GORDON REID paid tribute to an enthusiastic Parisian crowd after he and fellow Brit Alfie Hewett chalked up their fourth successive French Open doubles title.
The Helensburgh man and his team-mate had to be on top form against Spain’s Martin de la Puente and Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina in the men’s wheelchair doubles final at Rolan-Garros on Saturday.
The British pair triumphed 7-6 (9), 7-5 to wrap up their 17th Grand Slam doubles title together after a men’s doubles final as entertaining as it was long, making it six wins over De la Puente and Fernandez in six head-to-heads.
Reid, 31, is now a six-time Roland Garros and 23-time Grand Slam champion after winning the 2015 and 2016 men’s doubles in Paris in partnership with Japan’s Shingo Kunieda.
After the match the Hermitage Academy ex-pupil said: “It was a great level of tennis today. The first set could have gone either way.
“All the hard work, this is what it’s for. It means everything to us to play in an atmosphere (like this) and feel like the crowd are into the match.
“That’s why we love it and that’s why we do what we do.”
The British duo clinched the trophy without dropping a set, having begun their title tilt with a 6-2, 7-5 win over France’s Frederic Cattaneo and Casey Ratzlaff of the USA.
They followed that up with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Joachim Gerard of Belgium and Japan’s Tokito Oda in the last four – though Oda did at least have the not-insignificant consolation of defeating Hewett in the men’s singles final, winning 6-1, 6-4.
In the process he not only gained revenge for defeat to Hewett in January’s Australian Open, but also thwarted the Norwich man’s bid for a third successive Roland-Garros singles crown – and in the process became the youngest man to win a senior Grand Slam tennis tournament in the open era.
Hewett, whose doubles triumph means he now has 24 Grand Slam titles to his name, said: “I just want to thank our team that help us day in and day out to be able to play this sort of tennis.
"We’ll be looking to carry this momentum through into the summer ahead.”
And there was more British joy in Paris as Andy Lapthorne claimed his second French Open quad doubles title in three years, partnering South Africa’s Donald Ramphadi to a 1-6, 6-2, (10-3) victory over second seeds Heath Davidson of Australia and Canada’s Robert Shaw.
Next up for Reid, it’s on to London and the preparations for Wimbledon, with the wheelchair tournament at SW19 running from July 12-16.
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