HAMBURG, March 17, 2024
Hamburg has a new tennis hero! Henri Squire has become the first German to win the Challenger Hamburg. In a thrilling final on Sunday, the 23-year-old Duisburg native defeated French qualifier Clement Chidekh 6-4, 6-2.
In front of a packed crowd at the venue of the Hamburg Tennis Association, Squire was the dominant player right from the start. In the duel between two former US college players, Squire seemed capable of hitting winners from almost every corner of the court. In the end, the World No. 271 fired nine aces and converted all of his four break-point chances. Squire wrapped up the match after an hour and three minutes to secure his first triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour.
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“At the beginning I was kind of struggling. He was taking the balls very early with his backhand. He was pushing me and couldn’t really go into the offensive. I got broke at 3-3 but I tried to hand in there, managed to break up and gained the momentum. I started serving much better, returned better and was more aggressive during the rallies. In the end I was looser, being a break up,” said Squire
“It’s very special week for me. I always enjoy playing in Germany. I always feel comfortable here and I will remember this tournament for the rest of my life. Thanks everyone for the support. I hope I can keep it up for the upcoming weeks.”
With the biggest success of his tennis career so far, Squire receives €5,080 in prize money and valuable 50 ATP Ranking points, which will propel him into the top 250 for the first time.
Chidekh with a positive week in Hamburg
Chidekh, who claimed his first Challenger title last month in Glasgow, Scotland, also leaves Hamburg with positive feelings.
“It was a great week for me. I started in the qualifying rounds, and things kept getting better from there,” Chidekh said and added about the match:
“I made too many errors towards the end of the first set, and Henri got more and more into the match. In the second set, he was simply too good. I couldn’t find an answer to his strong and fast serve.”
Chidekh will compete in several tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour in France in the coming weeks. He will take home €3,050 in prize money and 25 ATP Ranking points from Hamburg.
