On the men’s tennis tour held in Tokyo, the wheelchair division singles final was held and Shingo Kunieda won the tournament for the second time in a row.
On the 8th, 6th day of the Men’s Tour “Japan Open” tournament held in Koto-ku, Tokyo, the wheelchair division singles final was held.
In the final, 38-year-old Kunieda, who won all four Grand Slams and the Paralympic Games in the “Lifetime Golden Slam”, played against 16-year-old Kaito Oda, who ranked fifth in the world.
In the first set, Kunieda displayed a variety of slow, slow shots to win four straight from game six, winning 6-3.
In the second set, Oda fired one hard shot after another to build momentum, while Kunieda won six in a row and lost 2-6.
In the final 3rd set, both teams broke the service game, and the game got tangled in a tie-break, but Kunieda showed a clean shot that hit the course and won 7-6, and the number of sets was 2 to 1. won the 2 hour 27 minute hot battle and won the tournament in a row.
Kunieda ‘I always show my uncle’s power’
Moreover, since last year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where he won the gold medal, were held without spectators, he said: “This time I was able to play in front of a full house, and it was a moment when another dream came true.”
Oda “He was my dream partner”
On top of that, “I felt like I was in the ‘zone’ after Kunieda caught the match point. I was able to focus on just hitting the ball, and I think I found a new me. If I had done this from the start, I would have won. I feel it,” he said.
Regarding the tears she shed immediately after the game, she said, “They weren’t tears of frustration, but tears of joy. I was able to perform with passion in front of a large audience, and I’m happy that we could play such a game in Japan.” did.
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