Israel’s Guy Sasson Wins Bronze in Paralympics Wheelchair Tennis

Israeli Paralympian Guy Sasson claimed a bronze medal in the wheelchair tennis tournament at the Paris Paralympics on Thursday night, securing Israel’s ninth medal of the Games. Sasson’s hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Turkey’s Ahmet Kaplan capped off a remarkable journey through the competition.

The 44-year-old Israeli, who earlier this year won the 2024 French Open Quad Singles event at Roland Garros, had a strong start to the Paralympics with impressive victories over Francisco Cayulof of Chile (6-2, 6-3) and Great Britain’s Gregory Slade (6-2, 6-1) to reach the semifinals. Despite losing to Dutchman Sam Schroder (7-6, 6-4), Sasson bounced back in the bronze medal match.

The match against Kaplan was no easy feat, as Sasson initially struggled, losing his serve and trailing 1-4 in the first set. Though he battled back to 5-5, Kaplan ultimately took the set 7-5. The Turkish player continued his dominance in the second set, but Sasson launched an incredible comeback, turning a 1-4 deficit into a 6-4 set win to force a decisive third.

In the final set, Sasson unleashed his best tennis, taking full control and surging to a 6-1 win, sealing his first Paralympic medal and a place among Israel’s top athletes.

The victory comes with a tax-free bonus of 500,000 shekels, further solidifying Sasson’s status as a standout Paralympic competitor.

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