The Scottish tennis star can look back on a busy day with positivity despite a gutting loss in his singles match
By Paul Morrison
A defeat in the singles quarter final this morning didn’t stop ParalympicsGB’s Gordon Reid from booking a spot in Friday’s doubles gold medal match today after a statement semi final victory with partner Alfie Hewitt.
The Scot didn’t appear affected by his straight set loss to Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez as the top seeds in doubles took down French duo Stephane Houdet and Fredric Cattaneo.
There is still British hope in the singles draw with Alfie going through to tomorrow’s semi final, while Gordon will have all his focus on Friday to win doubles gold for the first time at a Games.
For the second time at the wheelchair tennis event in Paris, Gordon was involved in two matches on the same day, with his first contest coming in the morning on Roland Garros’ main court, Phillippe-Chatrier.
Sharing a head-to-head that goes all the way back to their junior careers, Gordon and fourth seed Fernandez have faced off over 50 times, with the Argentinian having the slight advantage overall.
It looked to be a thriller of a match after the 15-minute opening game that saw Fernandez keep his serve. However it turned out to be the closest game of the set as Gordon struggled to get up to speed while Fernandez took full advantage of the Scot’s slow start.
Losing his first three service matches, Gordon was tasked with pulling off an almighty comeback following a 6-0 set where Fernandez showcased his quality, producing crushing winners that were unforgiving on Reid’s shaky performance.
The second set proved to be much closer as both players traded blows, which saw a total of eight breaks of serve. Great shot making was clear to see from each side of the court as Gordon stepped his game up to a high level that tennis fans have been familiar with over the years.
Forcing a tie-break, there was very little to split the two top 5 players, but despite some sensational skill from Gordon, he was unable to stop the Argentinian this time round as Fernandez only needed a single match point to secure his spot in tomorrow’s semi final with the 6-0, 7-6(5) triumph over the Scot.
Fernandez had nothing short of total respect for his competitor and friend, saying: “I’ve known him (Gordon) since he was 14 and I was 13. We care for each other because it’s a long time since we’ve known each other. It’s nice. It’s a beautiful thing that tennis gives you.”
Later in the day, Gordon would get the chance to put the loss behind him in perfect fashion as he joined Alfie Hewitt to play for a spot in the doubles gold medal match, with the French pair of Houdet and Cattaneo the only obstacle in their way.
One of the all-time greats in wheelchair tennis doubles, 53-year-old Houdet was himself aiming for a fourth doubles gold medal after winning in Beijing 2008, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Denying Gordon and Alfie of gold in 2016 and 2020, the Brits looked to finally get the better of the Frenchman but were made to comeback from a break down in the opening game.
It wasn’t long until the British duo were back ahead before both pairs were breaking each other for most of the first set. Gordon and Alfie found joy in targeting Cattaneo’s side of the court but struggled to find an answer to Houdet’s sharp hand skills with the racket.
The winning count was proving the difference as Gordon and Alfie’s 12 point-winning strikes helped them take the first set over the French partners.
The second set stayed on serve to make it 4-3 to the Brits before a blow was dealt for the French on Cattaneo’s serve that gave Gordon the opportunity to serve out the match.
With some excellent point-constructing and world class shot making, Gordon starred to confirm their win with a neat drop shot as the ParalympicsGB men made it a third straight gold medal match at the Paralympic Games.
With a strong win over a French pair cheered on by all corners of Suzanne-Lenglen, Gordon and Alfie are just one win away from accomplishing a first-time achievement for the British duo.
Gordon will be back in action on Friday (6th) with Alfie on Phillippe-Chatrier to face the second seed Japanese pair of Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda in the men’s doubles final in what will be a must-see spectacle for British fans. Come on Gordon and Alfie!
The Paris 2024 Paralympics runs from the 28th August – 8th September. You can follow all the action and find out how the 21 Scottish Para athletes get on by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website. You can catch all the action on Channel 4. More information here.