Shingo Kunieda: I´ll have a beer tonight

Source: China Daily | 09-16-2008 15:36

Top seed Shingo Kunieda of Japan snatched gold in the men's singles open from defending champion Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands Monday.

The Netherlands and France claimed the other two titles at the Olympic Green Tennis Center yesterday, the last day of competition for wheelchair tennis at the Beijing Paralympics.

Japan's Shingo Kunieda returns during the men's singles final against the Netherlands' Robin  Ammerlaan. Kuneida won 6-3, 6-0. [Xinhua]

In a one-sided men's singles match, the 24-year-old Japanese swept past the 40-year-old Dutchman, winning 6-3, 6-0 in less than an hour.

In the final set, Ammerlaan double-faulted twice to surrender the match.

"I just thought, 'Yes. I did it'," said Kunieda, the first men's player to win all four majors last year.

"I'll drink beer; I usually don't drink alcohol, but tonight I will."

"Shingo has played very well in the past year; I think he is a guy of the new generation, and as in everything, the new generation has to take over, and he did," said Ammerlaan.

Sixth seed Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands beat compatriot and 11th-seed Ronald Vink for bronze, 6-3, 6-1.

Women's doubles open

In the women's doubles open final, Korie Homan and Sharon Walraven of the Netherlands saw off a stiff challenge from their more fancied opponents, compatriots and top seeds Esther Vergeer and Jiske Griffioen.

The match lasted over two hours before the No 2 seeds wrapped it up 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Third-seeded French pair Florence Gravellier and Arlette Racineux won bronze.

Homan, 22, made her debut in wheelchair tennis only five years ago, but has performed well at this Games, nearly ousting Vergeer during the singles finals.

Her partner, 38-year-old Walraven, started competing almost a decade before Homan, and won a silver in singles at the Sydney Paralympics.

"Esther and Jiske played a good match, but in the third set they got nervous," said Homan. "So, we used that to finish it."

"We've been the leading doubles for a couple of years, and we were here to go for the gold medal," said Griffioen. "But, it didn't work out."

Vergeer won the doubles gold in Athens and Sydney with a different partner, but the top-seeded Vergeer and Griffioen duo had only been beaten once in 39 tournaments since they first paired up in 2004.

Men's doubles open

With International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge watching, second seeds Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz of France defeated fourth seeds Stefan Olsson and Peter Wikstrom of Sweden, 6-1, 7-6 (5).

Jeremiasz was part of the French team which won silver in Athens, while it was Houdet's Paralympic debut.

"They played good basically. They played some surprisingly good points," said Jeremiasz. "But today, we got the upper hand."

Olsson and Wikstrom had a surprise three-set victory over top seeds Shingo Kunieda and Satoshi Saida of Japan in the semifinal. But, their luck ran out in the final yesterday.

Bronze went to Japanese duo Shingo and Satoshi, who ousted Dutch duo Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Six gold were on offer in the eight-day event. The Netherlands led the pack with two gold, three silver and one bronze. France bagged one gold and two bronze while Britain, Japan and the United States collected one gold and one bronze each.

Editor:Xiong Qu