Israel’s Paralympic tennis stars make their mark in Paris
This year’s US Open Tennis Championships won't feature men's, women's, or quads wheelchair tennis events, and there's a good reason for that—the world’s top wheelchair tennis players are currently in Paris, France, competing in the Paralympics. This scheduling conflict occurs every four years when the Paralympics coincide with the US Open. However, the juniors wheelchair tournament will still take place as planned at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in New York.
Representing Israel in the Paralympics wheelchair tennis event are Adam Berdichevsky, Guy Sasson, Sergei Lysov, and Maayan Zikri. The tournament, which started on Friday and runs through September 7, is being held on the same courts at Stade Roland Garros that host the French Open.
Adam Berdichevsky, 40, who began playing 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. Berdichevsky, who also had the honor of being the Israeli delegation’s flag bearer, expressed his pride in representing his country, stating, “The win was the first time I played in front of a crowd like this, and it felt like I played at home—it was very special.” He will face Chile’s Alexander Cataldo in the second round.
Sergei Lysov, 20, who was diagnosed with Perthes’ disease at age 9 and moved to Israel from Russia in 2019, also had a strong start, defeating Brayan Tapia of Chile 7-5, 6-1 in his Paralympic debut. Lysov, who recently achieved a career-high ranking of No. 17, faced a tough challenge in the second round against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Alfie Hewett of Great Britain, losing 6-0, 6-1.
Meanwhile, Guy Sasson, the Roland Garros quad singles champion and the tournament’s No. 3 seed, advanced to the semifinals after defeating Francisco Cayulef of Chile 6-2, 6-3 in the first round and then Gregory Slade of Great Britain 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals..
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