Oda takes Grand Slam tally to four with first major title defence

A year on from realising his dream to lift his first Grand Slam title, Tokito Oda successfully defended his crown in Paris, defeating fellow two-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Fernandez 7-5 6-3 in the final on Saturday.

While the world No. 2 may not top the rankings, he is the dominant force at the Grand Slams, having now won four of the last five majors stretching back to Roland Garros last year.

“It's really amazing, because this tournament is so special for me. To come back for special moments, it’s a special place,” the 18-year-old said.

Oda is clearly enraptured by the French capital, even affixing the message ‘je t’aime Paris’, ‘I love you, Paris’ to his racket bag. “I love this city, so I wanted to showing my feeling,” he explained of the gesture.

Despite losing the final, it was a positive tournament for Fernandez, who reached his first Grand Slam final since 2022 Roland Garros. The Argentine suffered a tough 2023 season that culminated in his decision to miss the Australian Open to protect his health earlier this year, his first time missing a Slam since making his major debut at the 2013 Australian Open.

In the wheelchair men’s doubles, No. 1 seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid defeated Oda and Takuya Miki 6-1 6-4 to capture their fifth Roland Garros title as a pairing. Their 20th Grand Slam title overall, the victory means that the Brits are now the joint most successful doubles partnership in terms of major titles won in the Open Era, in any tennis category, equalling Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver on the tally.

“There’s no one else I'd rather play doubles with, clearly. Don't quote that,” Hewett said of playing with Reid, laughing. “It wasn't something I was aware of going into the match. But it's certainly a proud moment for us as a partnership, and everyone that's helped us get there. It's really fun to get out there and play with Gordon. The success is just getting more enjoyable every single time.”

“We're going to keep striving for more success,” Hewett continued. “Obviously there's one thing we haven't quite got as a partnership yet, but today certainly helps give us a bit of a boost and confidence going into it.”

That one thing missing from Hewett and Reid’s accolades is a Paralympic doubles gold medal, having won silver at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. The duo will certainly be looking to rectify that when they return to Paris in August.

“It's exciting, as Alfie said, to do well here this week,” Reid added. “Obviously leading into a couple months' time.”