In the wheelchair tennis competition at the Paris Paralympics on the 4th, Yui Kamiji (30) of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation beat a Dutch player in the women’s singles semi-finals to advance to the finals for the second consecutive tournament.

In the end, she hit a sharp forehand return ace, and was overcome with emotion amidst the cheers of the crowd. In the women’s wheelchair tennis singles semi-finals, at the end of a fierce battle that lasted more than two hours, she got the feeling that “my body and my wheelchair became one, and I could hit the ball where I wanted to.” She swung her racket without hesitation, and evaluated herself as “I did my best without giving up.” She reached the finals for the second consecutive tournament.

He thwarted his strong opponent van Koot (Netherlands), who he had faced in four consecutive tournaments since London 2012, and won six consecutive games from the beginning of the first set. However, he lost the accuracy of his serve in the second set, which was an issue, and was unable to hold a single service game. The final set was a close one. With the game going back and forth, he said, “I stepped up another gear and my concentration.” He broke new ground and overpowered his opponent with powerful forehand and backhand shots at 4-4.

Three years ago, she attracted attention at the Tokyo Games when she lit the torch at the opening ceremony. In the finals, she succumbed to the power of the absolute champion, De Groot (Netherlands). From that bitter experience, she has been conscious of improving her development and stepping forward more aggressively to hit the ball. She has been honing her chair work and shot techniques so that she can counter the power of opponents even though she is small in stature.

After struggling, she found a form close to her ideal. Now 30 years old, Japan’s top female player will face Defloat again in the final. “I want to fight with confidence until the end,” she said. She will throw all her energy at her strongest rival. (Kyodo News)