Yui Kamiji on Friday attributed her surge to singles gold in the women's wheelchair tennis to a quick look at the record books on Thursday night following her success in the women's doubles.
She and Manami Tanaka beat the Dutch pair Diede de Groot and Aniek Van Kroot in three sets on Court Philippe Chatrier at the Roland Garros stadium to end the Dutch hegemony over the women's doubles tournament.
From the inception of the women's wheelchair tennis event at the Paralympics in Barcelona in 1992, Dutch players have won the doubles title as well as the singles crown.
"When I was looking at the records, I saw all the gold medallists in women's singles and doubles came from the Netherlands," said Kamiji.
"It happened a bit in the first tournaments," she added. "But I saw in London in 2012, Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021, the Dutch player who won the doubles also won the singles.
"I said to myself I have to be like that and I can be like that. Looking at it gave me good energy."
After a two hour and seven minute struggle with De Groot - winner of both crowns in Tokyo - Kamiji emulated the recent fashion with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier.
After the triumph, Kamiji burst into tears. "During the French Open, it was really tough for me as I could not find my levels and it was really disappointing," she explained.
"So to play in the Paralympics on the same clay courts and to win the gold in the doubles and in the singles is unbelievable. I am very happy."
Horror show
The opening set was a nightmare for Kamiji. She took the service of her opponent twice to lead 3-0 with her own service to follow for a 4-0 lead.
But De Groot snaffled that to trail 1-3 and then lost her service game again.
But from 4-1, Kamiji collapsed. De Groot went on a five-game roll to claim the opener 6-4 after 42 minutes.
It was more consistent for the first half of the second set. But then de Groot went wonky. From 3-3, Kamiji pulled away to lead 5-3.
Serving to stay in the set, de Groot threw in three double faults. Kamiji gleefully accepted the favours to level the match after 85 minutes.
Recovery
De Groot, who beat Kamiji to lift the singles title in Tokyo in 2021, drew first blood in the decider.
She seized Kamiji's opening service game with some fiery returns.
The 30-year-old from Japan retaliated with equally brutal bludgeons on her way to a 3-1 lead.
Hers was the final to lose. And she promptly faltered.
De Groot clawed her way back to 3-3 but the 27-year-old crumbled again to give Kamiji the chance to serve for victory at 5-3.
She fluffed her opportunity but de Groot, trailing 4-5, was equally generous.
In a repeat of her frailty at the end of the second set, she served a double fault on match point to hand the title to Kamiji and end the Dutch stranglehold on the women's singles tournament.
Generosity
"There were a few key moments where I didn't play my best tennis most obviously in the third set," De Groot conceded.
"Yui played so well, she put all the balls back in the court and I really couldn't get through it. So all the credits go to her."
De Groot magnanimously went round the net to congratulate Kajimi who remained at the back of the court in tears.
"We've shared so many big battles," said De Groot. "I know exactly what it feels like to win a gold medal at the Paralympics and also all the other titles.
"You put all your heart and your soul into a match like that and if you end up winning, then I know how that feels.
"So I just wanted to go over to her and tell her how well she did and obviously tell her that she can be proud of herself."
Top seeds Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid from Britain won the men's wheelchair doubles gold.
The pair, who lost in the final in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021, beat the second seeds Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda from Japan 6-2, 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
To the chagrin of the partisans lined around Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Spanish pair Daniel Caverzaschi and Martin de la Puente came from a set down to see off the French duo Frédéric Cattaneo and Stéphane Houdet 4-6, 6-4, 10-5.
