Rallying for Gold: Kaito Oda’s Thrilling 3rd Round Showdown at the Paralympics
Kaito Oda Advances to Quarterfinals in Paris Paralympics Debut
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Kaito Oda, the second seed in the men’s singles wheelchair tennis at the Paris Paralympics, defeated Dani Rodrigues (Brazil), ranked 19th in the world, in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, advancing to the quarterfinals in his first Paralympic appearance.
This was the third time the two had met, with Oda winning both bouts in straight sets. 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 (France/Paris, red clay, Grand Slam), 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. In the first round of this tournament, he defeated world No. 27 B. Bertram (Great Britain) in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to advance to the next round and record his first win at the Paralympics.
The winner of this match will face either sixth seed T. Efberink (Netherlands) or 11th seed D. Caversasci (Spain) in the quarterfinals.
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