Diede de Groot has added yet another Australian Open women’s wheelchair tennis championship to her tally, giving her a ninth consecutive major singles title.
Key points:
- Diede De Groot defeated Yui Kamiji 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the final
- It is her fifth Australian Open wheelchair tennis singles title
- Sam Schröder beat Niels Vink 6-2, 7-5 in the quad wheelchair singles final
The Dutch world number one recovered from dropping the first set against Japanese second-seed Yui Kamiji, to win 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.
It is de Groot’s fifth Australian Open singles win and her 17th major in total.
She won the Golden Grand Slam — all four majors and the Paralympic gold in 2021 — and the Grand Slam in 2022.
The Netherlands posted a second victory on Saturday, with Sam Schröder defeating countryman Niels Vink 6-2, 7-5 in the quad wheelchair singles final.
Dylan Alcott — who Schröder beat in last year’s final in the Australian great’s farewell tournament — presented the 23-year-old with his winner’s trophy.
De Groot is second behind countrywoman Esther Vergeer (21) for the most major singles titles in women’s wheelchair tennis.
While proud of her triumph, the 26-year-old said she does not take much notice of her place in tennis history.
“I really try to stay away from those numbers, because they can frighten you,” de Groot told reporters after her win in the final.
“I think also when you only look at the numbers, you’re going to be disappointed when it doesn’t happen, even though it’s very realistic to sometimes lose. Like, it’s not normal to only win matches.
“So, I always try to just go into it and try and feel well and feel the game. I don’t try and go into it and think I can’t lose this one.”
De Groot said she tried hard to stay composed after Kamiji dominated the first set.
“I don’t even really know how I managed to turn that around,” she said.
“The first set went all to Yui. I didn’t even have a chance to get a game, I think.
“I tried to stay as calm as I could, but I think my body was showing that I wasn’t calm. So, even though in my head I was trying to stay calm, my body wasn’t.
“I tried to do that differently in the second set. Then I managed to get into the rallies a little bit more, which helped me to get just a little bit more time to get into my game. I think that helped me.”
De Groot and Kamiji have won 22 of the past 23 major singles championships.
The singles victory came a day after de Groot and fellow Dutchwoman Aniek van Koot defeated Kamiji and China’s Zhu Zhenzhen in the doubles final.
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