Tokito Oda wins maiden Australian Open title, de Groot, Schroder triumph

There were two expected wins and one marginal upset from the three wheelchair finals played in succession on the 5,000 seat Kia Arena on Saturday, 27 January.

Japanese teenage sensation Tokito Oda won his maiden Australian title in the men’s singles with a 6-2, 6-4 win over defending champion Alfie Hewett of Great Britain. 

Diede de Groot extended her winning streak in the women’s singles en route to her 21st Grand Slam singles title, while fellow Dutch player Sam Schroder won the Australian Open quad singles tournament for the third straight year.

Teenage champion

Oda, who finished runner-up to Hewett at the 2023 Australian Open, defeated the British three-time Paralympic medallist in straight sets and captured his third Grand Slam singles title.

The 17-year-old Oda, who won the Wimbledon and the Roland Garros titles last year, said the victory in the first Grand Slam of the year was a case of fine tuning and focus.

“I didn't change my playing style or anything, I just grew up to the next level. Last year I didn't get many points with aggressive playing but it's been one year (on) and I've been practicing aggressive play, going to the net, hitting the smash, hitting a strong forehand.”

There was the added incentive that came from watching his countryman Rei Sakamoto win the junior singles title while Oda was warming up in the gym before his final.

“I saw his play that was five all (in the third set that Sakamoto won 7-5). I got power from him. When they called me and Alfie, he just won the match.

“I felt like, 'Oh, I need to win this match, because some Japanese won the juniors title’,” he joked.

Grand Slam title No. 21

In the women's singles final, de Groot, who has not lost in the singles since 2021, claimed her 21st Grand Slam singles title by beating Japan's Yui Kamiji 7-5, 6-4.

The setting was bright and the arena in full sunlight with a good-size crowd enhanced by a strong Japanese contingent. De Groot, while commanding against the ever-smiling Kamiji, was not always comfortable.

“The last couple of weeks have not been going all my way with a little injury and a cold, a match point down in the preparation tournament (a collectors item),” she said. ”So it hasn't all been going fine, I had to work very hard this week. I think that's what makes this really special.”

She said there were issues around her serve during the match that lasted 1 hour, 36 minutes.

“When you hold your serve in wheelchair tennis, I think that's still more difficult than getting a break. Everyone who saw the match today saw that I was still struggling with my serve. I can still improve so much more than I already am doing now."

Her inspiration however remains undimmed.

“What motivates me is that the Grand Slams at the moment are making things better for us year by year. So I'm really happy to be here and then to play in front of a lot of people this year. Then as a player you want to do well, those are the things that keep me going.”

And as for records, perspective is paramount.

“They're all amazing. So looking back at all of the records, I'm proud of myself and it shows me that I'm doing better than maybe even I hoped I would ever do. But to be able to focus on tennis, I need to sort of set it aside.”

A hat-trick of AO titles

In the quad singles final, Dutchman Sam Schroder made it a hat-trick of AO titles with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Israel’s Guy Sasson.

The 24-year-old Schroder intended to celebrate his title, post-doping tests, with a few beers and a hamburger he said. This followed on from a Friday night out at a Japanese restaurant to relax before his big day.

“Staying in a great space mentally, that’s the most important thing for me, to be in a good space.”

The post-match ice bath routine which he only began earlier this week is paying off, clearly.

“I have been doing it every day, seven minutes is my record now (up from two minutes on Wednesday). I go in completely up to the neck. I just go deeper every day for a little bit longer.

“I didn’t like it the first two times, but the last two times I had no reaction and it’s giving me a great benefit as well.”

His opponent Sasson, who enjoyed a very vocal backing, opted for the more personal on-court tribute.

“He deserved it, he played better,” said Sasson before getting dewy eyed. “I have to thank my beautiful wife Aya. She is at home watching this being played.”

Double delight

In the men’s doubles final, Britain’s Hewett and Gordon Reid took a 6-3, 6-2 win over Japan’s Takuya Miki and Oda in front of a vocal crowd on Friday, 26 January.

“Some of the points in that match really displayed the best of wheelchair tennis,” Hewett said.

“The best bit about it is you feel the love and the excitement from the crowd as well. You can tell they're getting into the match, they’re not just there because they're passing by. They really get into it. Obviously we play a massive role in that.

“That's what men's wheelchair doubles can produce and when it's played at the very best by all four players, those are the sorts of matches that you can get.”

David Wagner of the United States and his British Partner Andy Lapthorne were victorious in the quad doubles final against Donald Ramphadi and Guy Sasson on Margaret Court Arena in a match decided on a long tie-break after play ended at a set apiece, 6-4, 3-6 (10-2) the final score.

In the women’s doubles final, second-seeded De Groot and Jiske Griffioen pulled off a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory over top seeds Yui Kamiji and Kgothatso Montjane.