Israeli Paralympian Guy Sasson rallied for a bronze medal in the wheelchair tennis tournament on Thursday night with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Turkey’s Ahmet Kaplan, securing Israel’s ninth medal in Paris.
Sasson’s impressive journey included victories over Francisco Cayulof of Chile (6-2, 6-3) in the first round and Great Britain’s Gregory Slade (6-2, 6-1) in the quarterfinals. Although he lost in the semifinals to Dutchman Sam Schroder (7-6, 6-4), he redeemed himself in the bronze medal match by coming back from a set down.
The 44-year-old Israeli also won the 2024 French Open Quad Singles event in June, also at Roland Garros.
Sasson initially struggled against Kaplan, losing his serve and falling behind 1-4. He fought back to 5-5, but Kaplan eventually claimed the first set 7-5, taking a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, the Turkish player continued his dominance, leading 4-1, but a remarkable comeback from Sasson saw him win the set 6-4 and force a deciding third set.
Israel’s top athletes
In the final set, Sasson unleashed his best tennis, taking control and storming to a 6-1 win, sealing his first Paralympics medal.
The victory cements Sasson’s place as one of the country’s top Paralympic athletes and he will receive a tax-free bonus of 500,000 shekels for his triumph.
