In anticipation of the men’s singles final featuring Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, tennis fans present at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center had the opportunity to witness something great: the 2007 US Open Wheelchair Tennis Competition finals.
Hoping to add to his previous Grand Slam wins at the 2007 Australian and French Opens, world No. 1 and top-seeded Shingo Kunieda of Japan defeated defending champion and No. 2 seed Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-2, for the men’s wheelchair singles title. Attempting to win his third consecutive US Open singles championship, Ammerlaan fell short of this goal and said after the match on Court 11 that Kunieda “served at his best, and he returned at his best.”
Kunieda opened the match with an impressive array of strong backhand and forehand winners, resulting in a 2-0 lead in the first set after breaking Ammerlaan’s opening serve. Ammerlaan, however, responded in his typically dominant fashion by holding for a third game shutout. Ammerlaan’s success proved futile, however, as Kunieda took four out of the next five games for the set.
In the second set, the opponents each held serve the first four games to split, 2-2, but a smooth backhand winner highlighted Kunieda’s performance in breaking the fifth game for a 3-2 lead. Kunieda remained dominant and was crowned champion after winning the last three games for a 6-2 result.
On Court 13, Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands, undefeated for over four years in women’s singles wheelchair competition, did not disappoint. Defeating Florence Gravellier of France, 6-3, 6-1, for the title, Vergeer showed the crowd why she may be the most dominant competitor in all of professional sports.
Gravellier opened the match with a break, signaling to the crowd she was in it to win it. After Vergeer won the next three games, Gravellier did not back down, taking the next two games for a 3-3 tie. Her moment in the sun did not last long, however, as Vergeer won the next three games for a first-set win. The world’s top-ranked player went on to prevail in typical fashion, taking the second set, 6-1, for the title.
Back on Court 11, Britain’s Peter Norfolk won the inaugural US Open Quad Singles title, defeating world No. 1 David Wagner of the United States, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Norfolk had already beaten Wagner earlier in the week, winning, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the second of three round-robin matches on Friday. He reached the final undefeated.
Opening the first set with a 5-1 lead, the world No. 2 from Alton, Hampshire, looked like he would cruise to victory. After landing breaks in the fourth and sixth games, Norfolk was unable to serve out the set, with Wagner holding twice and securing a double break to even the score at 5-5. Wagner then caught another break to take a 6-5 inspirational first-set lead. Norfolk held his own with confidence in a tense 12th game, saving four set points before forcing a tiebreak on his third break point. After clinching two mini-breaks for his first set point of the match, Norfolk held out the set with a 7-6 (5) first set tie-break win.
Securing the first break of the second set in the third game and another after the seventh game went to deuce, Norfolk served for the match with a 5-2 second-set lead. During the final game, he did not lose a point on his serve, clinching the inaugural US Open Quad Singles title.
While Kunieda, Vergeer and Norfolk were formally crowned champions on this final day at the 2007 US Open, all of the wheelchair participants will remain winners in the hearts and memories of those witnessing the action at Flushing Meadows.
