The excitement builds on the second day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games as a flurry of Para athletics medals are set to be awarded. Alongside this, wheelchair tennis and Para rowing also take center stage.
The iconic Roland-Garros may see a rainy start for wheelchair tennis, with showers in the forecast. Nevertheless, thrilling matchups and emerging talent promise to keep the energy high.
The competition begins with the early rounds.
The men’s singles event is particularly unpredictable this year, following the 2023 retirement of Tokyo gold medalist Shingo Kunieda, who was hailed as the most accomplished men’s wheelchair tennis player in history.
On the women’s side, all eyes are on Dutch sensation Diede de Groot as she aims to secure her second consecutive Paralympic gold.
Friday’s schedule features an exciting showdown between South Africa’s Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole against Chile’s Francisco Cayulef and Diego Perez.
Ramphadi has had an impressive 2023, capturing his first Grand Slam quad doubles title in Paris. He has also risen to the top five in the world quad singles rankings and is eager to make his mark in his Paralympic debut.
In the women’s doubles, American duo Dana Mathewson and Maylee Phelps will face Japan’s Momoko Ohtani and Saki Takamuro.
Mathewson, who dominated as both singles and doubles champion at the 2023 Parapan American Games, is competing in her third Paralympic Games and looks to add to her impressive career achievements in Paris.