Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid clinched their sixth consecutive men’s wheelchair doubles title at the Australian Open.
The British duo has now secured 17 out of the last 20 grand slam titles in this category and a total of 22 titles together. They also won their first Paralympic gold last summer.
In the final in Melbourne, they defeated Spain’s Daniel Caverzaschi and Stephane Houdet of France with a score of 6-2 6-4.
“I think the key thing is just never resting on where we are and never being happy with our level, our performance, and always trying to improve,” Reid commented.
“No matter how many titles we’ve won, we always review and aim to enhance our game,” he added.
Hewett will aim for another victory on Saturday when he competes against his rival Tokito Oda in the singles final.
Lapthorne secures eighth consecutive quad doubles title in Melbourne
Andy Lapthorne celebrated his eighth Australian Open title in the quad wheelchair doubles, partnering with Dutchman Sam Schroder for a 6-1 6-4 victory over top seeds Niels Vink and Guy Sasson.
A devoted West Ham fan, Lapthorne drew motivation from support from the club. He hopes to make it back home in time to watch them play against Aston Villa on Sunday, which will be aired live on Sky Sports.
“My flight, I think, is at 11pm tomorrow. If I’m not delayed, then I’ll get straight in a car and drive up to Villa Park,” he mentioned.
“If not, hopefully I’ve got the week off and maybe go to the training ground and show the trophy off, meet some of the boys. I had some messages from Vladimir Coufal last night, which was really nice.
“He just WhatsApped me saying he’s watching and good luck and stuff. They’ve been amazing to me.
“A couple of guys from the media team have messaged me saying good luck and saying that they’re watching. It’s just really nice to have the support of the fans of the club and the people within the club. It drives me on.”
Fifteen-year-old Brit Hannah Klugman, along with Australian Emerson Jones, fell short in the girls’ doubles final to American twins Annika and Kristina Penickova with a score of 6-4 6-2.
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