Seasoned Wheelchair Tennis Ace Alfie Hewett Triumphs in Wimbledon Opener
In a promising start to his 2024 campaign, two-time Wimbledon wheelchair singles finalist Alfie Hewett secured a convincing victory over fellow British player Ben Bartram. The 26-year-old Hewett, who had previously fallen short in the tournament’s title matches in 2022 and 2023, registered a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over his 18-year-old opponent.
Bartram made a dream debut at Wimbledon, breaking Hewett’s serve in the very first game. However, the experienced Hewett swiftly regained control, winning all six remaining games in the opening set. The second set saw Hewett immediately break Bartram’s serve, and he then earned a double break in the fifth game as Bartram’s sliced backhand drifted wide. Although Bartram managed to claw back one of the breaks, the pair exchanged further breaks before Hewett confidently served out the match, sealing the victory with an ace.
Upcoming Matches
Hewett’s quarter-final opponent will be the 53-year-old Frenchman Stephane Houdet, a three-time Wimbledon semi-finalist. The wheelchair events at the tournament finally commenced on Wednesday, after rain had forced the postponement of Tuesday’s scheduled matches.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Gordon Reid, the 2016 champion, will face Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez, the third seed, on Court 14. In the women’s draw, reigning champion and top seed Diede de Groot, aiming for a sixth Wimbledon singles title, will take on Momoko Ohtani of Japan, while Britain’s Lucy Shuker will battle Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa.
Subject to favorable weather conditions, the quad wheelchair singles quarter-finals are also set to take place on Wednesday, with Britain’s Andy Lapthorne squaring off against American David Wagner.
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