Sam Schroder’s love-affair with Melbourne continues as the Dutch star won his third straight quad wheelchair singles title at Australian Open 2024.
The No.2 seed beat Israel’s Guy Sasson in straight sets in the final, completing a tournament at Melbourne Park during which he only dropped 10 games in four match wins.
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Sasson, who stunned top seed Niels Vink in three sets in the semifinals, put up the most resistance against Schroder, who failed to serve out the match but broke in the next game to seal a 6-3 6-3 win.
Appearing in his fourth straight AO final, Schroder wins his third consecutive title, and like women’s wheelchair singles champion Diede de Groot, completes the Melbourne Open-Australian Open double.
Of his career haul of six Grand Slam quad singles titles, half have come in Melbourne.
“I think I always feel very at home, very comfortable at the AO,” Schroder said.
“Just [a] very relaxed atmosphere. I think mentally I'm always in a great space when I'm here. The weather is great, the food is great. People are very nice. The tournament run is perfectly done. I feel very happy as a player here.
“I think it definitely helps me get in a good mindset as well, and then to take it on court is extra nice.
“Just being able to play very relaxed most of the time and just enjoying myself and having fun only contributes to my level even more.”
Played before an atmospheric crowd at Kia Arena, games were lengthy as the second seed struggled to shake Sasson, who was debuting at the Australian Open and playing in just his second Grand Slam event.
Schroder won the first set but the match had already extended more than an hour by the second game of the second set, a contest closer than the scoreboard suggested.
Schroder then accelerated, building a 4-1 lead achieved with a delightful winning lob after an entertaining exchange.
Players traded breaks for the remainder of the match, with Schroder missing his opportunity to serve out the match when leading 5-2.
But untimely double faults from Sasson in the next game helped Schroder complete the job.
“I think the first few games were very close and we were breaking each other's serves the whole time. At 3-all I won my own service for the first time, and after that I ran away with the match,” said Schroder, who is yet to drop a set in any of his AO finals victories.
“But I think it was still feeling-wise quite close during some points. Of course, the last two games were quite close, as well. Could have gone either way.
“I think in the end for me just going to the towel a lot of times, trying to get my breathing in control, and just thinking very specifically what I want to do with the next point was very important for me.”
Schroder finished the contest with more winners (31-17) and fewer unforced errors (22-26) than Sasson.