OEIRAS/STARNBERG, January 13, 2024
Leandro Riedi captured the title of the Indoor Oeiras Open II, the second ATP Challenger Tour tournament organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and held at the Jamor Tennis Complex in Oeiras. The World No. 320 defeated US-American Martin Damm 7-6(6), 6-2 in Saturday’s singles final, saving a set point in the tie-break of the first set.
Despite the absence of Portuguese players in the championship match, the venue was filled to capacity. Riedi, 21, and Damm, 20, showcased their recognized talent, ready for bigger challenges, battling for one hour and 40 minutes. The Swiss appeared in his sixth Challenger final in the category, preventing the son of former top 50 ATP player Martin Damm from winning in his debut Challenger title.
The US-American, who reached the final with 73 aces, was more dangerous in the first set, returning better and creating the only break opportunities. But as he did the day before, Riedi once again dominated the crucial moments. The decisive winner with which he closed the tie-break set the tone for what would happen thereafter, causing a sharp decline in Damm’s service quality and paving the way for a second set that Riedi dominated entirely to win the tournament without dropping a set.
All the emotions 🙌
21-year-old Leandro Riedi emerges victorious over Damm 7-6(6), 6-2 to pick up a third Challenger title in Oeiras#ATPChallenger | @swiss_tennis pic.twitter.com/i2HAuvJPQ0
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) January 13, 2024
“I always try to step forward to respond, but today even more so. I didn’t want to step back and give him even more space to use the angles. Of course, he managed to hit some aces, and there were times when he served at 250 km/h right to the body [laughs] and put me in difficulties, but I also managed to respond well many times, and that was my main goal,” Riedi explained afterwards.
After a challenging end to the 2023 season, winning only one of the last 10 matches, Riedi started 2024 by celebrating the conquest of his third ATP Challenger Tour career title, his first since 2022. He earned € 10,200 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.
“Starting the year with a victory is the best possible feeling. I was very disappointed not to be at the Australian Open, but on the other hand, I saw that I would have some Challenger tournaments to play in Europe, perfect for me being two hours away instead of 32, and now I am very happy to start the year like this,” he added.
