Hewett and Reid Reach US Open Quarters as British Charge Continues
Alfie Hewett barely broke stride. Gordon Reid had to dig deep. Between them, Britain’s leading wheelchair stars found two very different routes into the US Open men’s singles quarter-finals on Wednesday – but both are still firmly in the hunt.
Hewett in ruthless mood
On the outer courts at Flushing Meadows, Hewett delivered the kind of statement performance that has become his trademark in New York. The number two seed and four-time US Open champion dismantled Spain’s Daniel Caverzaschi 6-0 6-2, dropping just two games in a brisk, one-sided contest.
This is Hewett’s territory. He knows these courts, knows this stage, and he played like a man intent on adding another title to an already imposing collection. His serve clicked, his returns bit, and the rallies rarely lasted long enough for Caverzaschi to find any rhythm.
The reward is a quarter-final against American Casey Ratzlaff, a match that will test Hewett’s control of the occasion as much as his tennis. Ratzlaff will have home backing. Hewett arrives with history and form.
Reid battles through a marathon
Where Hewett cruised, Reid had to scrap.
Facing French veteran Stephane Houdet, the Scot found himself drawn into a tight, tactical battle that stretched to two hours and 13 minutes. He eventually prevailed 6-3 5-7 6-2, a scoreline that only hints at the physical and mental effort required.
Reid took the opening set with authority, but Houdet refused to fade. The Frenchman wrestled the second set away 7-5, forcing a decider and asking serious questions of Reid’s resilience.
The response was emphatic. Reid surged through the third set 6-2, tightening his game when it mattered most and shutting down Houdet’s late charge.
His task now only gets tougher. Standing between Reid and the semi-finals is defending champion and top seed Tokito Oda, the dominant force in the sport and winner of the last six Grand Slam singles titles. It is the kind of challenge that defines a campaign.
Doubles quest gathers pace
The singles story is only half of it for Hewett and Reid. Together, they are chasing a sixth US Open wheelchair doubles crown, a partnership that has become one of the most successful in the sport.
They cleared their opening hurdle on Tuesday and are already into the semi-finals, where they will face a formidable duo in Oda and Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez. It is a semi-final loaded with pedigree, a meeting of multiple major champions on both sides of the net.
A win there would keep alive the prospect of another Hewett-Reid doubles title to sit alongside whatever they can carve out in singles.
Mixed fortunes in the quad draw
Not every British story in New York had a happy ending on Wednesday.
In the quad singles, Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade both exited in the first round. Lapthorne ran into the top seed Niels Vink and found the Dutchman in unforgiving form, losing 6-2 6-1. Slade faced Argentina’s Gonzalo Lazarte and went down 6-4 6-2, unable to turn a tight opening set into a foothold.
Lapthorne’s tournament is not over, though. He remains alive in the quad doubles, where he and South African partner Leon Els have already fought their way into the semi-finals. With singles hopes gone, that event now carries all of his New York ambitions.
For Hewett and Reid, the picture is clearer. Singles and doubles. Quarter-finals and semi-finals. Titles on the line again in a city where they have so often delivered.
