Australian Dylan Alcott has claimed his fourth consecutive Australian Open quad wheelchair singles title after a comprehensive 7-6(1) 6-1 victory over top seed, David Wagner.
After losing to Wagner in a tight contest on Day 11 of the tournament, revenge was on the mind of the Australian, who pulled away after a close start.
The 27-year-old was elated after the victory, and is extremely thankful for the support he has received over the past two weeks.
“Feeling awesome. Four in a row. Pretty good start. It's been a big couple days, big two weeks, really. Crazy two weeks,” he said.
“I was pretty glad I could top it off with a win. David played really well. In particular in the first set it was pretty close.
“The support of Australia and the media and the press … it's like becoming normal now, the coverage, which is what I always wanted.”
The opening set began with the pair looking extremely comfortable on serve, before the American managed to break Alcott in the ninth game, giving himself a golden opportunity to take a crucial lead.
It was not to be, with the Australian breaking back immediately, edging the set ever-closer to a tiebreaker.
From then on it was an Alcott masterclass, the Australian hitting winners from all around the court as he cruised through the breaker to take the lead.
As the Melbourne sun stared directly down on Rod Laver Arena, Wagner began to struggle with the hot conditions.
The second set was dominated by Alcott; after his opponent held in the opening game, the Australian steamrolled through the next six to claim yet another Australian Open crown.
In the women’s wheelchair singles final, Diede De Groot claimed her second Grand Slam title with a 7-6(6) 6-4 victory over top seed Yui Kamiji.
The 21-year-old becomes the fifth Dutchwoman to claim the Australian Open in the event’s short history, following in the footsteps of Esther Vergeer, who won the title nine times.
De Groot says her rivalry with Kamiji is an extremely exciting one, explaining that it already has the hashtag #Kamoot. She is always wary of the talent her Japanese counterpart possesses, even if she holds a three-game buffer within a set.
“I think today showed that, as well. I was 3-love up and she came back to 3-2. I was 5-2 up and she came back to 5-4. You can never relax for a bit. You need to go for every ball,” she said.
“She really shows that her mentality is, I think, the strongest in the world right now. That's why she's the No. 1 player.
“I'm trying really hard to beat that at the moment … I feel like I'm getting stronger every match, but it's really tough.”
In the men’s final, Japan’s Shingo Kunieda won a thrilling encounter against Frenchman Stephane Houdet, rallying from a set down to take a 4-6 6-1 7-6(3) victory.
After a strong start, Houdet was on the back foot in the second set as Kunieda began to dictate proceedings, only relinquishing one game for its entirety.
The Frenchman was not to be outdone, racing away to a 5-2 lead in the decider before his opponent rallied to level the scores, saving three match points in the process.
In the tiebreak, Kunieda gained the upper hand, racing out to a 5-2 lead before converting on his first match point to claim a staggering 21st Grand Slam singles title.
