Kaito Oda Soars to New Heights: Paralympic Champion’s Perfect Victory Fuels 200km Serve Ambition
- The wheelchair division of the Men's Tennis Kinoshita Group Japan Open began on September 27, 2024, at Ariake Tennis Forest Park in Tokyo.
- In the semi-finals, Oda will face Takashi Sanada (39 = TOPPAN).
- It was Oda's first match after the Paris Paralympic Games, and he won without losing a single game.
Men’s Tennis Kinoshita Group Japan Open: Kaito Oda Wins in Straight Sets
The wheelchair division of the Men’s Tennis Kinoshita Group Japan Open began on September 27, 2024, at Ariake Tennis Forest Park in Tokyo. In the first round of singles, Paris Paralympic champion and world ranking No. 1 Kaito Oda (18, Tokai Rika) completely defeated the world No. 55 Chinese player, 6-0, 6-0. This victory marked a good start to his bid to win the championship for the second consecutive year.
In the semi-finals, Oda will face Takashi Sanada (39 = TOPPAN). Meanwhile, in the first round of able-bodied doubles, Yoshihito Nishioka (29, Miki House) and Kaito Uesugi (29, Glico Ezaki) were eliminated.
It was Oda’s first match after the Paris Paralympic Games, and he won without losing a single game. Despite the challenges posed by the rain, which led to a change in court and the absence of spectators, Oda remained focused. He expressed his desire for more people to watch his upcoming matches, saying, “The matches will be tomorrow (semi-finals) and the day after (finals). These two games will be interesting, so I want as many people as possible to watch them.”
Oda also declared his ambition to achieve a 200km serve in the wheelchair division, which would be a significant milestone. Currently, his fastest speed is 174km/h, and he expressed confidence in his ability to reach his goal, saying, “In the beginning, it was around 110-120km/h. If I keep going like this, I think I can make it.”