This year’s US Open Tennis Championships will not feature men’s and women’s wheelchair or quads tennis—and for a good reason. The world's top wheelchair tennis players are currently competing in Paris, France, representing their countries at the Paralympic Games.Every four years, the Paralympic wheelchair tennis tournament coincides with the US Open. However, the juniors wheelchair tournament will proceed as scheduled at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
Israel is well-represented in the Paralympic wheelchair tennis event, with four athletes—Adam Berdichevsky, Guy Sasson, Sergei Lysov, and Maayan Zikri—competing. The tournament began on Friday and will continue through September 7 at Stade Roland Garros, the iconic venue of the French Open, where Guy Sasson recently claimed the quads title.
The Israeli players have started strong. Adam Berdichevsky, 40, who took up wheelchair tennis after losing a leg in a 2007 boating accident, secured his first Paralympic singles victory by defeating Italy’s Luca Arca 6-2, 7-5. This marks Berdichevsky’s first singles win at the Paralympics since his debut in Tokyo 2020.Reflecting on the experience, Berdichevsky said, "Representing my country in this way was incredibly special. Winning in front of such a supportive crowd made it feel like I was playing at home. It was a proud moment, especially considering all the challenges we've faced." Earlier in the week, Berdichevsky had the honor of serving as the Israeli delegation's flag bearer, describing the experience as "amazing" and expressing joy in being seen by everyone on TVBerdichevsky will next face Chile’s Alexander Cataldo in round two.
Sergei Lysov, 20, who was diagnosed with Perthes’ disease at age 9 and immigrated to Israel from Russia in 2019, also competed on Friday. Making his Paralympic debut, Lysov defeated Chile’s Brayan Tapia 7-5, 6-1. Lysov, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 17 earlier this month, advanced to the second round on Sunday, where he faced the tournament's top seed, Alfie Hewett of Great Britain. Hewett, a seasoned competitor with nine Grand Slam singles titles and three Roland Garros singles titles, defeated Lysov 6-0, 6-1.Meanwhile, Guy Sasson, the Roland Garros quad singles champion and the tournament's No. 3 seed, won his first-round match on Saturday against Francisco Cayulef of Chile, 6-2, 6-3. He then advanced to the semifinals on Monday after defeating Gregory Slade from Great Britain 6-1, 6-2.
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