Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid win seventh French Open doubles title
Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid have secured their seventh consecutive French Open wheelchair doubles title with a dominant straight-sets victory in Paris.
The top-seeded pair defeated Spain’s Martin de la Puente and home favourite Stephane Houdet 6-2 6-3 to claim their 24th Grand Slam crown together.
Despite facing a partisan crowd backing the French veteran, the British duo produced a clinical performance on the clay.
They dictated proceedings throughout the match, hitting 29 winners to their opponents’ 14 and winning 55% of points on the French-Spanish pairing’s first serve.
Historic milestone on Parisian clay
The triumph carries extra significance as the wheelchair game celebrates a half-century since its inception.
“Tennis wins – 50 years of wheelchair tennis, to be on a court like this, having this sort of atmosphere, it’s an absolute pleasure and long may it continue.”
Alfie Hewett
The 26-year-old admitted the French tournament had initially been a challenging hurdle during the early days of their partnership.
His Scottish partner echoed these sentiments, acknowledging their continued evolution as a dominant force on the global circuit.
“We’ve been a team for a long time now but we are finding new ways to play and new ways to enjoy it.”
Gordon Reid
Singles championship match beckons
Alongside his doubles success, the Norfolk-born athlete remains in contention for further silverware after reaching his second successive singles final at Roland Garros.
The second seed overcame Argentine Gustavo Fernandez 7-5 6-4 to set up a blockbuster championship clash.
He will face top seed Tokito Oda, who advanced by defeating doubles runner-up De la Puente in a tight semi-final encounter.
The Japanese teenager is the three-time defending champion in Paris and has proved to be a formidable opponent, having won the past four major singles titles.
Searching for his first major individual victory since last year’s Australian Open, the British challenger aims to replicate his previous Parisian singles triumphs from 2017, 2020, and 2021.