Japan’s wheelchair tennis sensation Oda Tokito has won a gold medal in the men’s singles competition at the Paris Paralympic Games.
Eighteen-year-old Oda, who is the world’s number two ranked player, beat top ranked Alfie Hewett of Britain in the final match on Saturday. Both players advanced to the gold medal match without losing a single set.
In the first set, Oda overwhelmed his opponent with strong shots and effective serves. He won the set 6-2.
Oda made simple errors in the second set, while Hewett hit more accurate shots. Oda lost the set 4-6.
In the final set, Hewett took the lead and earned a match point. But Oda survived when Hewett hit a poor drop shot.
Oda fought back and rallied to win the set 7-5 by hitting strong backhand shots.
After the match, Oda and Hewett embraced and applauded each other.
Oda made his Paralympic debut at this year’s Games, and this is his first Paralympic gold medal.
Brimming with excitement, he said, “Wow, I’m way too cool!”
The star added: “Honestly, I thought I would lose. But I was confident of victory when Hewett hit an unsuccessful drop shot on match point.”
With his voice trembling, Oda said, “I was born to be a champion and win a gold medal.”