Rob Shaw to Face Ymanitu Silva in 2024 Paralympics First Round

The official draw for the 2024 Paris Paralympics Wheelchair Tennis event took place Tuesday morning at Roland-Garros, with Canada’s Rob Shaw drawn to play against Ymanitu Silva of Brazil in the first round of the 16-player quad singles event.

Appearing in his second Paralympics after making his debut in Tokyo at the 2020 Paralympic Games, Shaw is currently ranked No. 8 in the quad category.

Shaw last faced Silva in the 2023 Parapan American Games semifinal in Santiago where he secured a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory. The winner of their upcoming match will advance into the quarter-final to face either second seed Niels Vink of the Netherlands or Lucas Sithole of South Africa. Shaw’s record on red clay this year is strong, with an impressive 11 wins and only three losses.

“There are definitely no surprises between me and my opponent,” said Shaw. “We’ve played several times together and we both started our doubles careers together as partners. I don’t think we’ve played since Santiago but that was a tough three-set match so I’m expecting something similar on the 31st. Overall, I think it will be an entertaining match and as long as I play well like I have been, I’m confident I can come out on top.”

He has captured two singles titles so far in 2024, winning back-to-back tournaments at the Swiss Open in Geneva, an ITF Series 1 event, and the German Open in Berlin (ITF Series 2) in the quad singles events this July. Shaw’s victory at the Swiss Open over Francisco Cayulef of Chile in the final marked his first career singles title in the ITF Series 1 circuit.

“I am looking forward to supporting Rob as he competes in his second Paralympic Games,” said Kai Schrameyer, National Coach of Wheelchair Tennis for Tennis Canada. “He is entering the Games with momentum after his success in Geneva and Berlin and with an impressive 79% win rate on clay this year so far. All of Canada is rooting for him, and I can’t wait to see him give it his all on the court.”

Canada has yet to secure a Paralympic medal in wheelchair tennis, with the closest result being a fourth-place finish in quad doubles by Sarah Hunter and Brian McPhate at the 2004 Athens Games.

The 2024 Paris Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event takes place from Friday, Aug. 30 to Saturday, Sept. 7, with a total of 28 nations represented. Across six events — men’s, women’s and quad singles and doubles — there will be 96 athletes competing.

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Tennis Canada