Tokyo 2020 Paralympics: Hewett and Reid advance to the semi-finals
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Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid guaranteed the chance to play for a second Paralympic men’s doubles medal after advancing to the Tokyo 2020 men’s doubles semi-finals at the Ariake Tennis Park, as ParalympicsGB players won four of their six wheelchair tennis matches.
Hewett and Reid swept aside Belgian duo Joachim Gerard and Jef Vandorpe 6-2, 6-2 as the 12-time Grand Slam champions booked their place in the last four of the men’s doubles.
Earlier in the day Reid earned a singles quarter-final against Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez after a clinical 6-2, 6-1 victory over Japan’s Takashi Sanada. Hewett had a tougher passage to the last eight, but pulled through to beat Dutchman Ruben Spaargaren 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 and will now play Frennchman Nicolas Peifer for a semi-final berth.
Jordanne Whiley maintained her challenge for a long sought-after Paralympic women’s singles medal after progressing to another quarter-final.
Whiley made it eights wins in eight matches against Japan’s Manami Tanaka, dropping just the sixth game of the match as she advanced 6-1, 6-0 and will now face American Dana Mathewson. Should Whiley go on and beat Mathewson she will play for a singles medal for the first time in her four Paralympic Games appearances.
However, it was not to be for Lucy Shuker, who had three set points in the opening set of her second round match against Chinese seventh seed Zhenzhen Zhu before bowing out 7-6(2), 6-2. Shuker will now join Whiley in Wednesday’s women’s doubles semi-finals, when the Brits will again face Chinese opposition.
Wednesday’s quad doubles bronze medal match will also be the last opportunity for Andy Lapthorne to try and earn a fourth Paralympic medal. The Rio 2016 quad singles silver medallist saw his quest for a second singles medal end in a high-quality encounter against world No.5 Niels Vink, with the Dutchman prevailing 6-4, 6-1.
Women's singles - quarter-finals
Jordanne Whiley vs Dana Mathewson
Men's doubles - semi-final
Gordon Reid & Alfie Hewett vs Shingo Kunieda & Takashi Sanada
