Dutch dominance has long been a theme in wheelchair tennis – and no player is more delighted to see it continue at The Championships 2024 than Aniek Van Koot (pictured).
The 33-year-old set up an intriguing ladies’ wheelchair final against her record-breaking countrywoman, Diede De Groot, with a hard-fought semi-final victory over No.2 seed Yui Kamiji.
“It was a rollercoaster. It obviously went up and down, but I managed to keep fighting and I'm really proud,” said the No.4 seed, who toiled for two hours and 35 minutes to record the 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 win. Her quarter-final progress over Xiaohui Li, another three-set match, also spanned more than two hours.
It marks a pleasing return to the All England Club for Van Koot, given she was still recovering from hand surgery when she contested The Championships last year. “I'm really enjoying tennis now,” she said.
Adding to the good mood is the success of her compatriots. De Groot claimed a 6-3, 6-2 semi-final win over China’s Ziying Wang to keep her plans for a 15th consecutive Grand Slam singles trophy on track.
The Dutch duo – who have also teamed to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together – will contest a third singles final at Wimbledon. While De Groot won the first one in 2018, Van Koot turned the tables the following year.
“We know each other very well, so I know what to expect and she knows me,” said Van Koot, explaining that the success of Dutch wheelchair players is helped by a tight-knit community and the sport’s inclusive nature in the Netherlands.
“Wheelchair tennis is included into the normal tennis,” she said. “So in every community or every sports club, you can sign in and play wheelchair tennis.”
There will also be an all-Dutch singles final in the quad wheelchair event, with No.1 seed Sam Schroder and No.2 seed Niels Vink both advancing with straight-sets semi-final wins.
Schroder, the No.1 seed and 2022 champion, needed only 57 minutes to overcome Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne in their semi-final. “I was really happy with my level,” said Schroder following the 6-1, 6-0 victory, in which he registered 30 winners compared with nine from Lapthorne.
In contrast, Vink was on court for nearly two hours as he progressed with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 win over Israel’s Guy Sasson. The 21-year-old is aiming to defend his Wimbledon title from last year.
Schroder admits it can be hard to balance his successful doubles partnership with Vink – the Dutch pair will contest the quad wheelchair doubles final against Lapthorne and Sasson on Saturday – with their competitive rivalry.
“We are definitely on-court doubles partners and also each other's biggest competitors as well, so it's a tough thing,” he said. “But it's always good matches so I hope we get a lot of people to come and watch us.
“I think we'll both have to play our best level to win against each other, so that's what I'm planning to do. I've got a lot of confidence now after the last few matches.”
Great Britain’s Alfie Hewett, meanwhile, will aim to complete his collection of Grand Slam singles trophies when he meets No.4 Martin de la Puente in the final of the men's Wheelchair singles.
The No.2 seed worked hard to book a third straight final in his home Grand Slam, with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 semi-final victory over Gustavo Fernandez, completed in two hours and 41 minutes on No.3 Court.
Hewett, a runner-up to Tokito Oda at the 2023 Championships and to Shingo Kunieda in 2022, is aiming to add to a collection that includes four US Open titles, three Roland-Garros victories and the Australian Open 2023 title.
No.1 seed Oda started in blazing fashion in his semi-final against De la Puente. After seizing an 18-point opening game, the Japanese teenager appeared set to continue the form that has taken him to two Roland-Garros titles and victory in last year’s final at SW19.
But De la Puente settled in for a battle after dropping the first set, with his 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 upset of Oda providing the Spaniard with the opportunity to claim his first Grand Slam singles crown.
Hewett is also through to the men's Wheelchair doubles final. He and fellow No.1 seed Gordon Reid will aim to defend their title on Sunday.
