Kaito Oda on the Cusp of History: Silver Medal or Higher in Sight for Tennis Sensation
Paris Paralympics: Kaito Oda Advances to Finals in Men’s Singles Wheelchair Tennis
The semi-finals of the men’s singles wheelchair tennis at the Paris Paralympics (France/Paris, red clay) were held on the 6th (local time 5th) in Japan, with the second seed, Kaito Oda defeating fourth seed G. Fernandez (Argentina) in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the finals and ensure his place in the silver medal or higher in both the singles and doubles events.
Oda, 18, is ranked second in the world and is making his debut at the Paralympics. At just 18 years old, he has already won four Grand Slam titles, and last year he became the youngest player ever to be ranked number one in the world. He has won the French Open, held at the same venue as the Paris Paralympics, for two consecutive years, last year and this year, and is considered a strong contender for the gold medal at this year’s tournament.
In this tournament, he defeated world No. 26 B. Bertram (Great Britain) in the second round of his first match, world No. 19 D. Rodrigues (Brazil) in the third round, and No. 6 seed T. Efbelink (Netherlands) in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.
In the first set of the day, Oda allowed a break in the second game, but managed to break back in the third game, and then showed off his characteristic aggressive tennis to overwhelm Fernandez. He won six games in a row and took the lead in 28 minutes.
In the second set, the match was a battle of breaks, but Oda broke for the fourth time in the 11th game with the score at 5-5. He held the 12th game right after serving for the match and won in straight sets.
Oda, who won, will face No. 1 seed A. Hewett (Great Britain) in the final for the gold medal. Hewitt defeated No. 3 seed M. de la Puente (Spain) in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals to advance to the final.
Oda has also advanced to the finals in the men’s doubles with his partner Takuya Miki, ensuring that he will win at least a silver medal in both the singles and doubles events at this tournament.
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