Paris Paralympics 2024: Alfie Hewett & Gordon Reid win the gold medal to seal an historic career Golden Slam

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid won the gold medal in men's wheelchair tennis doubles at the 2024 Paris Paralympics by defeating the Japanese team of Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki in two sets.

Hewett and Reid came out on top in a thrilling final, defeating their opponents with a score of 6-2, 6-1 after an hour and 35 minutes of play. The match took place in a packed Court Philippe-Chatrier.

After their win, the British pair has achieved the career Golden Slam in men's wheelchair doubles, making them the first team ever to accomplish this feat.

This is the first time Hewett has won a Paralympic gold medal, in addition to the three silver medals he received while competing in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

At the same time, Reid earns his second gold medal to add to his collection, which already includes a singles gold medal from 2016, as well as two silver medals from 2016 & 2020 and a bronze medal from 2020.

The 32-year-old athlete is also the first player from ParalympicsGB to achieve a gold medal in wheelchair tennis for both singles and doubles events.

"I'm still processing how great this feels," Reid expressed. "The excitement and energy from the match are still intense. We have been working so hard for this for a long time, experiencing the disappointment of coming close twice before. Those were some of the hardest moments in my career. So to be sitting here with gold medals is truly one of the greatest feelings."

At times, experiencing pain can make us appreciate the happy moments even more. It's crucial not to overlook these opportunities for joy and fully embrace them. We definitely made the most of our time on the court and during the ceremony.

ParalympicsGB has achieved a total of 18 medals in wheelchair tennis over the course of the Games.

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid's accomplishments

"Me and Gio have been dreaming of winning this title for a long time, so right now we're just happy to be living in this moment and celebrating our achievement," Hewett said.

We have come a long way to reach this point, supported by an amazing team who has been with us for several years. This is a night that will always be remembered.

We were feeling ready for this week after winning a few Roland Garros titles. We believed we could win this competition, although we couldn't ignore the memories of our losses at the Paralympics. It's normal to have doubts as an athlete, but we managed to push them aside this week and focused on playing our best tennis.

At Roland Garros, where he won his first singles Grand Slam title, Hewett is set to increase his gold medal count in singles. He will compete against Oda on Saturday with the opportunity to achieve the singles career Golden Slam.

Hewett and Reid had a good track record of winning before the match (5-1) and that mental advantage appeared to be important during the crucial moments of the first set.

Both teams began the game with long deuce games that the Brits ended up winning. Hewett then secured a double break with an impressive top spin backhand shot down the middle of the court.

The Japanese team scored their first point at 3-1, and then broke Reid's serve to narrow the gap to just one game.

Facing another opportunity for their opponents to take the lead at 3-2, Hewett and Reid managed to win a crucial point after a lengthy back-and-forth exchange, securing a crucial hold in the first set.

Oda and Miki were not able to take advantage of the majority of their break point opportunities in the first set. As they served for the set in a challenging final game, the British team successfully defended against four break points and celebrated loudly when they finally won the set.

Following a tight start, the British team stepped up their game at the start of the second round. The Japanese team could only look on in shock as Hewett and Reid dominated, winning 12 out of the first 14 points and quickly taking a 3-0 lead.

The team in second place managed to make a comeback by winning one break, but they couldn't slow down the 21-time Grand Slam champions.

They took a commanding 5-1 lead before making one last push on the Oda serve. With two opportunities to win the gold medal, Hewett sealed the victory with a remarkable drop shot, earning cheers and applause from the crowd in Paris.