Israel Wins Wheelchair Tennis World Championship Bronze

The Israeli men's wheelchair tennis team, competing in the Quad division, secured a bronze medal at the World Championships held in the United States. The team achieved this victory by defeating Chile 2-1 in a dramatic playoff match.

The Israeli roster featured notable athletes, including Noam Gershoni, a Paralympic gold medalist from the London 2012 Games, who returned to compete for the national team. Guy Sasson, a medalist from the Paris 2024 Games and currently ranked third in the world, and Roei Aberجيل, a former footballer for Bnei Yehuda before his injury, were also key players. The team is coached by Assi Stockol.

In the bronze medal match, Gershoni lost his singles match to Diego Perez 6-4, 7-5. Guy Sasson then leveled the tie, winning his singles match against Francisco Cayulef 6-1, 6-2, despite several weather interruptions. The deciding point came in the doubles match, where Sasson and Gershoni defeated Perez and Cayulef 6-1, 6-3, clinching the bronze medal for Israel.

Meanwhile, the Israeli men's team in the Open division, which has less severe mobility restrictions than the Quad division, finished in ninth place. This team included Adam Baraditzky, from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in the Gaza envelope region, Sergey Lisov, and Amiti Argaman, a Maglan commando who was severely injured early in the Swords of Iron War. They lost 2-0 to the USA and defeated Chile 2-0. This team is coached by Ofer Sala.

The tournament also marked the 50th anniversary of wheelchair tennis. Kobi Wiener, head of the delegation and a co-founder of the sport in Israel, recalled its origins, crediting Brad Parks with the idea of outdoor play for athletes with disabilities. The sport joined the International Tennis Federation in 2000 and arrived in Israel in 2004, with early pioneers like Shraga Weinberg and Boaz Kramer becoming Paralympic medalists by the 2008 Beijing Games.