Greece tennis ace Tsitsipas wins first ATP Challenger Title

Greece’s young tennis ace Stefanos Tsitsipas is on cloud nine after celebrating his first-ever ATP Challenger singles title with a victory in the AON Open Challenger Memorial Giorgio Messina in Genova.

The 19-year-old, who played in two of the four Grand Slam senior tournaments in 2017, beat Spanish veteran Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 7-6 in 1 hour and 49 minutes.

The Greek number one claimed 18,000 euros in prize money and climbed 41 places in the world rankings to reach a career-high of No.120.

“It is an incredible feeling to finally win an ATP Challenger event, especially in a tournament which has been voted as the ‘Best ATP Challenger Of The Year’,” said Tsitsipas afterwards.

“Let's not forget the support and positive energy I received during all my matches here in Genova. It may sound like nothing important, but it played a big role during this tournament and all of the matches I played here,” he said on his personal website.

“This is truly a moment to remember; the first time always remains special in anything you achieve in life. I have to thank my whole team, my parents and especially my siblings for being beside me at this glorious moment.”

by: Graham Wood