Reid keeps rolling at Australian Open

Gordon Reid made history by becoming the first Brit to reach a Grand Slam men’s singles wheelchair tennis final on Thursday (28 January) at the Australian Open.

After beating world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda of Japan in his opening singles match at Melbourne Park, world No. 5 Reid clinched a three-set win over Argentina’s world No. 6 Gustavo Fernandez 6-3, 6-7(6), 9-7 to advance to his first Grand Slam singles final.

Reid will play world No.4 Joachim Gerard of Belgium in Saturday’s final. Gerard was the first to end Kunieda’s 77-match winning streak during the early rounds of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in December. The Belgian went on to defeat Kunieda for the men’s singles title.

Gerard defeated France’s Houdet 3-6 6-1 6-3 on Thursday to reach the finals.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to make my first Grand Slam singles final after winning my first two Grand Slam doubles titles last year,” said Reid, who previously reached the men’s singles semi-finals at both Roland Garros and the US Open. “This is what you’re doing it for, this is what you play tennis for so I’ve just gone out there and enjoyed it.”

Reid will team up with Kunieda in the men’s doubles semi-final on Friday (29 January) against Fernandez and Gerard. The winner will then have the men’s doubles final later in that day against Frenchmen Houdet and Nicolas Peifer.

It will be an all-Dutchwoman showdown in the women’s singles finals. Aniek Van Koot defeated Japan’s Yui Kamiji 7-5 7-5 to advance, while fellow Dutchwoman Jiske Griffioen defeated compatriot Marjolein Buis 6-2 6-2 in the other semi-final match.

Griffioen and Van Koot teamed up in the women’s doubles, defeating Great Britain’s Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker 7-6 (5) 4-6 6-3. They will face Buis and Kamiji – who both defeated the tandem of South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane and Germany’s Sabine Ellerbrock 6-4 7-5 – on Friday.

The USA’s David Wagner teamed up with South Africa’s Luicas Sithole to be crowned the quad doubles champions. The duo defeated Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne and Australia’s Dylan Alcott 6-1 5-3 on Thursday.

In the quad singles, home favourite Alcott defeated the Wagner 7-5 6-1, while Sithole defeated Lapthrone 2-6 6-1 6-0 on Thursday’s rounds. The quad singles first round continues Friday, with the top finishers in the first round set to play for the title on Saturday.

Complete results of the wheelchair tennis events at the Australian Open can be found on the event website.