Great Britain secured their fifth World Team Cup trophy after Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid delivered a dominant performance in the deciding doubles match, defeating Japan 2-1 in Orlando, Florida.
The event, often regarded as the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, saw Britain reclaim the championship from defending champions Japan. Hewett and Reid swept their Japanese opponents, Tokito Oda and Daisuke Arai, with a scoreline of 6-1 and 6-2 to seal the victory.
Reid opened the scoring on Saturday with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 singles win over world number 21 Arai, marking his fifth consecutive victory over the Japanese player. However, the second singles rubber was delayed for six hours due to extreme heat conditions in Orlando.
When play resumed, Hewett faced Oda but suffered a narrow defeat, losing 6-4, 7-5. The loss came just a week after Hewett claimed the US Open singles title by beating the world number one.
“I’m a bit disappointed that it wasn’t a 100% day after my loss in the singles, but it was a really high-level match and just came down to a few points in both sets that could have gone either way,” Hewett said.
Despite the setback, Hewett rebounded alongside Reid in the doubles decider. The pair, who are also reigning champions at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, ensured Britain maintained their earlier wins against South Korea and the Netherlands.
Reid, who has been part of previous winning squads in 2015, 2019, 2023, and 2024, expressed his delight at retaining the title. “We’re really happy to get the title back,” he said. Hewett added: “It’s the first time it’s come down to the deciding doubles for us, so I’m just really happy that we got over the line.”
Britain’s team also included 21-year-old Ben Bartram, under the captaincy of Martyn Whait. The squad celebrated with the trophy after completing the tournament undefeated.
Ben Bartram being part of an undefeated squad at 21 looks promising for the future.
Wait, this is the wheelchair tennis Davis Cup equivalent? Glad it’s getting more coverage now.
Reid and Hewett are unstoppable on the doubles circuit. Congrats GB!
Six hours delay due to heat is crazy. Hope they stayed hydrated out there.
Another dominant performance by the British wheelchair tennis team. Truly inspiring!