Draw announced for Tokyo Paralympic wheelchair tennis event
On August 25, the draw was announced for Tokyo Paralympic wheelchair tennis event which will see the world’s top players contest.
The draw for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic wheelchair tennis took place on August 25 in Tokyo.
South African world-renowned wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane was drawn to face Saki Takamuro from Japan in the first round.
Montjane carried the South African flag in the opening ceremony and is seeded number six in the women’s singles event.
The 35-year-old Montjane is said to meet Dutch world number three Aniek van Koot in the quarterfinals if all goes according to plan.
This year’s event, according to Anthony Moruthane, will be Montjane’s fourth Paralympics.
“This is after securing a wild card position to Beijing 2008 and qualifying on merit to London 2012 and Rio 2016. The world number six will attempt to achieve what no African has done before – win a medal in wheelchair tennis,” said Moruthane.
Montjane said: “I’ve always said in Tokyo I just want to aim for a medal, it doesn’t matter which colour and after my performance at Wimbledon I don’t see why it’s not attainable.”
World number 35 Mariska Venter, who will be making her Paralympic debut in Tokyo, has landed in what is being described as a tough section of the draw.
Venter, the wildcard entrant, faces a challenging opening round against Japanese world number five Momoko Ohtani.
“Preparations are going well. We are slowly but surely adjusting to the humidity and heat. We still have two more days to train, and I have a good feeling that by Friday I will have a great feeling on court,” said Venter.
Meanwhile, in the men’s division, world number 31 Evans Maripa opens his account against Austrian world number 51 Thomas Flax.
Should Maripa prevail, he could come up against Spanish 13th seed Daniel Caverzaschi in the second round and Belgian third seed Joachim Gerard in the third round.
Wildcard entrant, Leon Els, meets world number 37 Gustavo Carneiro from Brazil in his opener.
“My training is going well. I have been adjusting well to the extreme temperatures and court conditions. Now, I need to hit my targets and create opportunities in the matches. All I can do is to focus on what is in my control and give it my absolute best,” said Els.
The event will see the world’s top players contest six medal events when the eighth Paralympic wheelchair tennis event gets underway on September 4 at Ariake Tennis Park.
