GORDON REID and Alfie Hewett made history at the US Open when they set up the first all-British singles final at any of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the open era.
The Helensburgh hero won through to his first ever men's wheelchair singles final at Flushing Meadows when he defeated Stephane Houdet of France 6-0, 6-3 on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court on Friday night.
The former Hermitage Academy pupil booked his place in the final immediately after Hewett had won through by beating Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez 6-0, 6-1.
Both supported by the LTA’s Elite Wheelchair Programme, Hewett and then Reid each produced sensational performances in their respective semi-finals on Louis Armstrong Stadium as Hewett booked his place in his seventh successive men’s singles final in his seven US Open appearances since 2017.
Reid, 31, playing in his fourth US Open semi-final since first reaching the last four in New York in 2013, took the opening set in style after winning 24 points to Houdet's seven.
He went on to complete the win in just 66 minutes - a sharp contrast to his quarter-final on Thursday against Martin de la Puente, which lasted for more than two and a half hours - winning through to a Grand Slam singles final for the first time since Wimbledon 2021.
“There have been a few tough losses here over the years," Reid said after the match, "and a few very close matches as well, so I’m ecstatic to finally get over the line and reach my first singles final here.
"I’m really happy with the performance today and I executed the game plan really well.
"I’m going to be up against someone I know really well and it’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to the match already. I’ve got nothing to lose on Sunday.”
Hewett completed his crushing win over Fernandez with an ace after exactly an hour of play.
He said: “It’s a good feeling. To reach another final is something I’m very happy with, but I set my standards high.
"It looks good out there, but I believe that can become my norm. It’s what we train for, to be able to produce performances like that.”
Looking ahead to the all-British final on Sunday, Hewett added: “It’s good for British tennis, obviously, and it’s good for wheelchair tennis.
"In the UK we want to promote it as much as possible and having two Brits in a final, you can’t ask for much more.
"It really puts the sport on the map and exposes the sport to a wider audience.”
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