Tennis

Japan’s Kunieda wins 27th Grand Slam wheelchair title

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 4, 2022 Japan’s Shingo Kunieda celebrates winning the men’s wheelchair final against Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez

AFP-Jiji

12:17 JST, June 5, 2022

Paris (AFP-Jiji) Japan’s Shingo Kunieda won his eighth French Open men’s wheelchair title and 27th Grand Slam crown on Saturday with a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory over Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina.

It was 38-year-old Kunieda’s 27th win in 38 meetings against Fernandez.

Such is Kunieda’s dominance at the Slams that Fernandez and Alfie Hewitt remain his closest pursuers on five majors each.

Saturday’s 2-hour 41-minute victory was the Japanese star’s first in the French capital since 2018. He is also the reigning Paralympic champion.

In the women’s final, top seeded Dutchwoman Diede de Groot continued her mastery of Japan’s Yui Kamiji with a 16th win in 17 meetings between the two.

Her 6-4, 6-1 victory, in a match played out on Roland Garros’ showpiece Court Philippe Chartrier, gave the 25-year-old a third French Open title and 14th Slam overall.