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World’s best wheelchair tennis players confirmed to compete in Victoria

17 December 2022 | Tennis Victoria

Jin Woodman, Yassin Hill, Anderson Parker, Naomi Oliver, Martyn Dunn, Hayley Slocombe, Finn Broadbent,
Ben Wenzel, Sally Schwartz, Megan Beatty, Tristan Orchard and Saalim Nasser during the Wheelchair Tennis Camp at Hume Tennis Club in Melbourne on Thursday, December 15, 2022. PHOTO CREDIT Tennis Australia/ Scott Barbour

Tennis Australia Head of Players with Disability Danielle Gescheit, joined world No.3 Quad wheelchair player and Paralympian Heath Davidson to reveal the fields and schedule for the Australian Wheelchair Tennis Summer Series starting at Hume Tennis Centre from 10 January.

Three international wheelchair tennis tournaments will take place in Australia in January, with the Victorian Wheelchair Open (10-14 January) and Melbourne Wheelchair Open (16-20 January) at Hume Tennis Centre, followed by the Australian Open wheelchair draws from 24-28 January at Melbourne Park.

“We’re backing a spectacular summer of blockbuster events, including the Australian Open that will draw tens of thousands of visitors to the state, boosting local jobs and businesses whilst putting Victoria front of mind for spectators across the globe,” Victorian Minister for Tourism Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said.

“Tournaments like the Victorian and Melbourne Wheelchair Open give fans the chance to see top athletes in action, while providing a vital pathway for next generation of sporting greats.”

The world’s best wheelchair tennis players will compete across men’s, women’s and quad fields this Summer; including world No.1 and defending champions Diede De Groot (NED) and Shingo Kunieda (JPN) who will lead the women’s and men’s field respectively, and world No.1 Niels Vink (NED) and [2] Sam Schroder (NED) leading the Quad field.

Other players, including Yui Kamiji (JPN), Aniek Van Koot (NED) and Jiske Griffioen (NED) will compete in the women’s field, and Alfie Hewitt (GBR), Gustavo Fernandez (ARG) and 16-year-old young gun Tokito Oda (JPN) will line up in the men’s draws across the Summer.

Australians Ben Weekes (NSW) and Heath Davidson (Vic) will also compete in the men’s and quad Australian Open draws respectively. Full entry lists are linked below.

“We can’t wait to host the world’s best players back here in January again for the Australian Wheelchair Tennis Summer Series, both at Hume Tennis Centre and Melbourne Park,” Wheelchair Tennis tournament director Daniel O’Neill said.

“It’s great to also see some junior players like 16-year-old Tokito Oda from Japan, and 17-year-old Ben Bartram from Great Britain represented in our Australian Open fields, which adds an exciting mix to the draw and we encourage all fans to come support our great Wheelchair Tennis events this Summer.”

Hume Tennis Centre will also host an array of activities to coincide with the two AO lead in events, including free come and try day, and a celebration and presentation dinner on the 15 January.

“To have the world’s best wheelchair tennis players compete at Hume Tennis prior to playing at the Australian Open is a privilege and an opportunity for the community to experience world class sport. Each tournament day there will be a feature match from 5pm allowing for people to enjoy after work action,” Tim Connelly, Managing Director Hume Tennis and Community Centre said.

“During the Melbourne Wheelchair Tennis Open, January 16-20, the club will have the Australian Open playing on the big outdoor screen, so people will be able to enjoy the best of both events. Matches start each day at 11am and we are looking forward to January 10th when the Victorian Wheelchair Tennis Open starts.”

Live scores and streams for the event will be made available via the Hume Tennis Centre facebook page here.

2023 Australian Wheelchair Tennis Summer Calendar

Date	Event	Location
10-14 Jan	Victorian Wheelchair Open	Hume Tennis Centre
16-20 Jan	Melbourne Wheelchair Open	Hume Tennis Centre
24-28 Jan	AO 2023 Wheelchair Championships	Melbourne Park
Wed 27 Jan	AO Wheelchair Doubles Finals
Thurs 28 Jan	AO Wheelchair Singles Finals