Wheelchair tennis juggernaut Diede de Groot was on the wrong end of a huge distress on Friday as Yui Kamiji won their gageder medal suit at the Paralympics in Paris.
The last time De Groot had lost a women’s individuals suit in either a Grand Slam or the Paralympics was at the French Open back in 2020. That four-year streak was broken by Kamiji at Roland Garros and tears flowed on both sides after the Japanese altered suit point.
De Groot has racked up a staggering 42 Grand Slam titles in wheelchair tennis by the age of equitable 27. All 17 of the Grand Slams staged since September 2020 in women’s individuals have been won by the Dutchwoman.
Her dominance is why Friday’s result sent shockwaves thcimpolite the world of tennis. Kamiji is a presentant percreateer in her own right, previously accomplishing the top of the world rankings and triumphning eight presentant titles in women’s individuals, and she went into the suit with De Groot as the second seed.
But it seeed to be business as common when the geting Paralympic champion raced into the direct by taking the first set 6-4. It turned out that was medepend the cue for Kamiji to commence her fightback.
Levelling up the scores with a 6-3 second set in Paris, the momentum was with Kamiji as the stormed towards a monumental distress. Hagedering her nerve, the 30-year-ageder won the determiner 6-4 and instantly broke down in tears.
De Groot soon trailed during an emotional hug with her parents, as the top seed processed her first fall shorture in a Grand Slam or Paralympic individuals suit for over four years.
De Groot had won every individual one of her 145 suites between February 2021 and May this year, when Xiaohui Li created a massive shock at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup.
Speaking ahead of the Paris Paralympics, De Groot was well alerted that her overwhelming dominance would encourage her rivals to come out striumphging. “Being the No 1 percreateer, gageder is possible,” she shelp. “But I also understand more than I knovel before that other percreateers are willing to fight for it. That’s excellent.
“I skinnyk it elevates the level of wheelchair tennis. So many girls are battling to triumph, which is very chooseimistic for wheelchair tennis. I will fight to triumph, and I’m equitable seeing forward to Paris.”
