The final between Diede and Jiske is a fantastic showcase for para sports

It is a rarity for any athlete. Since her defeat against Japan's Yui Kamiji at the 2021 Australian Open, wheelchair tennis star Diede de Groot has remained undefeated for the past three years. On Saturday afternoon, her victory 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the ABN AMRO Open 2024 against Jiske Griffioen, was her 138th victory in a row. But no matter how impressive, there was not a dull moment for the approximately one thousand spectators in the stands and packed around the new Wheelchair Arena of Rotterdam Ahoy for the final.
 

No matter the result, the ending was going to be one for the books. A victory for underdog Griffioen would also have been historic, and the meeting between the two players turned into a fascinating duel. The 38-year-old from Woerden led 4-2 in the second set, and broke the number 1 no fewer than four times in that same set. In terms of ball touch and agility, Griffioen was almost at the same level as her training partner, who is eleven years her junior and also her doubles partner. De Groot's backhand, which was always brilliant and hit behind the back, was counterbalanced by beautifully subtle low balls from Griffioen. In the end, it only came down to a few decisive points in the almost two-hour-long match.
 

'Jiske played really well, I had to work incredibly hard. We showed all those spectators a very nice game this afternoon,’ De Groot rightfully concluded after the last of her many winner strokes. 'This was a great promotion for wheelchair tennis.' Griffioen, who had stopped playing at the age of 34 and took up the sport again three years later, added: 'Fortunately, I was able to make it very difficult for the number 1 today. I was just lacking a few things, but I really enjoyed it all.’
 

In her time, tournament director Esther Vergeer, was just as dominating as Diede de Groot currently is. The Dutchwoman who was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame just last year also enjoyed the tension in this second women’s wheelchair final in Ahoy. 'What Diede and Jiske have shown is fantastic. This is a great showcase for para sports. Everywhere in the world, this should be accepted as an integrated part of society. And I would like to say to all the children with disabilities watching this final here this afternoon: everything is possible, as long as you are willing to work really hard for it. Diede and Jiske showed us this here today.’
 

A few hours later, both players returned to the court for their doubles semi-final. The Dutch pair are the reigning doubles Australian Open champions. After Griffioen needed a mechanic in the second game due to a defect in her wheelchair, they defeated Chilean Macarena Cabrillana and Colombian Angelica Bernal: 6-0, 6-3. In the final today, De Groot and Griffioen will meet another Dutch pair : Lizzy de Greef and Aniek van Koot.