Guy Sassoon’s Success at Australian Open Grand Slam Championship and Paralympic Games Prospects

2024-01-27 10:41:00

The wheelchair tennis player, Guy Sassoon, lost this morning (Saturday) 6:3, 6:3 to the Dutchman Sam Schroeder in the singles final of the Australian Open Grand Slam Championship (in the quad category). Sasson also qualified for the doubles final with Daniel Rampedi from South Africa, where they lost 2:0.

Sassoon ends a successful game tour last month in Australia. He participated in three tournaments in which he earned 987 ranking points that jumped him from sixth place in the world to third place in the world. This is the first time in his career that Shawn has qualified for the final of a Grand Slam tournament and marks himself as a candidate for a medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024.

Guy Sassoon, the wheelchair tennis player, at the US Championship (archive photo: IMAGO/tennisphoto.de via Reuters Connect)

Sasson started the tournament with a 1:6, 0:6 victory over the Turkish Ali Ataman. In the quarter-finals, Sassoon defeated the Canadian Robert Shaw 2:6, 4:6. In the semi-finals, for the first time in his career, he defeated world number one Nils Vink of the Netherlands 6:4, 3:6, 1:6.

In pairs, Sasson cooperates with Rampedi from South Africa. In the quarter-finals, the pair defeated Tomas Masrik from Slovakia and Ahmet Kaplan from Turkey 5:7, 1:6. In the semi-finals they were supposed to face Shell Vink and Schroeder from the Netherlands, who withdrew and paved the way for Shashon and Rampady to the final. In the final they were defeated by the British Andy Lapthorne and the American David Wagner 6:4, 3:6, 10:2.

The coach, Ofri Lankri, said at the end of the competition: “Guy had a successful round of competitions in Australia, we are now facing forward, continuing to work hard for the next tournaments. We are very grateful to the Jewish and Israeli community who came to cheer and support us all week. Long live Israel!”

The Chairman of the Paralympic Committee, Moshe Motz Matlon, said: “It warms the heart to see an Israeli tennis player in a competition in which all the world’s tennis giants participate, and it was exciting to see the local community come to the games and cheer Guy on with the country’s flags. Guy’s achievement advances him in the world ranking and the games in Paris are now closer than ever for him. We are proud of him and thank Ofri the coach and the professional team surrounding him. We are waiting for them to return home safely.”