Niels Vink is two matches from holding all four men's quad Slam titles
Dutchman Niels Vink is a bit of a perfectionist. Come to think of it, he’s a lot like his hero, King of Clay Rafael Nadal. The 23-year-old has won three consecutive quad singles Grand Slams (and two overall in Paris) and completed the career Golden Slam at the Australian Open this year, but he’s far from satisfied.
Despite opening his bid on Wednesday for a fourth consecutive Slam title on a breezy afternoon on Court 14 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne, Vink told rolandgarros.com that he wasn’t pleased with his tennis.
“I think it was one of the worst matches I’ve played,” he said. “And Andy was giving up a good fight, so props to him. I was not happy with my level, but of course I'm happy with my win.”
Winning has become a habit for Vink of late. He’s now two victories from holding all four majors at the same time. Is it something that weighs on his mind?
“No, not really,” he said. “It's not that I don’t know I hold them all if I win this one, but I just want to win this tournament.”
It is that singular focus that makes Vink great. The reason he’s won eight quad singles Grand Slam titles since he won his first here in Paris, in 2022. Vink now sits second on the all-time list in that category behind legend Dylan Alcott.
When talking about Alcott, Vink gives off a tinge of regret. He would have loved to have earned a win against the 15-time major champion, but he never could manage it.
“I was so young and Dylan was almost retiring,” he said. “I never beat him, sadly. But I have a good relationship with him and I remember the last two years I played against him when I was in the Slams as well. And we always had good matches. It's sad that I never won, but it's fine.”
Vink says the sport owes a lot to Alcott, who was not only a great player but a great ambassador.
“Yeah, he did amazing,” he said. “And also in Australia, we can feel it – that we are tennis players and not wheelchair tennis players.”
When asked if he dreams of one day overtaking Alcott on the Grand Slam titles list, Vink once again turns to his next match. It’s just how he’s built.
“The only thing is that I want to win,” he said. “Then if I'm honest, I want to win the tournament for myself, not for some other reason. Because I want to win everything myself. But it would be amazing if I can overtake Dylan.”
Next up in singles, Vink will face his doubles partner this year, Israel’s Guy Sasson in the semifinals. Sasson has defeated Vink in each of the last two editions of Roland-Garros and the Dutchman hopes he can turn the tide.
“Guy's dangerous on all surfaces but especially on the clay,” he said. “If I reach my level, I know I can beat him. I'm gonna try my best to play at my level and control the game – then I have a good chance.”
Also in the quad singles, top seed Sam Schroder advanced past Gonzalo Enrique Lazarte on Wednesday, 6-1, 6-3, while Ahmet Kaplan of Turkey defeated Great Britain's Gregory Slade, 6-0, 6-0.
One blockbuster semi is set in the women’s wheelchair doubles, as top-seeded Yui Kamiji of Japan and China’s Zhu Zhenzhen defeated Angelica Bernal and Jiske Griffioen, 6-0, 6-0.
Dutch pair Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot defeated Ksenia Chasteau and Manami Tanaka, 6-0, 6-2 in their quarterfinal.
In the men's wheelchair doubles, No.1 seeds Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett defeated the French/Brazilian pairing of Frederic Catteneo and Daniel Rodriguez, 6-0, 6-2, while second-seeded Daniel Caverzaschi and Ruben Spaargaren were upset by Martin de la Puente and Stephane Houdet, 7-5, 6-4.
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
