Hewett and Reid Seal Fifth World Team Cup Crown for Great Britain in Florida

Great Britain became World Team Cup champions for the fifth time as Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid combined to clinch a 2-1 victory over defending champions Japan in Florida, reaffirming the country’s status as a dominant force in men’s wheelchair tennis team competition.

Deciding Doubles Delivers the Title

The World Team Cup, organised by the International Tennis Federation, is the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, bringing together national squads rather than individual tour entries.

With the tie locked at 1-1 in Orlando, Hewett and Reid produced a commanding performance in the deciding doubles, beating Tokito Oda and Daisuke Arai 6-1 6-2 to return the trophy to British hands.

The result capped a week in which Great Britain, captained by Martyn Whait and also featuring 21-year-old Ben Bartram, built momentum through earlier victories over South Korea and the Netherlands.

How the Final Tie Unfolded

The best-of-three rubber format placed early emphasis on the opening singles, where Reid set the tone with a straight-sets win.

• Rubber 1 – Singles: Gordon Reid def. Daisuke Arai 6-2 6-2
• Rubber 2 – Singles: Tokito Oda def. Alfie Hewett 6-4 7-5
• Rubber 3 – Doubles: Alfie Hewett / Gordon Reid def. Tokito Oda / Daisuke Arai 6-1 6-2

Reid delivered a commanding 6-2 6-2 victory over world number 21 Arai, extending his perfect head-to-head record against the Japanese player to five wins from five encounters and giving Great Britain early control of the tie.

The second singles rubber between Hewett and world number one Oda was significantly disrupted by conditions. Extreme heat in Orlando forced a lengthy interruption, with the players returning to court after a six-hour delay once temperatures had eased.

Just a week after beating Oda in the singles final of the US Open, Hewett was unable to repeat that result, edged out 6-4 7-5 in a tight contest decided by a handful of key points in each set.

“I’m a bit disappointed that it wasn’t a 100% day after my loss in the singles, but it was a really high-level match and just came down to a few points in both sets that could have gone either way,” Hewett said.

The doubles rubber therefore became decisive for the first time in Great Britain’s recent World Team Cup campaigns. Hewett and Reid responded with a one-sided 6-1 6-2 victory, using their long-established partnership to control court positioning and tempo from the outset.

Core of a Dominant Era

The triumph in Florida marks Great Britain’s fifth World Team Cup title, all with Hewett and Reid central to the squad’s success. Reid, reflecting on another chapter in their shared story, underlined the significance of reclaiming the trophy from a Japan team that had arrived as reigning champions.

“We’re really happy to get the title back,” he said. Reid and Hewett have now been part of World Team Cup-winning British squads in 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024 and this latest victory.

Hewett highlighted the added pressure and satisfaction of delivering in a live doubles decider.

“It’s the first time it’s come down to the deciding doubles for us, so I’m just really happy that we got over the line.

“It’s always a privilege to play for your country and there’s been a great atmosphere and team spirit again this week between all the lads.”

The presence of Bartram, at 21, alongside the two established major champions underscores the blend of experience and youth that underpins Britain’s current position in men’s wheelchair tennis. Performing in a team environment at this level offers younger players competitive and selection benefits that complement their individual tour schedules.

Format, Conditions and Competitive Context

The World Team Cup’s structure – national squads competing in round-robin and knockout ties, with singles and doubles rubbers deciding each contest – creates strategic decisions around player selection, physical load and adaptation to conditions. The extreme heat delay during the Hewett-Oda singles rubber highlighted the operational and player welfare demands placed on athletes and organisers in outdoor events in Florida.

For Great Britain, navigating those conditions across multiple ties, while managing players’ recent Grand Slam commitments, adds context to the scale of the achievement. Hewett’s quick turnaround from a US Open singles final to a condensed team schedule, and Reid’s consistency across singles and doubles in Orlando, will strengthen their standing with selectors and planners mapping future multi-sport events and team competitions.

Japan’s role as defending champions underlines the competitive depth at the top of the men’s wheelchair game. Oda’s singles win over Hewett, set against their contrasting result a week earlier in New York, reinforces how quickly momentum can swing between leading players in back-to-back elite events.

Reinforcing Britain’s Wheelchair Tennis Infrastructure

This latest World Team Cup title adds another layer of validation for the elite wheelchair tennis programmes operating under national and international frameworks. Success in a flagship team event, run under the ITF’s governance structure, supports ongoing investment cases in coaching, sports science and pathway development for athletes with disabilities.

For Hewett and Reid, the outcome strengthens their legacy as one of the most reliable doubles pairings in men’s wheelchair tennis, while their role alongside Bartram points to continuity in Britain’s competitiveness at future World Team Cups and other major team-based competitions.