Yui Kamiji gets shot at double wheelchair tennis gold

Japan’s Yui Kamiji advanced to her second consecutive Paralympic women’s wheelchair tennis singles final with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

The Tokyo Games silver medalist looked in control throughout a dominant first set, but struggles with her service accuracy and a determined fightback from van Koot saw the semifinal extend past the two-hour mark.

“I was able to keep going and not give up,” an emotional Kamiji said.

The 30-year-old will battle reigning Paralympic champion Diede de Groot of the Netherlands for gold Friday in a rematch of their final three years ago in Tokyo. But first, she will partner with Manami Tanaka against van Koot and de Groot in Thursday’s women’s wheelchair doubles final.

“I want to fight with confidence until the end,” Kamiji said.

In other action from Day 8 of the Paris Paralympics, Japan’s Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki booked their place in the men’s wheelchair tennis doubles final by beating Spanish pair Daniel Caverzaschi and Martin de la Puente 5-7, 6-2, 10-8.

In swimming, Ayano Tsujiuchi and Aira Kinoshita took bronze in the women’s 100-meter freestyle S12 and women’s 200 individual medley SM14, respectively.

Japan secured its best-ever men’s goalball result by advancing to the final for the first time with a 13-5 victory over China at South Paris Arena.

At the Stade de France, Markus Rehm of Germany, who competes with a prosthetic leg, won his fourth straight gold medal in the men’s long jump with a jump of 8.13 meters.

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