WIMBLEDON Date: 22 June - 5 July Coverage: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC HD, Red Button, website streaming (UK only) and text commentary, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC iPlayer Tennis on the BBC By Elizabeth Hudson BBC Sport at Wimbledon |
  Houdet and Jeremiasz won gold for France at the Beijing Paralympics |
Paralympic champions Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz will aim to add the Wimbledon men's wheelchair doubles to their haul in Sunday's final. The French pair beat Sweden's Stefan Olsson and Peter Wikstrom 7-6 (15-13) 6-1 in Saturday's semi-final. They will face Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands and Japan's Shingo Kunieda, in the decider. Ammerlaan and Kunieda defeated Dutch duo Ronald Vink and Maikel Scheffers 6-7 (7-9), 6-4 6-1. Ammerlaan partnered Vink to victory in the 2007 and 2008 finals but has teamed up with Kunieda, the current world number one singles player, who won the 2006 title with compatriot Satoshi Saida. Both pairs had their chances in the opening set but in the tie-break, Vink and Scheffers were forced to save a set point before a forehand winner and a backhand which had Kunieda scrambling for the ball, gave them the set. The Dutch pair won the opening two games of the second set but Ammerlaan and Kunieda regrouped to go 5-3 up and although Vink and Scheffers saved six set points in the ninth game to make it 5-4, Kunieda held his serve in the next to take it to a third set.  | Towards the end of the first set we relaxed a bit too much, but winning the tie-break like we did was good |
Ammerlaan and Kunieda, who won the men's doubles at the Australian Open in Melbourne earlier this year, took control in the decider and it wasn't long before they wrapped up victory. "The first set was difficult for us because we weren't confident about our game," Ammerlaan told BBC Sport afterwards. "We were focussing too much on their game but in the second set we stopped looking at them and starting playing our own game. "There was pressure on me today, not only because I am looking to win here for the third year in a row, but also because we were playing against my fellow countrymen and we knew they would be looking to get our scalp." Houdet and Jeremiasz, the French Open champions, led 5-2 in the opening set and looked in control but they let the Swedes, who they beat in last year's Paralympic final, back into the match Wilkstrom and Olsson, both making their Wimbledon debuts, took a 6-5 lead before the French pair forced a tie-break. They were tied at 4-4 before a rain break disrupted play for 45 minutes and although both pairs looked strong on the resumption, Jeremiasz sealed the first set with a delicate backhand drop shot which just crept over the net. The first two games of the second set went with serve but Wilkstrom was broken in the third game and Houdet and Jeremiasz rattled off the next four games to claim the 7-6 6-1 win. "It's good to be back here after missing the last two years with injury," said Jeremiasz, who partnered Britain's Jayant Mistry to the inaugural title in 2005. "Because of the unpredictability of the bounces on the grass, we had to play aggressively and towards the end of the first set we relaxed a bit too much, but winning the tie-break like we did was good. "The rain break came at the right time for us and we went on to finish well so we are looking forward to the final."
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