and for large parts of his Melbourne Open semi-final against 46-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 1 Kunieda you could believe every word as the teenager’s ‘unwavering self-belief’ helped him to come from behind to lead both sets 6-5.

In order to reach the last four Oda had already excelled with his second win of 2022 against world No.7 Egberink before avenging a three-set loss to world No. 4 Gordon Reid in the quarter-finals of the Victorian Open and securing his biggest singles win to date 3-6 6-4 6-3 in the last eight of this week’s first Super Series tournament of the year.  

A series of untimely errors from Oda and Kunieda’s vast experience eventually proved decisive in both tie-breaks of the semi-final as the top seed moved on to Wednesday’s final against second seed Alfie Hewett.

It will be the 25th meeting between Kunieda – who is looking to follow up his title at the Victorian Open – and Hewett, who fought back to win his quarter-final against world No.3 Gustavo Fernandez 3-6 6-1 6-1. Kunieda leads the head-to-head 13-11, but Hewett had the better of their 2021 series of meetings by a margin of 3-2, despite Kunieda winning their most recent meeting in the final of the US Open in September.

Elsewhere, the women’s singles and quad singles finals will also feature the top two seeds, with Diede de Groot and Yui Kamiji set to meet in their 15th successive final in 15 meetings. Not since they met in the semi-finals of the British Open at the end of July 2019 have they contested anything other than a title match.

World No.2 Kamiji has won just one of her last 14 finals against De Groot – that victory coming this time last year at the Melbourne Open. Will lightning strike twice?

For now, Kamiji can be content to have reached another Super Series final after surviving the toughest of semi-finals to outlast world No. 3 Aniek van Koot 2-6 7-6(3) 7-6(4) after three hours and 14 minutes.

With the Australian Open draw coming up on Friday of this week, quad singles wild card entry Donald Ramphadi’s preparations for his Grand Slam debut have included back-to-back wins over former three-time Australian Open champion and world No.4 David Wagner.  

Currently world ranked No. 17, Ramphadi secured his most recent win over Wagner 6-4 6-2 to reach this week’s Melbourne Open semi-finals before bowing out to second seed Niels Vink 6-0 7-6(5).

World No.3 Vink now faces his compatriot, doubles partner and Melbourne Open top seed Sam Schroder, who dropped just two games to third seed Andy Lapthorne in the last four.  

Schroder was runner-up to Dylan Alcott at the Victorian Open as the 2022 UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour got underway, but Alcott’s absence in the Melbourne Open draw this week guarantees a Dutch champion at Hume Tennis and Community Centre in Craigieburn in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

Wednesday’s final will be the 14th career meeting between Schroder and Vink, with Vink currently edging the head-to-head 7-6. If last week’s Victorian Open semi-final is anything to go by, fans are in for a fascinating match, Schroder having won their most recent encounter 7-5 7-6(5).

LIVE STREAM

The Melbourne Open men’s, women’s and quad singles finals will be streamed live on the Hume Tennis and Community Centre Facebook page here and also on the ITF Facebook page here.