Kings of clay Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid guarantee Paralympic tennis medal as Andy Lapthorne bows out

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid can empathise with that quote – available in every tacky souvenir shop here – that Paris is always a good idea.

Playing together on the red clay of Roland Garros they are unbeaten in five years, a run of dominance they’ve not matched in other slams.

A partisan crowd on Suzanne Lenglen did their best to will the opposite but they booked their place in the Paralympic wheelchair men’s doubles final with a 6-4 6-3 victory over French fourth seeds Frederic Cattaneo and Stephane Houdet.

Between them the British pair have won 25 grand slam doubles titles, including seven wins here in the French capital but they’ve lost the last two Paralympic finals when red-hot favourites and it stings.

Houdet – with former partner Nicolas Peifer – had Hewett and Reid’s measure in both those matches, revenge duly served cold with Japan’s Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda, the No 2 seeds, now awaiting in the final.

“It was electric in there, we’re used to the crowd being for us but I just loved it and thrived in that atmosphere,” said Hewett, who is part of Aldi’s Nearest and Dearest programme in partnership with ParalympicsGB, helping to maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance.

“It was just a feeling of relief against him [Houdet], you do carry a bit of trauma when you’ve lost two Paralympic finals against the same player.

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“We’ve played Takuya and Tokito a lot in recent slams and we know what to expect, they are very dangerous opponents. They are a very well drilled and motivated team.

“We’re guaranteed a medal but we’ll be disappointed if we don’t come away with a gold. Coming away with another silver is not really in our thoughts right now.”

Hewett is looking to secure a golden slam in singles too, scarred by defeats to Reid in Rio and Tokyo.

His historic win at Wimbledon just a few weeks ago means he could complete the set here, where he last won the French Open singles in 2021.

Seeded No 1, he brushed aside Dutch rival Ruben Spaargarten in his quarter-final, although Reid was beaten by Argentina’s Gustavo Fernández, who could well be Hewett’s greatest threat.

“I don’t feel the pressure of our record, we take confidence from it,” said Reid. “We’re used to these courts, used to these conditions and we’ve had great results here.

“I didn’t feel great after my singles, I don’t think I’d really processed it well enough before going on court and I was a bit slow. Alfie helped me through and supported me and sticking together as a team is a thing we do well.

“Alfie is the world No 1, he’s playing so well and he’s the one to beat in the singles for me.”

Meanwhile, another British tennis player named Andy has made a tearful farewell to their career at Roland Garros.

After Andy Murray’s emotional goodbye at the Olympics, Andy Lapthorne said this would be it after he and partner Gregory Slade were edged out in the wheelchair tennis quad doubles final.

“I’m not retiring from the sport as a whole. I’m carrying on till my body tells me to stop but I’m ready to start a life away from the court,” said Lapthorne, after a 6-1 6-1 defeat to top seeds Niels Vink and Sam Schroder.

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“That was my last Paralympic match. It’s been such a journey and it feels bittersweet. The vibes and crowds here have been so special, I feel ready to leave it. You think you can do this forever but when you wake up and realise that’s not the case, it’s weird.

“It’s been an emotional 24 hours, it’s not easy to win four Paralympic medals in wheelchair tennis.

“It’s time for me to leave this career behind and I’m leaving on a centre court at a grand slam venue, in front of a huge crowd.

“Other things need to take priority over playing tennis matches and that’s not happened since I was 16 years old.

“I said I wouldn’t wear this shirt unless I could win a gold medal and I don’t think I can do that in Los Angeles.”

Slade admitted the pressure of the build-up to these Games was tough, his selection only confirmed a few weeks ago.

But he has underlined his status as a rising star of the sport with some big performances at clutch moments, especially during the semi-final win over Brazil’s Leandro Pena and Ymanitu Silva.

“There are some mixed emotions following the match, we knew it was going to be tough against the best two players in the world,” he said. “I’m disappointed we didn’t put up more of a fight.

“This is my first Games and to come away with a medal is mind blowing, so perhaps I need a bit more time to properly reflect.

“We’ve known for the past year that this was a big medal opportunity. It was a lot of stress, a lot of pressure and there were times I cracked. There were times when I was considering whether this sport was for me.”

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.

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