This milestone event, the first mega event of this kind to be hosted by India, will see over 2,200 para-athletes and support staff from 104 countries converging to compete across 186 medal events.
Earlier that morning, while the grounds were still quiet, children and adults with disabilities were the ones in the spotlight at Flushing Meadows. They learned the basics of tennis, from how to volley to how to hit a backhand, and put them on display at the Court of Dreams clinic.
Sumit was rarely in any trouble throughout the three rounds against Jordan’s Mohammad Alhussien in the men’s 75kg first round to win 5:0, while Neeraj had to dig deep into her reserves to outlast Finland’s Krista Kovalainen and eke out a 3:2 verdict.
On a landmark day for captain Harmanpreet Singh, who won his 250th cap, India scored through seasoned Manpreet Singh (17’), Sukhjeet Singh (19’), Shilanand Lakra (24’), and Vivek Sagar Prasad (38’). Meanwhile, Shafiq Hassan (2’) found the back of the net for Malaysia.
At her postmatch news conference, four-time major champion Osaka pulled her latest U.S. Open Labubu — a shiny, silver one — from the pocket of her black jacket and introduced the creature to reporters, saying, “Her name is Althea Glitterson,” a tribute to Althea Gibson, the tennis champion who broke the sport's color barrier 75 years ago.
