The pair of Mitsuteru Moroishi and Sugeno Koji beat their British opponents 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to earn a bronze medal in the mixed wheelchair tennis quad doubles in the early hours of Thursday morning.
It was past 2 a.m. when the Japanese pair nabbed the bronze medal after a British player failed to return a shot by Sugeno. It was the first medal for Japanese tennis players in the mixed quad class, which was introduced in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games. The quad class is for those with relatively severe disabilities, such as paralysis, in their arms as well as their legs. There is no division by gender in the class.
Recalling the game, Sugeno, 40, said: "I was tired. It was actually a long, long day." The Japanese pair rejoiced in their win, slapping each other on the shoulders.
The game started at 8:47 p.m. on Wednesday but was interrupted by rain during the first set. It resumed about 2-1/2 hours later, moving to a covered center court. Despite such conditions, they continued to concentrate and grabbed the first set. In the final set, Moroishi, 54, hit volleys at critical moments.
Sugeno sustained damage to his cervical spine while in his first year of high school. He started playing tennis in the quad class about four years ago, after changing from a class with lighter impairments.
Moroishi who has participated in three Paralympics in a row, has Guillain-Barre syndrome, which diminishes muscle strength. Moroishi started playing tennis as a part of his rehabilitation. In the quad class, players are allowed to fix a racket to their hand and use an electric wheelchair if needed. Moroishi keeps his racket fixed to his right hand to compensate for his weak grip strength.
Moroishi, who finished in fourth place at the 2012 London Games, spoke with deep emotion when he said, "I wanted to actually get a medal."
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