Japan’s wheelchair tennis star Tokito Oda completes Golden Slam at age 19

Japanese wheelchair tennis star Tokito Oda has completed the career Golden Slam after a dramatic victory at the US Open. The 19-year-old top seed was pushed to the limit by Argentina’s No. 4 seed Gustavo Fernandez, but Oda survived multiple match points to claim a historic win.

With a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(11) triumph, Oda became the youngest player ever to achieve the career Golden Slam, winning all four Grand Slam titles and the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

He is only the fourth wheelchair tennis player to achieve this feat and joins the sport's legends, four-time Paralympic champion Shingo Kunieda, five-time Paralympic medallist Diede de Groot and six-time Paralympic medallist Dylan Alcott. 

"I am feeling just amazing, just happy," Oda said. "Yeah, I got no words."

The US Open wheelchair tennis singles tournaments took place from 3 to 6 September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. Yui Kamiji came from behind to defeat China’s Li Xiaohui in the women’s singles final, while Niels Vink pulled off a straight set victory over compatriot Sam Schroder in the quad singles final.  

Tokito Oda's 'craziest match' 

In a thrilling men's singles final, Oda saved four match points, all in the final-set tiebreak, to secure his third straight Grand Slam title of the year, following wins at the French Open and Wimbledon. 

Oda and Fernandez faced off in the singles final, a day after winning the men's doubles titles together, beating Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid of Great Britain. 

After taking the first set comfortably against Fernandez, who was playing in his first US Open final since 2014, Oda's level dropped while Fernandez raised his game. 

In the tiebreak, Fernandez was very aggressive and very successful in building the lead, and when, after a long rally, an Oda forehand sailed long, Fernandez led 9-6. Oda, however, showed he was not giving up, snaring the next two points with a backhand serve return winner, and then a forehand winner.  

On the third match point, a Fernandez backhand return went into the net, eliciting a roar of ‘Come on!’ from Oda and the large contingent of Japanese fans.

“I didn’t think, if I lose this point, I didn’t think like that,” Oda said. “Just thought normal, and every point my mind is always same and always just hit the winner and just hit for the corner.”  

“I felt a little bit of pressure in his match point, but that time, I got two winners maybe down the line. That was the best moment.”  

On the fourth championship point, Fernandez sailed a return wide. Finally on Oda’s second match point, he crushed a forehand return down the line for a winner. Finally, the Golden Slam was his.  

“I was imagining this trophy and to win here and how to celebrate on the court,” Oda said.  

“But that match was maybe the craziest match of my career.”  

Yui Kamiji sees sport's level rise

In the women’s singles final, Yui Kamiji overcame a shaky start to defeat China’s Li Xiaohui. After dropping the first set 6-0 in just 20 minutes, Kamiji broke Li’s serve to start the second and never looked back, winning 0-6, 6-1, 6-3 to claim her first singles title at Flushing Meadows since 2017.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting (that), of course, but she played so well, very powerful and good serve,” Kamiji, who won her maiden Paralympic gold medal at Paris 2024, said of the opening set. “I wasn’t really bad in the first set. I tried to stay a little bit back and hit my first opportunity to take advantage (in the second set).” 

The most difficult match of the tournament for Kamiji was, unusually, in the quarterfinals, when the legendary Diede de Groot, still coming back to top form after missing eight months following hip surgery, pushed Kamiji before losing, 3-6 6-4 6-4. 

 “When I beat Diede, I was thinking, like, ‘oh, my God, it's still quarterfinal,’” Kamiji said.  

“Every round it was really difficult to win against every player. At the same time I'm really happy that we bring wheelchair tennis level that high.” 

Niels Vink on locker room talks and Dutch rivalry

In the quad singles final, Dutch stars Niels Vink and Sam Schroder, frequent Grand Slam finalists, faced off once again. This time, it was Vink who triumphed with a 6-1, 7-5 win, claiming his second straight Slam title and his first US Open singles crown since 2022.

“We always say against each other in the locker room, ‘Let's get everyone and then play the final against each other,” Vink said, laughing. "Against him, my strategy is always the same, because, yeah, we don't have any secrets for each other because we know each other so good.” 

Vink, who won two of the three Slam finals meetings over Schroder in 2025, had a much tougher battle in the second set. Schroder broke serve and surged to a 4-2 lead before Vink recovered to even the set at 5. 

 Vink then won the final when a Schroder forehand sailed long. 

 “It feels completely different, because three years ago, yeah, I don't remember it that good, because it's already three years ago. I was 19 at the moment, and now I'm 22,” Vink said when asked to compare his two titles here. 

 “As a player, I develop, but also as a person. This one was what I remember, a better match. It was a good fight, and the level of the match was very, very high also from Sam.” 

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