The draw for the Rio 2016 Paralympic wheelchair tennis took place in the Centre Court Complex at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, September, 8 with 100 players from 29 nations on hand to witness the line-up for the opening round unfold.
South African world number three and two-time Grand Slam Champion Lucas Sithole is seeded number three in the quads singles event and has been drawn to face Shota Kawano from Japan in the first round and should meet Australian world number one Dylan Alcott in the semi-finals if all goes according to plan.
The number 8 seed in the women’s singles event, Kgothatso Montjane, opens her account against Miho Nijo from Japan, while the men’s world number 17 Evans Maripa, meets Suthi Khlongrua from Thailand. Leon Els who earned his first qualification for the Paralympic games this year will take on Ronald Nemeth from Hungary.
This year’s event will be Montjane’s third Paralympics, after securing a wild card position to Beijing 2008 and qualifying on merit to London 2012. The world number nine will attempt to achieve what no African has done before – win a medal in wheelchair tennis.
“I feel like I stand a good chance to finish on the podium. I just need to believe it, and do it. I’m very hungry for it and I want it so bad. All I want to do in the Rio Paralympics is just to compete to my level best”, said Montjane.
The event will see the world’s top players contest six medal events when the seventh Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event gets underway on Friday to 18 September at Olympic Tennis Centre.
