De Groot completes third Calendar Slam at US Open, Hewett also triumphs

The dynasty remained intact and shows no signs of slowing down. One hundred and twenty one consecutive times, Diede De Groot has rolled onto a tennis court to play a match and won.

She last did it on Sunday, 10 September 2023, during the US Open Women's Wheelchair final. She captured her sixth US Open title in a row, which was also her 12th successive Grand Slam singles crown.

After her 6-2 6-2 triumph over No.2 seed Yui Kamiji, de Groot was asked an obvious question: How does she stay motivated, when all she does is win?

“It's in those improvement points; I like to be challenged,” de Groot said. “The past two, three months I have been training with the guys at home. The same guys that play here in the men's division.

"It shows that I'm capable of a higher level. I really enjoy that. Even though I can't always beat them sometimes I do, but it's very rare, but I'm challenged. They challenge me to push harder, to hit harder, to have higher percentages. That's what I really like at the moment.”

As long as she’s being challenged and motivated, it’s hard to imagine the De Groot victory train stopping anytime soon.

De Groot has now captured an unfathomable 37 Grand Slam titles, with 20 in singles and 17 in doubles.

The 26-year-old Dutchwoman had won the last 11 major titles heading into the US Open final, many of them over Kamiji, her closest rival, who gave De Groot her most recent defeat, in February 2021.

Iconic rivalries continue 

The men’s final, meanwhile, pitted Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, both Brits, against each other and as has been the custom in this rivalry, Hewett came out on top. 

Hewett beat Reid 6-4 6-3 to capture his eighth singles major championship, to go along with 17 doubles titles, all won with his opponent on this day, Reid. It was his fourth US Open singles crown.

“I don't think the performance was my best of the week,” Hewett said with a smile. “But, you know, sometimes you've just got to find a way to win. That was one of those matches where I did just that. When you're in a final you just want to get over the line, and obviously I did that today.”

Hewett and Reid, good friends, doubles partners and countrymen, were squaring off in a Grand Slam singles final for the first time, after being upset in the semifinals in doubles here. It was also the first time that two British players have contest at Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era - either in wheelchair or non-wheelchair competition.

Hewett led 4-2 in Grand Slams meetings, while Reid won the gold medal match at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Reminded after the match that he gets to keep the US Open trophy for two years, since the Paris Paralympic dates clash with the final Grand Slam of the year in 2024, Hewett replied, “I still prefer a gold medal though, any day.”

In the quad singles final, Sam Schroder and Niels Vink of the Netherlands, who won their third straight US Open doubles title on Saturday, faced off in the title match, and it was the No. 2 seed, Schroder who came out on top, 6-3 7-5.

Schroder trailed 4-2 in the second set before rallying for the triumph.

It was the fifth singles Slam crown for Schroder, and his 11th championship overall. Vink had won 18 of the 27 singles meetings with Schroder, and Vink won their latest Slam encounter, a three-set thriller at Roland Garros in June.

Happy pairs

Takashi Sanada grabbed a place in history at the US Open by winning the men's wheelchair doubles tournament.

Playing in front of a big crowd on Armstrong Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Sanada claimed his first Grand Slam crown, partnering with Stephane Houdet to win an exciting, evenly-matched final over Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda, 6-4 6-4.

Sanada’s final shot preceded a scream of celebration, followed by throwing his racket up in the air and hugging his partner Houdet, who has now won four US Open doubles titles with four different partners.

“Winning the US Open for the first time is an achievement I will remember for a lifetime,” said the 38-year-old Sanada, 14 years younger than Houdet.

The women’s doubles final was not played; Jiske Griffioen and Diede de Groot were slated to play Kamiji and Kgothatso Montjane. However, Griffioen fell ill during her singles loss to Kamiji the previous day and was unable to compete. Kamiji and Montjane were given the championship in a walkover.

For the Japanese and South African players, it was their second Grand Slam title together as a squad, adding to the Roland Garros title they won in June.

It is the 20th doubles Grand Slam crown and 28th overall for Kamiji, while for Montjane this victory is her second Slam doubles title and third overall.