Paralympic champion advances in blind tennis world championships

Lithuanian athletes Justas Pažarauskas and Gražvydas Butrimas have advanced to the knockout rounds of the blind tennis world championships held at the SEB Arena. Pažarauskas secured his spot by defeating Poland's Slawomir Tolak-Ciszewski 2:4, 5:4 (7:5), 11:9, placing him second in Group G. The 34-year-old from Vilnius, who previously won a Paralympic gold medal in goalball in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, transitioned to tennis after concluding his goalball career.

"This is a very important victory for me personally; it's my first tennis tournament at this level. I'm happy to have reached the knockout stage. My expectations? To give my all, to fight for every point. It will be really interesting to test myself against even stronger opponents," Pažarauskas stated. When asked to compare goalball and blind tennis, he acknowledged the vast differences. "Goalball is a team sport. Even if you're not doing well, you can rely on your teammates. On the other hand, even if you're calm, the tension from the bench, from the team, can transfer. In tennis, you are completely alone. You have to manage your game, your plan, your thoughts, and your emotions yourself. I like that," he shared.

Meanwhile, Kaunas native G. Butrimas won his decisive Group F match against Germany's Bernd Wiebe with a score of 5:4 (9:7), 4:5 (5:7), 10:5. Butrimas particularly excelled at the end of the match, winning the final six points. The B1 category knockout matches are scheduled to begin this afternoon.