BELEM, August 21, 2023

The stands of the Assembleia Paraense were filled with fans this Sunday to witness the final of the IV Brasil Tennis Classic. On the court, the Brasilia native Gilbert Klier sought to harness the energy of the fans and end his week in Belém on a high note. However, Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez spoiled the party with a masterful performance in the championship match of the ITF World Tennis Tour M15 hard-court event in Belém.

Both Klier and Mendez had come off impeccable weeks. Neither player had dropped a set in their first four matches, building high expectations for a high-quality singles final. The Brazilian carried the confidence of a title win in Tunisia a month ago and a strong performance in the semi-finals.

However, Klier couldn’t match Mendez’s superior performance. Ranked 823rd, Mendez needed only one hour and four minutes to defeat the home favourite 6-1, 6-0. This victory marked the 18-year-old Mexican’s first title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

“I’m very happy for this title. I love Brazil, the affection of the Brazilian people, such a beautiful place. I will remember this week for the rest of my life. I’m very satisfied with my level of tennis and I hope to maintain it for the upcoming weeks,” said Mendez, who is expected to break into the Top 800 of the ATP ranking in eight days.

On the other hand, Klier admitted that his performance in the final fell far short of his week-long performance, but he departs from the capital of Pará with a positive overall experience.

“Without a doubt, it was a very good week. Making a final is always great. The result today wasn’t good, not only because I lost, but I couldn’t play close to how I had played in the other matches. I couldn’t execute almost anything that I had planned, but sometimes that happens in tennis. I was a bit upset with today, but I’ll keep my head up because starting tomorrow, there’s more to come,” said the World No. 787.