Double success for Norfolk's Alfie Hewett as he defends US Open titles
Norfolk wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett defended both of his US Open titles on a super Sunday in New York.
The 21-year-old beat Frenchman Stéphane Houdet 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) in the singles to retain the trophy he won last year and then did the same in the doubles as he and partner Gordon Reid got the better of Japan's Shingo Kunieda and Argentina's Gustavo Fernández 1-6 6-4 11-9.
For Reid and Hewett, it was the third consecutive year that they'd won the doubles, while Hewett's singles win earned him his third Grand Slam title.
Victory in the singles would have been particularly sweet for Hewett, who by his own admission, has struggled for form this year and seen his ranking drop.
"I was disappointed to not be on a bigger court, but I've never lost on this court so thank you to whoever made that decision," Hewett said.
"Thanks to everyone back home, it's great to win and to defend the title."
Hewett's double success comes on the same weekend that The Telegraph reported that his future in the sport could be in doubt due to proposed new classification rules.
According to the report, the International Paralympic Committee has suggested a new set of eligibility criteria, and if those rules were to be finalised, Hewett's disability could apparently fall short of the specified level of physical impairment.
However, whatever happens, Hewett is still eligible to play until at least January 1, 2021.