Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid refused to let history repeat itself in New York.
Twelve months on from losing the US Open men’s wheelchair doubles final to Gustavo Fernandez and Tokito Oda, the British pair stared down the same opponents, went a set behind again – and this time ripped the script to pieces.
They edged through 4-6 6-3 10-7 in a tense match tie-break, booking their place in yet another final and keeping alive their pursuit of a sixth US Open doubles crown together.
Revenge in New York
The contest carried a clear edge from the opening games. Fernandez and Oda, the team that halted Hewett and Reid’s five-title streak last year, struck first and took the opening set 6-4, asking serious questions of the British duo’s resolve.
The response was sharp and ruthless. Hewett and Reid tightened on serve, cut out the cheap errors and began to dictate at the net. The momentum swung, and with it the second set: 6-3 to the Brits and the match hurtled into a deciding tie-break.
There, experience told. The pair who dominated Flushing Meadows from 2017 to 2021 found their familiar rhythm under pressure, pulling clear to 10-7 and sealing a win that felt as much about pride as progress.
Shot at a Sixth Crown
Now comes a new challenge. In the final, Hewett and Reid will face Spain’s Martin de la Puente and Ruben Spaargaren of the Netherlands, a partnership with the firepower to disrupt even the most established teams.
For the British duo, the target is simple: reclaim the title they made their own over five straight years and add a sixth US Open doubles trophy to one of the great partnerships in wheelchair tennis.
Mixed Fortunes in Singles
The day had started far less brightly for Reid. Up against top seed and defending champion Tokito Oda in the singles quarter-finals, he ran into a wall. Oda was remorseless, sweeping to a 6-1 6-0 victory and underlining why he sits at the top of the game.
Hewett, by contrast, powered through his own quarter-final. Seeded second, the 28-year-old dismantled American Casey Ratzlaff 6-2 6-0, moving smoothly into the last four as he chases a fifth singles title in New York, having last lifted the trophy in 2023.
Lapthorne Edged Out in Quad Doubles
It was a tougher story for Andy Lapthorne in the quad doubles. Teaming up with South Africa’s Leon Els, the Briton pushed second seeds Sam Schroder of the Netherlands and Australia’s Jin Woodman to the brink, only to fall 4-6 6-3 10-8 in another match tie-break.
Fine margins, brutal scoreboard.
For Hewett and Reid, though, the margins went their way. Now they stand one match from restoring their US Open doubles reign.
