Paris, FRANCE – The extraordinary, seemingly unstoppable Diede de Groot (NED) has won her 100th consecutive tour-level match with the women’s wheelchair tennis icon hitting triple figures in her opening appearance at Roland-Garros.
Taking less than an hour to defeat French wild card Emmanuelle Morch 6-2, 6-2 in the first round, the Yonex ambassador remains undefeated since 2021, and the World No. 1 also has not lost at a Grand Slam tournament since Roland-Garros 2020.
De Groot attempting to win a 10th major in a row
De Groot’s dominance of women’s wheelchair tennis means the Dutchwoman has come to Paris looking for a 10th consecutive major singles title. In 2021 and 2022, she became the first tennis player in any discipline to achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam – winning all four majors in the season – two years in a row, and then she extended her streak to nine Grand Slams with her victory at this season’s Australian Open.
Only two other players in the history of the sport – Shingo Kunieda with 12 titles in a row and Esther Vergeer with 11 consecutive majors – have longer winning streaks at the Grand Slams.
Among other remarkable numbers, De Groot is also trying to win a third successive title at Roland-Garros and a fourth overall.
Oda seeking history
Just a year after making his first Grand Slam appearance at 2022 Roland-Garros, and still only 17 years old, Tokito Oda (JPN) is already the World No. 2 in the men’s wheelchair rankings. Oda, who won his opening match 6-1, 6-4 against another Japanese player, Daisuke Arai, is hoping to win a first major and also become the youngest World No. 1 in the history of men’s wheelchair tennis.
Diede de Groot (NED) | VCORE 98 / REXIS COMFORT 125
Tokito Oda (JPN) | EZONE 100L / POLYTOUR SPIN / POLYTOUR PRO 125