Alfie Hewett Claims Fifth US Open Wheelchair Title

British tennis star Alfie Hewett has secured his fifth US Open men’s wheelchair singles title after defeating Japan’s top seed, Tokito Oda, with a score of 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). The victory at Flushing Meadows not only adds to Hewett’s previous triumphs in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023 but also prevented Oda from completing a calendar-year Grand Slam sweep in 2026.

The win continues a successful week for the 28-year-old Briton, who also claimed the doubles title earlier in the tournament alongside fellow British player Gordon Reid.

Oda had entered the final having won the previous six Grand Slam singles titles, including victories at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open this year. At Wimbledon, Hewett had suffered a heavy 6-1, 6-1 defeat to the Japanese star, a loss that prompted significant introspection.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Hewett revealed that his Wimbledon exit forced him to confront his performance. “I lost to Tokito at Wimbledon and it made me look in the mirror,” Hewett explained. “I wanted to be a little bit more like me. I’m known for being fearless, brave, and courageous in big moments, but at Wimbledon, I was everything but that. I was quiet, timid, and a shell of myself.”

He added that he spent the following six weeks eager to prove his resilience. Hewett described his opening set as “possessed,” noting that after saving a break point in the first game, he dominated to take the set with a powerful backhand return winner. In the second set, Hewett displayed his fighting spirit by coming back from a double break deficit and saving three set points to force a tie-break, which he ultimately won.

Graceful in defeat, Oda acknowledged Hewett’s superiority on the day. “Definitely I was trying to get the calendar year Grand Slam this year,” Oda said. “This was the last part of it, so it’s really tough for me, but I think Alfie deserved it today.”