- Alfie Hewett defeated Martin de la Puente 6-2, 6-3 in the wheelchair singles final
- The star was left emotional after claiming long-awaited Wimbledon singles glory.
- It means England have beaten Spain at least once before the Euro 2024 final
Alfie Hewett claimed his first wheelchair singles title at Wimbledon with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Martin De La Puente.
Hewett had experienced disappointment in the 2022 and 2023 singles finals at the All England Club as she attempted to complete a career Grand Slam.
However, the British star erased memories of his Court One defeat to Tokito Oda last year with a sublime display of striking to delight a rapturous home crowd with a long-awaited individual success at SW19.
“I’m really at a loss for words. These last few years have been difficult,” Hewett admitted.
‘Winning the doubles with Gordon (Reid) has been a good memory, but losing the singles final hasn’t been heartbreaking in recent years.
Alfie Hewett beat Martin de la Puente to claim his first Wimbledon wheelchair singles title
The 26-year-old, who lost the final in 2022 and 2023, completed his career Grand Slam.
“I’m really speechless. The last few years have been tough,” Hewett admitted after her 6-2, 6-3 victory.
‘When you’ve seen this since you were a little kid and it’s been a dream for so, so long, to just miss out on it has been really tough.
“I was really nervous last night because I didn’t want to lose again and I’m really, really proud of my performance and really thankful to all of you.”
‘I want to thank my team, they are like a second family there.
‘We’ve been through a lot together, a lot of ups and downs, but you never stop helping me get back to being myself, at my level.
“You guys kept believing in me. I think today proved that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you can always get back up and keep trying. It’s all thanks to you.”
Second seed Hewett had advanced to the final after a marathon quarter-final battle with Gustavo Fernandez on Friday.
Hours later, De La Puente stunned Oda, the 2023 winner, and earned his first appearance in a Grand Slam final.
There was expectation that Hewett, who had won 21 of his previous 22 matches against the Spaniard, could claim a first Wimbledon singles title.
England have claimed their first win over Spain ahead of Euro 2024 as Hewett beat Martin de la Puente
Hewett and De La Puente entered the half-full Court One on Sunday morning to loud applause before exchanging early breaks.
The fifth game proved to be the catalyst for Hewett to claim victory, with the 26-year-old able to break serve and subsequently win 12 of the next 14 points to take the first set to thunderous applause.
A break early in the second set brought further cheers, but De La Puente responded and there was a lack of holding.
In the end, Hewett held on to move 5-3 up and within touching distance of her holy grail, which she sealed on her second championship point with a backhand down the line winner.
Court One erupted as Hewett was overcome with emotion before celebrating with his arms outstretched after a 78-minute battle that added the Wimbledon title to his four US Open crowns, three Roland Garros triumphs and his solitary Australian Open singles win.