Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett secure 10th straight Grand Slam title with French Open victory in wheelchair doubles final

Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett won their 10th consecutive Grand Slam title in the wheelchair doubles, defeating Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda.

Coming through 7-6 7-6 in two hours and 20 minutes, the British pair were given a tough match by their unseeded opponents, and they seemed to be in trouble early in the first set; broken in the third game.

The No. 1 seeds roared back, however, completing their comeback with a break back to 3-3.

Six further breaks of serve ensued – three each – with Hewett and Reid breaking to love to level the match at 4-4, eventually forcing a breaker with just over an hour on the clock.

The Britons stole the mini-break early in the breaker, going up 2-0, but they were pegged back immediately. However, it took a spectacular winner on set point to seal the first set for the top seeds, after they had saved set points in the 10th game.

They continued their momentum into the second set, breaking immediately, but they were broken the game after, with the match back on serve at 1-2 after a strong hold to love from Fernandez and Kunieda.

A tough hold from the defending champions saw them save two break points, and they broke just before the changeover to make it 3-2. However, the match returned to its first-set status: both pairs continued to break serve, forcing another tie-breaker.

Two brilliant winners from the Brits gave them the mini-break they so craved, and a forehand that went long from Fernandez sealed the Roland-Garros crown once more.

Speaking post-match, both Reid and Hewett looked relieved to have come through a stern test.

“[Alfie] worked hard today,” began Reid, speaking post match. “I’ve got a lot to thank him for.”

Hewett acknowledged the challenge presented by their opposition, but he was keen to acknowledge the recovery of his partner.

“What a battle out there today; that was probably some of the best wheelchair tennis that we could have put on. [It was] an unbelievable fight from [George] to even get here; he’s had a rough season. I really enjoyed being back on court [with him]. I’m tired, I’m still running off breakfast to be honest!”

An incredible 10th straight Grand Slam title for this magnificent British pair, and with performances and resilience like this, there should be plenty more where that came from.

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