Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid defeated Japan's Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki 6-2 6-1 in the Paralympics wheelchair tennis men's doubles decider at Roland Garros to complete a career 'Golden Slam'.
The victory was possibly as much about relief as joy for the British pair, given what had gone before. They went in as the clear favourites having won 21 Grand Slam titles together in doubles, including all three played this year.
Each time in 2024 they defeated Oda and Miki in straight sets in the final. They had also won the past five French Opens on the clay of Roland Garros.
Previously, they had lost the Paralympic doubles finals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. "It's something we have been desperate for a long time now and we have come so close twice and felt that heartbreak, felt that pain," said Reid.
"That's been some of the toughest moments in my career. To sit here with the gold around our necks, it's up there with one of the best."
The Paralympic title had previously proved elusive to the pair, with them losing to France's Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer in the finals of both the Rio and Tokyo Games - which was particularly hard to take, coming in a match that lasted three hours and 25 minutes and was concluded by a final-set tie-break.
The Paralympic gold for 26-year-old Hewett comes after he had already made a major breakthrough this summer, winning the Wimbledon singles title for the first time in July, with 32-year-old Reid's prowess at the net and accuracy with drop shots proving key. Hewett, who has four medals with a fifth guaranteed, will face Oda today when they meet in the men's singles final, where victory would really make his career complete with the 'Golden Slam' here too.
In contrast to the doubles, he is arguably the underdog. Oda has won the French Open title for the past two years and defeated Hewett in the 2023 final.
