Oda, Kamiji and Vink triumph at NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters
Tokito Oda, Yui Kamiji and Niels Vink clinched the men’s, women’s, and quad titles as the 30th Anniversary edition of the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters came to an end on Sunday in Arnhem with the 2024 champions becoming the latest players to secure victory at the ITF’s year-end championships in the same season as having already become Paralympic champions.
Oda joins fellow Japanese Shingo Kunieda as the only two players to have won the Paralympic men’s singles gold medal and the Singles Masters in the same year after defeating three-time finalist Gordon Reid of Great Britain 2-6 6-0 6-2.
The 18-year-old had a much more difficult time than when beating Reid 6-0 6-1 in their round-robin group match earlier in the week, but after calling for the trainer in between the first and second sets for treatment on his back, the world No. 1 started to hit form and went on to seal his second Singles Masters title in three years.
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“It was really tough for me in the first set because I had some pain in my lower back, so I didn’t play my own game, but from the second set I was really good." said Oda. "Now I am going to be number one at the end of the year so I am so happy to get this title.
“Many things have changed around me since Paris," he added. "I’ve enjoyed a lot of things (since winning the Paralympic gold medal). It was a big thing in Japan. Now I will take some rest from today as I also played the Japan Open after the Paralympics.”
Women’s singles champion in 2013, when she became the first and only non-Dutch player to win the Singles Masters women’s title, world No.2 Kamiji also justified top seeding as she fought back from an exemplary first set from home favourite and 2014 champion Aniek van Koot 0-6 6-4 6-4.
Van Koot won 71 per cent of points in the opening set and maintained a 100 per cent record on her break point opportunities. However, despite, twice calling for the trainer to treat a left wrist issue Kamji battled through to complete a memorable victory after two hours and two minutes, winning the last five games of the second set and coming from a break down when trailing 4-2 in the final set.
The all-Dutch quad singles final produced a high-quality contest to thrill the home crowd in Arnhem as Niels Vink and Sam Schroder fought out the title decider for the fourth consecutive year. However, it was World No. 3 Vink who ultimately had the upper hand for the third time in four years as the 2021 and 2023 champion prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-4.
Both players demonstrated the full range of shots in their arsenal, Schroder ending the first set with a sublime cross court backhand to suggest that me might repeat his home victory in Oss in 2022. However, Vink capitalised on a 5-1 lead to take the second set and not for the first time he out-foxed Schroder with a backhand that had more than enough side spin on it to evade the racked of the world No. 1.
Victory completed the perfect day for Vink, whose coach Hans-Jurgen Striek received his 2023 ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coach of the Year Award earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, to mark the 30th Anniversary of the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters, NEC made a donation of 10 tennis wheelchairs to be used in the development of future generations of players.