Great Britain Reclaims World Team Cup Title as Hewett and Reid Shine
Under the Florida sun, with the heat finally easing but the tension rising, Great Britain turned again to the partnership it trusts most. Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid rolled onto court for a deciding doubles rubber and walked off as World Team Cup champions for a fifth time.
Japan, the defending champions and rising power in wheelchair tennis, had pushed them all the way. The title came down to one match, four players, and two men who have built a career on handling this kind of pressure.
They barely blinked.
Hewett and Reid swept aside Tokito Oda and Daisuke Arai 6-1 6-2 in Orlando, sealing a 2-1 victory in the final and dragging the trophy back to Britain once more.
“We're really happy to get the title back,” said Reid, a constant presence in this golden era, having also been part of Britain’s World Team Cup triumphs in 2015, 2019, 2023 and 2024. This is his dynasty as much as anyone’s.
For Hewett, the occasion carried its own edge. “It's the first time it's come down to the deciding doubles for us, so I'm just really happy that we got over the line,” he said. The relief was obvious. So was the pride. “It's always a privilege to play for your country and there's been a great atmosphere and team spirit again this week between all the lads."
Reid strikes first
The final began with Reid setting the tone. Calm, clinical, ruthless when it mattered.
Facing world number 21 Arai in the opening singles rubber, Reid never allowed a foothold. He broke early, controlled the rallies, and closed out a 6-2 6-2 win that underlined why he has now beaten Arai in all five of their meetings. It was the start Britain wanted: scoreboard pressure applied, Japan forced to chase.
Then the heat intervened.
Hewett’s battle with Oda
The second singles match between Hewett and world number one Oda was delayed for hours as extreme temperatures in Orlando made play impossible. The players left the court, waited, and waited some more. Six hours later, they came back out to finish what had become a test of patience as much as skill.
Only a week earlier, Hewett had beaten Oda in the US Open singles final. This time, the script flipped. In a tight, high-quality contest, Oda edged past him 6-4 7-5, dragging Japan level and forcing the tie into a winner-takes-all doubles.
Hewett did not hide his frustration. “I'm a bit disappointed that it wasn't a 100% day after my loss in the singles, but it was a really high-level match and just came down to a few points in both sets that could have gone either way,” he said.
The loss stung. But it also sharpened him.
The doubles statement
With the title on the line, Britain went back to what it knows best: Hewett and Reid together, side by side, a pairing that has defined the sport for the better part of a decade.
From the opening games of the doubles, they imposed themselves. Returns were aggressive, serves precise, movement in perfect sync. The 6-1 first set felt like a message as much as a scoreline. Japan, so resilient all week, suddenly looked short of answers.
The second set brought more of the same. Every time Oda and Arai threatened to build momentum, the British pair shut the door. The 6-2 finish was emphatic, the kind of performance that turns a tight final into a statement win.
Behind them stood a full squad and staff who had done their part across the week. Britain, captained by Martyn Whait and also featuring 21-year-old Ben Bartram, had already navigated past South Korea and the Netherlands to reach this point. The foundations were laid before the final began; Hewett and Reid simply completed the job with trademark authority.
Five World Team Cup titles now for Great Britain. Four of them with this same core. The rest of the world keeps chasing, keeps improving, keeps throwing new challenges at them.
Yet when it comes down to the biggest moments, under the brightest lights, the same question keeps being asked: who can stop Hewett and Reid when everything is on the line?
