Wimbledon 2023: Alfie Hewett banishes ‘demons’ and Gordon Reid triumphs as Brits make history at SW19

History was made at Wimbledon on Wednesday as two British players progressed to the semi-finals of the men’s wheelchair singles for the first time.

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid were both victorious at the All England Club, beating Joachim Gerard and Gustavo Fernandez in their respective quarter-finals.

Hewett, the world No. 2, won 6-3 6-4 against 2021 Wimbledon champion Gerard.

It was a long-awaited victory for the Australian Open champion, who hadn’t won any of his previous four meetings with the Belgian on grass.

Hewett is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam at SW19 this year; he already has three Roland Garros titles, three US Open trophies and this year’s Melbourne crown to his name.

Up next for the 25-year-old is a clash with Spain’s Martin de la Puente.

“It was pure relief at the end. I’ve played him a few times now on grass and he’s always seemed to get the better of me,” Hewett said.

“It’s one of those mental demons that you want to get over the line at some point – this was a great opportunity to do it against such a great grass court player.”

Reid was also up against a former champion in 2019 Wimbledon winner Fernandez, and triumphed 6-4 6-4.

The Brit is chasing a second SW19 title, having won the inaugural 2016 event, and faced a tough battle to oust the Argentinean and set up a last-four clash with world No. 1 Tokito Oda.

“I had to dig myself out of a couple of holes in the second set, but I’m really pleased with my performance and it’s a good start to build on,” said Reid.

“This is the Slam where I come in feeling the most confident as I feel good on the grass, and the support that we get as British players gives you extra energy.”

British hopes were dashed in the women’s singles draw, however, as Lucy Shuker lost in three sets to her doubles partner from the Netherlands Aniek van Koot.

There were also defeats in the men’s quad singles for Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade, who lost to Niels Vink and Heath Davidson to end home hopes.

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