GB's Hewett beaten in Paralympic final thriller

Alfie Hewett has now lost in two Paralympic singles finals

Alfie Hewett was unable to complete a career 'Golden Slam' in singles, failing to convert a gold-medal point as he lost a thrilling Paralympic wheelchair tennis men's singles final.

The 26-year-old was beaten 6-2 4-6 7-5 by Japan's Tokito Oda at Roland Garros.

A sliced drop shot from Hewett floated just wide on match point on Oda's serve at 3-5 in the final set, with the Briton then unable to serve out victory.

Hewett acknowledged that the miss on gold-medal point led to him "losing grip of the match".

He added: "Maybe it wasn't the wrong decision but did it need to be so fine in the moment? I don't know. It looked like he wasn't even close to it.

"It probably did affect me, because he saved a match point in the Paralympics and rather than letting that deflate him or put weight on his shoulders it brought out some of his best tennis - and he loves a comeback just as much as I love a comeback. I could recognise that."

The Paralympics singles gold remains the only major title in the sport that Hewett is yet to win.

Oda, 18, secured victory on his own second match point and lay back on the clay in celebration, pulling the wheels off his chair as he did so.

Hewett then came around to the other side of the net and picked up a wheel so Oda could reattach it.

The pair shared a warm embrace while the packed crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier gave both players a long and loud ovation after an outstanding match.

"Obviously deep down, to be one point away and miss that opportunity, it'll stick with me of course," said Hewett.

"You don't just move on from something like that overnight. But it's all about perspective, about looking at the good things that today brought."

Echoes of Tokyo as Hewett pipped to another gold

Hewett told Oda as he congratulated him: "What we've done today out there is nothing short of absolutely remarkable"

For all his success, which includes a combined 30 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles, Hewett knows the feeling of heartbreaking defeats and this will surely be among the toughest to take.

At the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, he and doubles partner Gordon Reid were left in tears when they were beaten in the doubles gold-medal match in a final-set tie-break.

Hewett got even closer here but Oda fought back to win the final four games, securing gold after two hours and 38 minutes with a series of winners.

Such an epic contest seemed unlikely as Hewett struggled badly in the first set. Immediately after the first game, he called for the physio and left the court for treatment on a groin problem.

When he returned he could only manage to win five of 22 points on his own serve in the set as Oda dominated.

The momentum of the match seemed to shift for the first time in the fourth game of the second set, a 26-point epic in which Hewett saved a fifth break point with a magnificent winner around the net-post that had Oda applauding and the crowd on Chatrier roaring.

When Hewett finally held for 2-2, he leaned back in his chair and threw his arms into the air, just as he had in the moment of winning doubles gold alongside Reid on Friday.

He then got the decisive break at 4-4 while the roof was closing in anticipation of expected rain and quickly levelled the match.

Hewett and Oda exchanged breaks at the start of the decider with the Briton going in front again at 2-1 and maintaining his lead, until the missed match point deflated him and sparked a revival from his opponent.

Hewett 'proud' after 'absolutely remarkable battle'

Hewett came into the gold-medal match having already achieved two notable career firsts this summer, winning the Wimbledon singles title in July and then teaming up with Reid for Paralympic doubles gold, having lost the previous two finals together.

He is ranked as world number one and had an 8-7 head-to-head lead, but recent history favoured Oda.

The Japanese player had won three of their four matches in Grand Slam finals, including last year's French Open on the clay at Roland Garros.

Remarkably, given they are one and two in the world and this was their 16th meeting, it was the first time they had gone to three sets.

The respect that they share was clear at the end and Hewett managed to appreciate the bigger picture despite the pain of defeat.

"To make it competitive in the second set and grow into the match, fight and find a way and get to a match point and to be a few inches away from getting a gold is something that I can be proud of," he said.

"The spirit of how it was played and the atmosphere is so, so positive, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I said to Tokito at the end 'congrats, you deserved to win that, incredible battle. Take this in and enjoy this because what we've done today out there is nothing short of absolutely remarkable and may go down in wheelchair tennis Paralympic history'."