Finalists decided at Roland Garros

Jiske Griffioen will play Sabine Ellerbrock and Stephane Houdet will face Shingo Kunieda in the singles finals in Paris. 08 Jun 2013
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Germany's Sabine Ellerbrock sits in her wheelchair and hits a tennis ball.

Germany's Sabine Ellerbrock is the top-ranked female wheelchair tennis player in the world.

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By ITF

“I don’t know how I made it after the last few weeks. I had a lot of work and practice and no time to recover. I don’t know how I made it, but it is a great feeling.”

Jiske Griffioen and Sabine Ellerbrock both reached their second women’s singles finals at a Grand Slam and their first Roland Garros finals on Thursday (7 June) as Shingo Kunieda and Stephane Houdet, the world's top two ranked players, booked a meeting in the men’s singles final in Paris for the third time since 2009.

World No. 3 Ellerbrock produced the outstanding result on the second day of the second Grand Slam on the 2013 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, defeating world No. 1 Aniek van Koot for the third time in what was a repeat of January’s Australian Open women’s singles final.

Van Koot won in three sets in Melbourne to claim her first Grand Slam title, but it was Ellerbrock’s day in Paris as she came from behind to edge both sets for a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

“It’s incredible. I am really happy. I think it’s my biggest win,” said a delighted Ellerbrock, who combines her tennis career with her job as a teacher and had been teaching on Tuesday before travelling to Paris.

“I don’t know how I made it after the last few weeks. I had a lot of work and practice and no time to recover. I don’t know how I made it, but it is a great feeling.”

World No. 2 Griffioen, who first reached a singles final at a Grand Slam in 2006, at the Wheelchair Classic 8s at the Australian Open, before wheelchair tennis became fully integrated in all four Grand Slams, dominated her semi-final against South Africa’s world No. 6 Kgothatso Montjane from the outset, winning 6-1, 6-3.

“I am very happy, especially for my singles, as it’s my first final here,” said Griffioen later, after also partnering fellow Dutchwoman to the women’s doubles final. “I played two solid matches today and hopefully I can do the same tomorrow.”

Kunieda and Houdet to contest another men’s final

After two three set matches on the clay in Paris, world No. 1 Kunieda and world No. 2 Houdet are level in their head-to-heads at Roland Garros.

The world’s top two players will meet in the final for the third time on Friday after both recording straight sets wins in their semi-finals.

In a rematch of the 2011 final, Kunieda defeated Dutchman Maikel Scheffers, 6-4, 6-4.

Houdet secured the first service break in his semi-final against first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Gordon Reid of Great Britain, and then easily progressed to the final with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Men's and women's doubles finalists decided

Houdet and Kunieda will bid for their second Roland Garros men’s doubles title on Friday in a rematch of last November’s Doubles Masters final, facing Reid and Ronald Vink.

Griffioen and van Koot, the reigning Doubles Masters women’s champions, will bid for their third successive Grand Slam doubles title against the German-Dutch partnership of Ellerbrock and Sharon Walraven.