Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/560492
ITFWORLD SUMMER 2015 25 www.itftennis.com DYLAN ALCOTT (AUS) JISKE GRIFFIOEN (NED) SAKHORN KHANTHASIT (THA) WHEELCHAIR TENNIS Marshall Thomas profiles the players currently making waves on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour as they begin to set their sights on the Paralympic prizes awaiting them next year. A lcott made an immediate impact when debuting in the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour's quad division in January 2014. He posted a series of impressive performances against the top tier of players, claimed his first career wins over seven-time year-end No. 1 David Wagner, and won his first Super Series title at the British Open. In January this year, Alcott broke through to win his first Grand Slam title at home in Melbourne, defeating Wagner in the final, and in June he ended the American's reign at the top of the quad singles rankings after victory at the BNP Paribas Open de France Super Series. A former junior world No. 4 in wheelchair tennis, Alcott subsequently concentrated on wheelchair basketball for several years and won gold and silver medals as a member of the Australian team at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympics. Returning to tennis with the benefit of his basketball background, he is one of the most agile quad players on the court. T his has already been something of a landmark season for Griffioen, who ended her long wait for a Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, defeating Yui Kamiji in the final. She won another at Roland Garros, defeating countrywoman Aniek van Koot, and could now complete the set of all three Grand Slam wheelchair singles titles at the US Open in New York. In June Griffioen took over from Kamiji at the top of the rankings, joining the long list of Dutch women to hold the No. 1 women's wheelchair ranking more than ten years after becoming world No. 2 for the first time in her career. Griffioen was a bronze medallist in singles and a silver medallist in doubles at London 2012, and at the last two Paralympic Games had her bid for a place in the gold medal match ended by Esther Vergeer. Rio 2016 could present the 30-year-old with a golden opportunity, if her present good form holds. A fter Japan's Yui Kamiji, Khanthasit is Asia's most accomplished women's player, although most of her victories have come in her home continent. In October 2014 Khanthasit became the first women's player to earn qualification for the Rio 2016 Paralympics after winning her second successive Asian Para Games singles gold medal. She beat ITF World Champion Kamiji in the semifinals, arguably the biggest scalp of her impressive career. A veteran of more than 15 years on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, Khanthasit's consistency and determination have earned the Thai a collection of wins over Top 10 players and a career-best ranking of No. 6 in 2004. In 2015 she has returned close to her best, standing at No. 12 in the rankings at time of going to press. While she missed the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, both her Athens 2004 and London 2012 singles campaigns ended with quarterfinal losses to eventual gold medallist Esther Vergeer. She won silver in women's doubles in Athens.