Israel Wheelchair Tennis Team Wins World Championship Bronze

The Israeli wheelchair tennis team 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 match. The Israeli roster included Noam Gershony, a Paralympic gold medalist from the London 2012 Games, Guy Sasson, a medalist from the Paris 2024 Games and ranked third globally, and Roei Abergil, a former professional footballer. The team is coached by Assi Stockol.

Israel advanced to the semifinals after a 2-0 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals, but then lost 2-1 to Australia. In the bronze medal match against Chile, Gershony lost his singles match 6-4, 7-5. Sasson then leveled the tie with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in his singles match. The decisive doubles match saw Sasson and Gershony win 6-1, 6-3, clinching the bronze medal for Israel.

Separately, the men's team in the Open division finished ninth overall. They lost 2-0 to the USA but defeated Chile 2-0. This team is coached by Ofer Sela and includes Adam Berdichevsky, Sergei Lisov, and Amiti Argaman, who was severely injured during the early days of the "Swords of Iron" war. The "Swords of Iron" war is the name given by Israel to the ongoing conflict with Hamas, which began on October 7, 2023.

The championship this year marked the 50th anniversary of wheelchair tennis. Kobi Wiener, head of the delegation and a founder of the sport in Israel, recalled the sport's origins and its introduction to Israel in 2004. He mentioned the sport's founder, Brad Parks, and its early pioneers in Israel, Shraga Weinberg and Boaz Kramer, who became Paralympic medalists at the Beijing 2008 Games.