30 August 2021 | Tennis Victoria

The Australian Wheelchair Tennis team began their campaign in Tokyo last week, with three Victorians included in the four-man team.

Defending Quad Singles and Doubles champion Dylan Alcott got off to the perfect start, defeating hometown hero Moroishi Mitsuteru 6-0, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Singles competition.

Heath Davidson also began his campaign well, only dropping a single game in his clash against Great Britain’s Antony Cotterill and advancing to the quarterfinals with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win.

Alcott and Davidson then faced Japanese pair Moroishi and Sugeno in the Quad Doubles semi final. While the team from Japan did challenge the 2016 gold medalists, the reigning champions showed their class, and the 6-2, 6-4 win saw them safely into their second consecutive gold medal match.

Both athletes will play their singles quarterfinal matches this afternoon on Court 3. Alcott takes on American Bryan Barten, while Davidson faces the challenge of number two seed Sam Schroder of the Netherlands.

Martyn Dunn’s Paralympic debut was delayed, as extreme weather on day one saw play suspended until early evening. Dunn was scheduled to play at 11am, but didn’t begin his match until just after 5pm. The six-hour wait combined with nerves saw Dunn unfortunately exit the competition in the first round.

Dunn then paired up with five-time Paralympian Ben Weekes in the Men’s Doubles competition, where they met Carneiro Silva and Rodrigues of Brazil. Despite a gallant effort from the Aussies, the Brazilian pair came away with the 6-2, 6-3 win.