Wichita native Casey Ratzlaff wins wheelchair tennis matches at his first Paralympics
Casey Ratzlaff, a 22-year-old from Wichita, reached the pinnacle of his sport when he won wheelchair tennis matches in his first Paralympic Games this past week in Tokyo.
The 2016 Maize High and 2020 Wichita State graduate, who entered unseeded in both men’s singles and doubles, won a match in both competitions in his debut as a Paralympian and the highest-ranked wheelchair tennis player in the United States.
Ratzlaff (ranked No. 23 in the world) registered a significant win over France’s Frederic Cattaneo (ranked No. 21 in the world) with a straight-set victory, 6-2, 7-5, in his singles opener last Friday.
In the second round, Ratzlaff ran into world No. 3 Joachim Gerard of Germany, which resulted in a 6-1, 6-1 loss.
In doubles play, Ratzlaff (ranked No. 21 in the world in doubles) teamed with 21-year-old Conner Stroud (ranked No. 47) to recover from a slow start in their opening match to defeat the South African duo of Leon Els and Evans Maripa, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
Much like in singles, Ratzlaff then met a top-10 opponent in the second round with Ratzlaff and Stroud falling in a 6-1, 6-2 defeat to Spain’s No. 7-seeded Daniel Caverzaschi and Martin de la Puente on Sunday.
“Tokyo 2020 Paralympics has come to an end for me and I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable debut to my Paralympic career,” Ratzlaff texted home, according to his father, Craig. “Thanks to all for your support back home and around the world. It’s been an incredible experience.
“Now we move onto the US Open.”
Because he is the top-ranked American, Ratzlaff has once again received a wild card entry into the elite, eight-player field. In 2020, Ratzlaff managed to win a set off of Gerard before falling in the first round. The competition is slated to start on Sept. 9.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 2:08 PM.
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