Kgothatso Montjane has progressed to the semifinals of the Australian Open after cruising past Japanese player Manami Tanaki 6-2, 6-0, keeping on course to winning her maiden Grand Slam Wheelchair Tennis singles title.
In the previous round 4th-seed Momoko Ohtani of Japan withdrew in the second set of their encounter at Melbourne Park.
In the next round South Africa’s wheelchair tennis ace will battle her doubles partner Yui Kamiji from Japan, for a place in the final.
This will be Montjane’s toughest challenge of the tournament. In head-to-head encounters between the doubles partners, Montjane has succeeded in just 11% of ties against Kamiji, and last beat her in Melbourne, in January, 2016.
If she manages to overturn the form book, Montjane will then likely face the winner between De Groot and tournament third-seed, the Netherlands’ Jiske Griffion, in the final of the Australian Open singles women’s draw.
The Limpopo-native seems to be at her most confident, she took to social media to post a photo of her in action with a powerful caption:
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop…”
Two-Times Grand Slam Doubles Champion, Kgothatso Montjane
Montjane, the first black South African woman to compete at Wimbledon, had possibly the most memorable year in her career in 2023, winning the Wheelchair Doubles French Open title alongside her Japanese partner, Yui Kamiji in June 2023.
That victory was followed by a US Open title for Montjane and Kamiji following a walkover win when their opponents, top-seeded Dutch pair Diede de Groot and Jiske Griffioen, retired due to illness.
Montjane’s run in Melbourne last year ended in the semi-final round of the women’s event, losing to Netherlands’ Diede de Groot 6-1, 6-1.
Photo Caption: Kgothatso Montjane is determined to upset the record books with a rare win over doubles partner, Japan’s Yui Kamiji, as she pursues her first-ever Grand Slam singles title, at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: ITF via Kgothatso Montjane on Instagram