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Interested in watching the US Open wheelchair events in 2023? Check out the key information right here.
US Open wheelchair 2023 events – quick rundown
Contents
The US Open is one of the four Grand Slams held each year. And while this tournament gains plenty of recognition for the singles and doubles events, others are being played over these two weeks. Specifically, the US Open wheelchair events are some that tennis fans tend to overlook. That’s not because wheelchair tennis isn’t entertaining – it’s simply because the singles and doubles tournaments sometimes steal all the attention.
With that in mind, if you are seeking some details on the wheelchair tournaments for the 2023 US Open, you’ve come to the right spot. Below, we shall discuss the event formats, and the structure of the matches, and we’ll also give you detailed previews and reviews of all the action.
By Icon Sport
The different US Open wheelchair tournaments
The actual format for each of the individual wheelchair events is different from one another. This can be due to the draw size, the format of the matches, and more. However, rather than give you an overview to work with, the best option is to break down each event and discuss the key details. That’s precisely what we’ve done through each of the events listed below:
Men’s singles
Starting with the men’s singles, the size of the draw is 16 players. Matches are played as the best of three sets, and the ball is allowed to bounce twice. This rule remains consistent for all of the Wimbledon wheelchair events, not just men’s singles. Note that the third set is a full third set, with a match tie-break to decide the match if required.
Semifinals preview
The 52-year-old Frenchman Houdet, who was champion at Flushing Meadows in 2013 and 2017 comes into his semifinal against the unseeded Brit Reid as the favourite. Despite the heat in New York and his age Houdet has been rolling the years back in these last few days and after eliminating the world number 1 Oda in the first round 6-1, 6-1 there seems to be no stopping Houdet.
The main favourite for the title now is the world number 2 Alfie Hewett from Great Britain. The Brit is a 23-time Grand Slam champion (singled and doubled). Yet, in his semifinal, he faces the world number 3 Fernandez from Argentina and Hewett needs to be careful as he lost 2 of the last 5 matches between the two.
Both matches will be played on Friday, September 08, and won’t start before 17:00 GMT. Houdet vs Reid will be on Court 11, while Hewett vs Fernandez is set to be on Louis Armstrong Court.
Women’s singles
In an exact mirror image of the men’s singles, the women’s singles consist of 16 players too. The women also play following a best-of-three set format, which is different from the men’s and women’s singles events for the main tournament. Once again, a tie-break will decide the match if it goes to 6-6 in the final set, which doesn’t happen all that often.
Semifinals preview
The world number 1 and big favourite De Groot is going for her 11th consecutive Grand Slam title. She is trying to achieve a year Grand Slam for the second year running. She now faces the world number 4 from Japan Ohtani in the semifinal. Both players cruised to that stage but De Groot would feel confident after winning the last 4 meetings between the two without dropping a set.
The main rival for De Groot will be the 2nd seed from Japan Y. Kamiji. The Japanese faces the other Dutch player and world number 3 Griffioen in what promises to be a close semifinal that could go either way. Kamiji is yet to drop a set but she played two tough matches and visibly struggled with the heat. Griffioen was much more convincing in her displays and she seems to enter this semifinal in better shape.
Both matches will be played on Friday, September 08, and won’t start before 16:00 GMT. De Groot vs Ohtani will be on Court 12, while Griffioen vs Kamiji is set to be on Court 11.
Men’s / Women’s doubles
We’ve put this under one category as the format is the same for both men’s and women’s doubles competitions. These matches are also played as the best of three sets, only the third set is a championship tie-break instead of a full set. This is fairly common in doubles, and for those who don’t know, a championship tie-break is played to 10 points instead of 7. As for the draw size, a total of 8 teams will compete in both events. This makes a total of 16 players.
By Icon Sport
Men’s Final preview
For the first time in over a decade, there will be no seeded pair in the Men’s Wheelchairs Doubles final at the 2023 US Open. Japanese duo Miki/Oda eliminated the number 2 seed in the first round and then rolled past their semifinal vs Cataldo/Ratzlaff in straight sets again. Now for the title, they will be facing another Japanese Sanada and his 52-year-old French partner Houdet. Houdet/Sanada shocked the world with their 7-5, 7-6 (8) semifinal win against the world number 1 and 17-time Grand Slam doubles champions from Britain Hewett/Reid.
Can the 52-year-old Houdet win both the singles and the doubles titles?
The match will be played on Saturday, September 09. The venue and starting time are yet to be announced.
Women’s Final preview
It has been much more straightforward in the Women’s Wheelchair Doubles with the 2 seeded players set to meet in the final as was expected. The world number 1 all-Dutch duo De Groot/Griffioen will take on Kamiji/Montjane in what promises to be an exciting battle. With 3 of the 4 contestants also the top 3 in the world on singles the match should be close.
The final will be played on Saturday, September 09. The venue and starting time are yet to be announced.
Quad singles
Although the previous competitions have all been standard wheelchair events, a different tournament known as ‘quads’ is also played at Wimbledon. These are events reserved for players who have a disability relating to one of the upper limbs, not just the lower body. Given the additional restriction, it makes sense to have a separate tournament where those suffering from such a disability can compete against one another.
Despite the physical restrictions, however, quad singles are played in the same format as regular singles. The draw size consists of 16 players too. For the first time this year, there will be 16 quad players, normally they have been 8 up to now.
Semifinals preview
The two main favourites from the Netherlands Vink (world number 1) and Schroder (world number 2) enter their semifinals as the hot favourites. They both progressed to this stage with two clean wins and without spending too much time on the court.
Vink will feel extremely confident as he takes on the only unseeded player to reach this stage Brit Lapthorne. Vink has won all of the last 8 matches between the two the expectations are for this to be another easy triumph for the impressive Dutch player.
There is bound to be a good atmosphere for the other semifinal as the 4th-seeded American Wagner will try and defy the odds when he takes on Schroder. Both players have beaten each other within the last 24 months but Schroder has won 3 of the last 4 meetings and he should have the edge despite the crowd-factor.
Both matches will be played on Friday, September 08, and won’t start before 20:00 GMT. Schroder vs Wagner will be on Court 12, while Vink vs Lapthorne is set to be on Court 11.
Quad doubles
As you’ve no doubt guessed at this point, quad doubles follow the same match format mentioned earlier. To quickly remind you, this means each game is played as the best of three sets. Yet if the match goes to a deciding set, the players compete in a championship tie-break to 10 points. The draw size for this event is also 16 players, meaning that there are 8 pairs involved.
Final preview
The Quad Doubles final will be played on Saturday, September 09. As expected the world number 1 all-Dutch duo Vink/Schroder reached it without dropping a set and they are the heavy favourites to lift the title. They will face the relatively inexperienced unseeded pair Lapthorne/Ramphadi. They also reached the final without dropping a set and impressed when eliminating the 2nd seed Shaw/Davidson with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win. Can the underdogs cause a major upset?
US Open wheelchair events FAQs
Who is the most successful player in wheelchair singles events?
Looking back over the last 20 years, the retired now Japanese player, Shingo Kunieda has been the most successful player.
Who are the favourites to win the singles/doubles events at the 2023 US Open?
For both the women’s singles and doubles, Diede De Groot is the definite favourite. As for the men, the Japanese sensation Tokito Oda is the favourite once again. Also, the all-British duo Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid are favourites for the doubles. The quads are usually dominated by the Dutch duo Vink-Schroder.
Can I wager on wheelchair tennis for the US Open?
Yes, certain bookmakers in the UK do allow you to bet on wheelchair tennis.
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