Champs stretched to 3 sets

Source: China Daily | 09-14-2008 13:39

Defending Paralympic champions Nick Taylor and David Wagner retained their wheelchair tennis quad doubles title Saturday night, defeating unseeded Israeli duo Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg in three sets.

David Wagner (right) serves as partner Nick Taylor looks on during the final of quad doubles open gold medal match against  Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg of Israel. [China Daily]

The US pair, No 1 in the world, got off a perfect start by taking the first set 6-0 in about 20 minutes.

But their rivals quickly recovered and caught up in the second, breaking several service games. After squandering four championship points, the Americans lost the set 4-6.

In the deciding third set, the US pair showed superb skills to prevail 6-2 and secure the win.

"It's unbelievable," Taylor told The Paralympian before he and his partner broke into tears as their national anthem played during the awards ceremony.

"It was more dramatic than the final four years ago where we won in straight sets. It feels so great to win with your friend for the second time at the Paralympics -- it's amazing."

Said Wagner: "They played much better in the second set and we played a little bit low. We, fortunately, were able to get back in the third."

Wheelchair tennis was founded in 1976 in the United States, where it was developed and promoted by American players Brad Parks and Jeff Minnebraker.

The major difference between it and the able-bodied game is that the ball can bounce twice.

It became a full medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, where men's singles and doubles, and women's singles and doubles were contested.

Quad singles and doubles events were added in Athens four years ago, with quad events open to players of both genders.

In the earlier all-American bronze medal match in quad singles, Wagner upset his doubles partner 2-1 to take the bronze.

Despite being the current world No 1 in quad singles, Wagner has never reached the top of the podium at the Paralympics, falling just short in Athens with a silver.

"You come kind of hoping for something, or at least play your best. And when that doesn't happen, then you get a little down," he said.

"You always want to play your best but unfortunately I came up short in the semifinal. I won bronze today and the gold medal tonight makes up for it."

Wagner, who became a quadriplegic while surfing off California at the age of 21, has lived the life of a professional athlete for the past seven years, enjoying the sponsorship of big-name brands, including Home Depot, Nike and PowerBar.

"I can't find any better job than this. I really love it," he said.

Today will produce three gold medals in men's and women's doubles plus women's as well as quad singles.

In 1988, the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation was fully integrated into the International Tennis Federation (ITF), tennis' governing body, making wheelchair tennis the first disabled sport to achieve such a union.

The Paralympic tennis event is sanctioned by the ITF and players vie for world ranking points as part of the Wheelchair Tennis Tour set up in 1992.

Editor:Xiong Qu