Hewett and Reid Reach US Open Quarters as British Charge Continues

Alfie Hewett barely broke stride. Gordon Reid had to dig deep. Between them, Britain’s leading wheelchair duo found two very different routes into the US Open men’s singles quarter-finals on Wednesday – but both are still very much in the hunt in New York.

Hewett in cruise control

On Louis Armstrong’s outside courts, Hewett looked every inch the four-time champion. The number two seed ripped through Spain’s Daniel Caverzaschi 6-0 6-2, a scoreline that only hinted at the control he exerted from first ball to last.

He locked in early, broke immediately, and never allowed Caverzaschi a foothold. The first set vanished in a blur of heavy returns and relentless depth. Six games straight. Barely a blemish.

The Spaniard finally got on the board in the second set, but by then Hewett had the match in a vice. He dictated the rallies, pressed on return, and closed the door whenever Caverzaschi threatened a mini-surge. Two games conceded. Statement made.

Next comes American Casey Ratzlaff and a different kind of test – a home player, home crowd, and a spot in the semi-finals on the line. Hewett, with four titles already in New York, knows this territory better than most.

Reid goes the distance

If Hewett’s progress was ruthless, Reid’s was a scrap.

Up against French veteran Stephane Houdet, the Scot needed every ounce of experience and patience to come through 6-3 5-7 6-2 in a two-hour 13-minute battle.

Reid struck first, taking the opening set with smart court craft and well-timed aggression. Houdet, though, refused to fade. The second set turned into a tug-of-war, the Frenchman upping his intensity and forcing errors at key moments. Reid, one game from levelling in straight sets, saw the momentum slip as Houdet snatched the set 7-5.

That could have turned ugly. Instead, Reid reset.

He tightened up his serve, cut out the loose points and began to wear Houdet down in the decider. The rallies stretched, the errors came from the other side of the net, and Reid surged clear to take the third set 6-2 and his place in the last eight.

Waiting there is the toughest assignment in the sport right now: defending champion and top seed Tokito Oda. The Japanese star has won the past six Grand Slam singles titles. Reid will need the level he found in that final set – and then some.

Doubles dynasty still alive

Singles is only half the story for the British pair.

Hewett and Reid, already five-time US Open wheelchair doubles champions together, are chasing a sixth crown as a team. They came through their opening round on Tuesday and now stand one match from another final, with a semi-final looming against Oda and Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez.

It is a heavyweight clash: the established British partnership against one of the most dangerous pairings in the draw. Titles, rankings, reputations – plenty is at stake.

Mixed fortunes in the quad draw

Elsewhere, it was a tougher day for Britain’s quad players.

Andy Lapthorne ran into top seed Niels Vink and found the Dutchman in unforgiving mood, losing 6-2 6-1 in the opening round of quad singles. Greg Slade also bowed out, beaten 6-4 6-2 by Argentina’s Gonzalo Lazarte.

Lapthorne’s campaign, though, is not over. He remains in the quad doubles event and has already battled through to the semi-finals alongside South African partner Leon Els, with a place in the final now within reach.

So the British presence at Flushing Meadows endures – through Hewett’s authority, Reid’s resilience and Lapthorne’s doubles push – as the business end of the US Open begins to take shape.