Dan Bethell and Krysten Coombs will battle for Paralympic golds on Monday after both surged through their respective semi-finals in Paris.
Coombs was in dreamland after guaranteeing a second Paralympic medal with a gutsy victory in the SH6 men’s singles semi-finals.
The 33-year-old showed all of his resilience and skill to beat Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai 21-19 21-14 in the final four and bank a podium place.
Coombs has already improved on the bronze medal he won in Tokyo and will aim to change the colour in Monday night’s final, where he will be facing Charles Noakes and his home French crowd.
“I’m speechless, if I’m honest,” said Coombs. “I did not expect it. I feel like I’m just waking up and I’m in a Paralympic final. I’m just buzzing, it’s unbelievable.
“I just believed and I pushed myself. We train day in, day out and it’s just about the mind sometimes. I pushed myself to my limit and I’m in a Paralympic final.
“I can’t believe I’ve done better than I did in Tokyo (bronze). I proved myself last time and I’ve proved myself even more this time.”
Earlier in the day, Coombs came through a thrilling quarter-final tussle with Thailand’s Natthapong Meechai at the La Chapelle Arena.
Cheered on by a vocal knot of supporters, Coombs needed to show resilience though in a match that went the distance, before progressing 21-15 18-21 21-11.
In the SL3 men’s singles, Bethell is guaranteed at least another silver – but he’s only interested in upgrading to gold.
Bethell was beaten in the final in Tokyo and he vowed to go one better after his confident 21-7, 21-9 semi-final win over Thailand’s Mongkhon Bunsun on Sunday.
He was beaten by India’s Pramod Bhagat in Japan, and he faces his team-mate, Kumar Nitesh, the world’s top ranked player in the battle between the number one and two seeds.
“I’m feeling pretty good. Its obviously every athlete’s dream to be playing in a Paralympic final but the main thing is that I’m not getting complacent,” said Bethell.
“I haven’t come here just to be in a Paralympic final, I did that in Tokyo and I got a silver medal. I’m here to win that gold medal. It’s just important now to keep my feet on the ground, do what I need to do, go back, and recover and get ready for the match.
“The atmosphere in there was incredible. Walking out and having such a strong GB contingent here, friends and family from my side and my teammates and fans that have come over to support. It was an amazing crowd, and I just loved being out there.”
Bethell has looked in imperious form at the La Chapelle Arena and hasn’t dropped a set since starting his campaign against Jurgen Kloop’s best mate last Thursday. Indeed, in four matches he has dropped just 46 points.
But he’s also been enjoying himself with the French food.
“The village is fantastic, there is all the little extra features, the Michelin star chef, the bakery,” he added.
“I’ve been absolutely loving the bread and everything like that. It’s been an amazing experience as well as being on court.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Choong vowed to take the positives from her Paralympic debut after she exited the SH6 women’s singles in the quarter-finals, going down 21-7 21-11 to experienced Indonesian rival Rina Marlina.
“I’m disappointed, I didn’t start as well as I wanted but I played much better in the second set but it wasn’t enough,” she said.
“I’ve played her five times and never beaten her so I knew it was going to be a tough ask. She is so strong and she covers the court so well, she’s got lots of variation in her shots and I needed to counter that. I know – right now – she is a strong player than me, I didn’t have enough.
“Overall, I’m pleased with my first Paralympic experience and I can reflect now, the mixed doubles was disappointing but I’m thrilled to have got out of my singles group and reached the quarter finals.
“In terms of progression there is a lot of room for me to develop and improve. For some of those at the top, I feel they are slightly closer to their ceiling than me.
“I’ve been full time training for just two years, I’ve seen a huge development in my game since joining the World Class programme. I think we’ve got lots to build on, I know I need to work on my physicality but I believe these players can be caught.”
