SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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Wham, Bam, Grand Slam!

Excitement was in the air in San Diego as top tennis athletes went for prized titles.

History was in the making at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego. As players gathered for the 2007 USTA National Wheelchair Championships (U.S. Open), September 18-23, the question remained whether two of the world's top players would take the coveted "grand slam" title.

In able-bodied tennis, a player achieves a Grand Slam when he or she wins the four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open. Wheelchair tennis differs slightly, in that players win a grand slam of sorts when they take all four Super Series titles—U.S. Open, Japan Open, Australian Open, and British Open—on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour.

This year, Shingo Kunieda (Japan) and Esther Vergeer (Netherlands) became the first players to win all four Super Series titles in the same year. In addition, the U.S.'s top quad, David Wagner, won his first U.S. Open title to take all three Quad Singles Super Series titles: U.S. Open, Japan Open, and British Open.


Coverage also includes a look at some of the top juniors who competed in the tournament.

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