Wheelchair tennis Japan Open Shingo Kunieda wins men’s singles | NHK

At the men’s tennis tour held in Tokyo, the singles final of the wheelchair division was held, and Shingo Kunieda won the tournament for the second time in a row.

On the 8th, the 6th day of the men’s tour tournament “Japan Open” held in Koto-ku, Tokyo, the singles final of the wheelchair division was held.

In the final, 38-year-old Kunieda, who has won all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Paralympic Games in the “Lifetime Golden Slam,” played once morest 16-year-old Kaito Oda, who ranked fifth in the world.

In the first set, Kunieda displayed a variety of slow and slow shots to win four games in a row from the sixth game, winning 6-3.

In the second set, Oda made powerful shots one following another to draw momentum, while Kunieda won six games in a row and lost 2-6.

In the final 3rd set, both sides broke the service game, and the game was tangled up in a tie-break, but Kunieda showed a sharp shot that hit the course and took it 7-6, and the set count was 2 to 1. won the 2 hour 27 minute hot battle and won the tournament in a row.

Kunieda “I still show my uncle’s power”

In an interview following the match, Kunieda said, “It was a tough final match. Ever since Oda made her tour debut, I thought she would be beaten someday. Many times during the match, I thought, ‘Is today the day?’ , I managed to fight with the feeling that I might still show my uncle’s power and let me win just a little more.”

Also, since last year’s Tokyo Paralympic Games, where he won the gold medal, were 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”

At the press conference following the match, 16-year-old Kaito Oda commented on the match once morest Shingo Kunieda, who inspired him to start playing wheelchair tennis, saying, “It was a dream match, a dream place, and a dream opponent. I thought regarding that, but I think I can appreciate the fact that I was able to concentrate on the game and keep my composure.”

On top of that, “I felt like I was in the ‘zone’ following Kunieda grabbed 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 that from the beginning, I would have won. I feel it,” he said.

Regarding the tears she shed immediately following the match, she said, “They were not tears of frustration, but tears of joy. I was able to play passionately in front of a large audience, and I’m glad that we were able to play such a match in Japan.” did.