US OPEN

September 10, 2022

Ben Bartram

Dahnon Ward

Press Conference

BARTRAM-WARD/Naser-van Rijt

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Straight sets, hour and 28 minutes. Each one of you please assess your performance on the court this afternoon that led to the title.

BEN BARTRAM: For the singles or doubles or both?

THE MODERATOR: Doubles.

BEN BARTRAM: From my point of view, that probably wasn't the best we've ever played, but we managed to pull through it. That's the main thing.

Super proud of the way we both managed to conduct ourselves on the court.

DAHNON WARD: Yeah, I'd like to say it was a bit of a ropey first set, but sometimes you have those matches where you just have to pull through. A bit of a grind at times. Towards the end we found it, so yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I was wondering, what does it feel like to win the first US Open boys wheelchair doubles championship? And, Ben, also to have won the singles title.

DAHNON WARD: Yeah, I mean, me and Ben, we've had a long history of the playing together from Nationals tournament.

Yeah, I think it's one for the history books. It's very special to both of us, I think.

BEN BARTRAM: Yeah, it's definitely an amazing feeling, an amazing occasion to be the first doubles winners ever, yeah. It's just, yeah, crazy (smiling).

And for the singles, it's just the same. It's just an amazing feeling to know that I'll always be the first winner. It's just a great feeling.

Q. What has the experience been like for you the past week or so?

BEN BARTRAM: Yeah, it's different from any tournament that I've ever been to. It's just an amazing atmosphere. It's just the best facilities, yeah. It's just been amazing.

DAHNON WARD: Yeah, I'd like to say being in America is so cool. It's, like, completely different than any other country I've been to. It's just a cool experience all around really.