10 Super Series for Hewett as Van Koot, Vink add Cajun Classic titles
Alfie Hewett passed the yardstick of 10 career Super Series men’s singles titles at the Cajun Classic as Aniek van Koot and Niels Vink, respectively, improved their own personal Super Series tallies to one below and one above Hewett after their victories in the women’s singles and quad singles in Baton Rouge.
Straight sets wins over Brayan Tapia, Stephane Houdet and Gustavo Fernandez saw top seed Hewett through to his third successive UINIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour singles final of 2025.
Meanwhile, for the second successive week, second seed Martin de la Puente survived a stern three-set test against fellow Spaniard Daniel Caverzaschi before then denying Gordon Reid the opportunity of setting up an all-British final.
But with Hewett having won 23 of his previous 25 matches against De la Puente, the world No. 2 opened their head-to-head for the season with a resounding 6-0 6-3 victory to claim his fifth Cajun Classic men’s title and his fourth at Super Series level since 2018.
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Van Koot earns first Super Series singles crown since 2019
While Hewett’s first Cajun Classic title in 2017 came at ITF 1 Series level before the Baton Rouge showpiece joined the roster of Super Series tournaments, Van Koot’s first victory in Baton Rouge goes back even further, to 2009, when the Cajun Classic held ITF 2 Series status.
The following year Van Koot defended her title, by which time the Cajun Classic had ITF 1 Series status and the celebrated Dutchwoman already had three Super Series titles to her name.
This week it’s six years since Van Koot won her eighth Super Series singles title and her fifth Cajun Classic, but that six-year anniversary will come and go with the former world No. 1 and current world No. 2 having once again beaten all-comers in Baton Rouge, including a newcomer to the family of Super Series singles finalists on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour.
Having avenged her loss to her countrywoman Lizzy de Greef in the final of the Georgia Open by winning their Baton Rouge quarter-final in straight sets, Van Koot came up against 19-year-old Ksenia Chasteau, whose first Cajun Classic produced a breakthrough week.
Victories over Zhu Zhenzhen of China and Colombian second seed Angelica Bernal saw Chasteau beat two top 10 ranked opponents at the same tournament for the very first time, ultimately earning the former junior world No. 1 a place in her first Super Series singles final and a rise of four places in this week’s new world rankings to a new career-high of No.11.
And it was a final that initially suggested that more might be to come from Chasteau as she immediately bounced back from 2-0 down, but ultimately the more experienced player won the day as Van Koot made it nine Super Series singles titles.
Vink clinches third Cajun Classic quad singles title in four years
There’s no denying that the first half of 2024 was tough for Niels Vink and the absence of a Cajun Classic quad singles title for the first time in three years was just one of the signs of a difficult period. Another was Vink’s loss off the world No.1 quad singles ranking to fellow Dutchman Sam Schroder.
However, having started 2025 by winning his 10th career Super Series singles title at the Melbourne Open, Vink regained the top spot and there was no stopping the reigning Paralympic champion and world No. 1 on his return to Baton Rouge – except, that is, for the best efforts of Turkiye’s Ahmet Kaplan.
Kaplan booked his place in his second Super Series singles final after beating Schroder for the first time in six matches between the world No. 2 and world No. 4 and then proceeded to snatch the opening set off Vink in the final.
Kaplan’s only career win over Vink in the semi-finals of last year’s French Riviera Open was significant not only for Kaplan earning his place in his first Super Series final, but also because it was Vink’s last singles loss of 2024 before ending the year on a 17-match winning streak.
However, there was to be no repeat victory for Kaplan in Baton Rouge, his sequence of seven set wins abruptly coming to an end as Vink sealed his third Cajun Classic title in four years 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-0 to end his 2025 campaign having won four of his seven sets played across his three matches 6-0.
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