Paris, FRANCE – Just a month after turning 17, Yonex ambassador Tokito Oda (JPN) made history at Roland-Garros as the youngest ever man in any discipline to win a Grand Slam.
Oda's phenomenal victory in the men's wheelchair singles, which also propelled him to World No. 1 for the first time, was among the highlights for Team Yonex on the clay. The unstoppable, unplayable Diede de Groot (NED) won a 10th consecutive Grand Slam in the women’s wheelchair singles while Casper Ruud (NOR) reached the final of the men's singles for the second straight year, with Yonex players featuring in 10 different finals.
Dream win for Oda
Two dreams came true for Tokito Oda in the final of the men's wheelchair singles. With his 6-1, 6-4 victory over Britain's Alfie Hewett, the teenager claimed his first Grand Slam singles title and also replaced his opponent at the top of the rankings. It was just 12 months ago that Oda made his debut at the Grand Slams when he was 16 years old and he was the youngest ever competitor at the wheelchair events. At the age of 17 years and 33 days, Oda has created history in Paris again, this time by becoming the youngest man in any discipline to win a Grand Slam. No wonder the Yonex athlete felt as though it was the happiest day of his life.
Perfect 10 for De Groot
Dropping just two games for a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Japan's Yui Kamiji, Diede de Groot claimed her 10th consecutive Grand Slam singles title and is now halfway to a possible third successive calendar-year Grand Slam. In 2021 and 2022, the Dutchwoman became the first player in any discipline to achieve the Grand Slam - winning all four majors in a season - two years in a row. After winning this year's Australian Open, she has now added the Roland-Garros title as well. De Groot also extended two other streaks with her 18th Grand Slam singles title - this was her third consecutive triumph at Paris, and her fourth overall, and took her winning streak at tour level to 103 matches.
Second straight final for Ruud
For the second year in a row, head-to-toe Yonex ambassador Casper Ruud appeared in the final at Roland-Garros, coming close to becoming the first Norwegian man to win a Grand Slam singles title. It was also his third final from the past five Grand Slams as he also featured in the final of the 2022 US Open. Ruud had played superb tennis to win six matches in Paris, including beating Denmark's Holger Rune in the quarter-finals and Germany's Alexander Zverev in the last four, and he maintained a high level in the final during his 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Serbia's Novak Djokovic.
Busy weekend for Team Yonex
Yonex ambassador Sander Gille (BEL) reached the final of the men's doubles while another Yonex athlete, Taylor Townsend (USA), featured in the final of the women's doubles. Diede de Groot came close to winning a second title at Roland-Garros as she was in the women's wheelchair doubles final while Yonex ambassador Martin De La Puente (ESP) / Gustavo Fernandez (ARG) appeared in the final of the men's wheelchair doubles. Team Yonex's Heath Davidson (AUS) was in the quad doubles final while another Yonex athlete, Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (BOL), reached the final of the boys' singles. In the girls’ doubles, Team Yonex also dominated into the finals, with Tyra Caterina Grant (USA) claiming victory and Sarah Saito (JPN) taking the runner up position.
Tokito Oda (JPN) | EZONE 100L[LINK] / POLYTOUR SPIN[LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO 125[LINK]
Diede de Groot (NED) | VCORE 98[LINK] / REXIS COMFORT 125[LINK]
Casper Ruud (NOR) | EZONE 100[LINK] / POLYTOUR SPIN[LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO 130[LINK] / ECLIPSION[LINK] / Paris Collection[LINK]
Sander Gille (BEL) | VCORE 100[LINK]
Taylor Townsend (USA) | EZONE 98[LINK] / POLYTOUR REV 120[LINK]
Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (BOL) | VCORE PRO 97[LINK] / ECLIPSION[LINK] / Paris Collection[LINK]
Tyra Caterina Grant (USA) | EZONE 100[LINK]
Sarah Saito (JPN) | EZONE 100[LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO 125[LINK]
Martin De La Puente (ESP) | EZONE 98[LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO 125[LINK]
Gustavo Fernandez (ARG) | VCORE PRO 97[LINK] / POLYTOUR REV 125[LINK] / ECLIPSION[LINK] / Paris Collection[LINK]
Heath Davidson (AUS) | EZONE 100[LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO 115[LINK]
