Arriving at Melbourne Park always brings back happy memories for world No.2 wheelchair singles player Aniek Van Koot.
At Australian Open 2013, the Dutch competitor claimed the first of her three Grand Slam singles titles – a triumph she still fondly names as one of her biggest career highlights.
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“Because it was the first,” Van Koot, now 34, explained with a smile. “I remember we were being honoured on the stage and Nick Kyrgios was there as well for [winning] the juniors. This is so long ago!”
And yet it might have been yesterday given the form Van Koot has struck in a 16th singles campaign in Melbourne. After advancing to the semifinals with two straight-sets victories (including an injury retirement for South African opponent Kgothatso Montjane), Van Koot claimed a come-from-behind win over Wang Ziying.
Requiring almost two hours to complete her 1-6 7-6(4) 6-1 victory over the Chinese No.3 seed, Van Koot is a significant step closer to adding a second Australian Open singles trophy to her collection. “It would be just phenomenal,” she said. “I hope I can pull it off.”
The challenge will come from Japan’s Yui Kamiji, another former Australian Open singles champion. Seeded No.1 in Melbourne after five-time and defending champion Diede De Groot was sidelined due to hip surgery, the 30-year-old progressed to the final with a 6-4 6-1 victory over China’s Li Xiaohui.
Should she triumph in Melbourne, the left-handed Kamiji would add to her 2017 and 2020 Australian Open victories – and add to some impressive feats for Japanese players in Melbourne.
Defending men’s wheelchair singles champion Tokito Oda, already a winner of four major singles titles and a Paralympic gold medal, is targeting another career milestone after advancing to the AO 2025 final with a 6-1 6-1 victory over Martin De la Puente.
It adds to the increasing attention that Oda – who also hoisted the trophy at Wimbledon in 2023 and is twice a Roland Garros champion – at each city he visits. “There are many Japanese people here in Melbourne, so I always have fun with it,” he said of his affinity with this city.
The good times are translating to top tennis for the teenager, who is also flawless in wins this week over Japanese countryman Takashi Sanada and Australia’s Anderson Parker. In three matches in Melbourne, Oda has dropped only six games across six sets.
But waiting in the final is another accomplished competitor in No.2 seed Alfie Hewett, who is also through to the championship match without the loss of a set.
The Brit launched his campaign with victory over Stephane Houdet, before a perfect 6-0 6-0 win over Dutchman Ruben Spaargaren. Hewett defeated No.4 seed Gustavo Fernandez 6-3 6-3 in the semifinal.
It sets a rematch of the AO 2024 final, when Oda was a straight-sets winner over Hewett. The top two men have now met in four Grand Slam finals, with Oda holding a 3-1 edge.
There will be an all-Dutch final in the quad wheelchair singles final, with Sam Schroder and Niels Vink facing off in their eighth Grand Slam singles decider.
The top-seeded Schroder is targeting a fourth consecutive AO singles triumph, while No.2 seed Vink is chasing the only Grand Slam singles title missing from his record.