Jordanne Whiley and Yui Kamiji battled back from a set down to claim a fourth consecutive ladies’ wheelchair doubles title at The Championships, beating Dutch duo Marjolein Buis and Diede de Groot 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. Sweden’s Stefan Olsson claimed his first Grand Slam title, beating No.2 seed Gustavo Fernandez.
Champions!!!!!!! 4th year in a row... I can't believe it!!!!! pic.twitter.com/VwO60PxSVQ
— Jordanne Whiley MBE (@jordannejoyce92) July 16, 2017
“This is by far the most special for me,” said 25-year-old Whiley, who was sidelined by a fractured wrist for eight months late last year. “I really did try my hardest. I'm so happy.
“Yui's my best friend,” the Briton added, in tribute to her 23-year-old Japanese partner. “I would do anything for Yui, I would try my hardest for Yui and I know she would do the same. That's what makes it such a special doubles team.”
De Groot, who claimed the ladies’ wheelchair singles title on Saturday, and Buis took the early initiative after a tight start to the final, breaking Kamiji and Whiley in turn to post a four-game burst from 2-2 that secured the first set.
The British-Japanese tandem made a better start to the second, breaking De Groot for a 2-0 lead, only to be pegged back at 3-3.
But Whiley’s full repertoire of slice and touch came to the fore as, across the net, Buis threw in two double faults in game seven to give up the break before De Groot followed suit, a pair of double faults giving up the set two games later.
With that, Whiley and Kamiji ran away with the match, mirroring ladies’ singles champion Garbiñe Muguruza’s nine-game burst to claim the title in style.
In the gentlemen’s wheelchair singles final, Olsson claimed his first Grand Slam title in his third final, beating Fernandez 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
The 30-year-old, who beat defending champion Gordon Reid in a repeat of last year’s Championships final to return to the title match, succeeded at taking time away from the hard-hitting Argentine, meeting the ball on the rise off the first bounce and working well behind his laser-like slice to keep the 23-year-old on the move throughout a tight contest.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Olsson said. “Before this I’d won a gold medal at the Paralympics, but this beats it by a mile – by 500,000 miles, maybe.”
Olsson admitted the stress of closing in on his first Grand Slam title had preyed on his mind in the past, but the birth of his son Vincenzo in January – the day he was set to leave for the Australian Open – has been a positive influence on his game.
“I’m stronger in my head than I’ve been before,” said Olsson. “I actually think it’s the little one who has helped a lot there, taken away the pressure. The baby has put everything in perspective – tennis is great, but there’s something bigger out there.
It’s the best feeling in the world. Before this I’d won a gold medal at the Paralympics, but this beats it by a mile – 500,000 miles, maybe
“It’s only the last two or three years I’ve been able to stay at the same level a little bit more. I’ve improved, not only tennis-wise but also mentally. And the grass, for me, is the perfect surface. I love the grass, where I can hit the slice more.”
Fernandez led every set 5-3, but the warning signs that Olsson’s game plan was working were clear in the opener as the Argentine found himself upended twice while chasing down short angled balls out wide. Olsson rattled through four games to complete the turnaround, making just five unforced errors as he sealed the set in 45 minutes.
There would be no comeback in the second set, but after a flurry of breaks from the midpoint of the decider, Fernandez had the chance to serve for his first Wimbledon title, only for a spare ball to drop from his lap midway through game nine. Olsson duly broke and once again surged clear, sealing his first major title with a service winner before throwing his racket into the air.
