Australian Open: Alfie Hewett beats rival Tokito Oda to become men's wheelchair singles champion for second time

Alfie Hewett made it a double success at the Australian Open after defeating rival Tokito Oda 6-4 6-4 to become the men's wheelchair singles champion for a second time.

Hewett added to his 2023 singles victory by defeating 18-year-old Oda in straight sets on Saturday.

The Norfolk tennis star made it a double success in Melbourne after winning his sixth consecutive men's wheelchair doubles title alongside Gordon Reid on Friday.

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Hewett likened his rivalry with Oda to that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal after finally getting the better of the Japanese 18-year-old.

Hewett was unable to hold back tears after defeating Oda 6-4 6-4 to win his 10th grand slam singles title and 32nd overall.

Since beating the teenager in the Australian Open final two years ago, Hewett had lost to Oda in three slam finals and the battle for the Paralympic gold medal in Paris last summer.

His dedication to ending the losing run in big finals saw him bring a left-handed hitting partner to Melbourne Park purely to prepare for a potential final against Oda, and it paid off.

"I didn't expect to start blubbering on the court but I'm probably harbouring a few feelings from the last couple of matches that we've played," Hewett said.

"It does knock you deep down, your belief and confidence in the big moments. For me to do it today and prove to myself more than anyone that I can rise to the occasion against a player like him, it was very overwhelming.

"Today I was just very hungry and motivated to try and showcase what I'm all about from point one."

Hewett was world No 1 when Oda burst onto the scene and trying to solve the puzzle of beating the new kid on the block has been a frustrating but satisfying one for 27-year-old Hewett.

"Tokito has come on tour and made us all just be better because we have to be," he said. "Otherwise he will dominate.

"It's painful when you lose and you are wondering that it's going to be a long road ahead. He's so young, as well.

"You have to be challenged. You have to be pushed to your limits. We have a good relationship and I'm glad that he's pushing me and I'm sure I'll be pushing him and he will say the exact same. It's a bit of a Federer-Nadal situation - wheelchair version."

Darts to celebrate

Hewett will celebrate his victory by playing darts. "I think we're going to play some darts, have a few drinks perhaps!" he told Sky Sports News. "Perfection doesn't exist in my book but it was pretty close to it today.

"It's about who lands that first punch in the rally and I just haven't been up to speed in a lot of the finals.

"When you lose to someone consecutively three or four times… ultimately you want to change the narrative."

He continued: "We've been reaching the finals in majors for a good 18 months, two years and he's got the better of me for a good part of all of those ones.

"Over time it starts to eat away and you have thoughts come in whether you're good enough for the moment, whether he's too good for the moment, a little bit of disbelief in your own ability, just demons that do stick with you because the Grand Slam finals or the major finals are the ones that get remembered."

Patten wins men's doubles title

Britain's Henry Patten and playing partner Harri Heliovaara fought back from a set down to win the men's doubles title, defeating Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-7 (18-16) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in a match that lasted over three hours and finished at 1.42am local time.

The victory gave Patten and Heliovaara their second Grand Slam crown after they triumphed at Wimbledon last year, while for the Italians it was more heartbreak after losing both the Australian and the French Open finals last year.

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