For someone who had never played a professional match on grass at the start of the year, Jin Woodman is making quite the statement.
With a current 6-0 record on the surface, the 17-year-old is proving to be a threat heading into Wimbledon.
Since Dylan Alcott’s retirement in 2022, Dutch duo Niels Vink and Sam Schroder have dominated quad wheelchair tennis. Having maintained the top two places in the World Tennis (formerly ITF) rankings for a significant period of time, few have been able to challenge the pair.
This has predominantly rung true at Grand Slam level with Vink and Schroder winning 12 of the 14 titles since Alcott’s departure, including all four Wimbledon crowns.
Many would expect Vink and Schroder to assert their dominance once again throughout the 2026 grasscourt swing – especially given Vink is two titles away from completing the calendar Grand Slam.
However, Woodman has had something to say about that.
Prior to the Eastbourne tournament, Woodman had not defeated Vink nor Schroder in his six attempts. But over the course of six days, the Australian has now defeated both, establishing himself as a Wimbledon title threat.
After defeating local Gregory Slade 6-2 4-6 7-5 in the Eastbourne quarterfinals, the Victorian teenager carried his confidence throughout the tournament. A 6-4 6-4 victory against Schroder in the semifinals ultimately resulted in his second-career WC500 title.
> READ: Woodman secures Eastbourne crown
The momentum rolled through at the WC1000 event in Roehampton as Woodman reached his second-straight final on Thursday. This time he rallied from a set down in the semifinals to defeat Vink, the current world No.1.
While Woodman competes in the Roehampton final against world No.3 Guy Sasson on Friday, he has already established pleasing confidence ahead of a maiden Wimbledon quad singles campaign.
Woodman represents Australia’s sole participant in the quad wheelchair singles as he aims to become the first player other than Sam Schroder and Niels Vink to win Wimbledon since fellow Melburnian Alcott in 2021 - the year that Alcott completed the golden Grand Slam.
In his current form, many forget that Woodman is just 17 years old but as momentum builds, there's every chance he could challenge the status quo at Wimbledon 2026.
The Wimbledon quad wheelchair singles tournament begins on Wednesday 8 July.
You can watch Wimbledon on the channels of the Nine Network and Stan Sport.