MUNICH, April 30, 2019 (by Dietmar Kaspar)
M25 Angers FRA – Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo lifts his first trophy on the ITF Pro Circuit
The Open Galerie Espace Anjou, hosted at Angers Tennis Club, concluded with the first triumph of 20-year-old Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
En route to the final, the young Spaniard stopped world record holder Tobias Simon from Germany in the stage of the final eight in three sets. Top seeded Simon served 52 aces in two sets last year at the ATP Challenger event in Ortisei.
In the semi-finals, Sanchez Izquierdo knocked off No 4 seed Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets, neutralizing 11 aces from the great-serving Dutch.
Unseeded Belgian Jeroen Vanneste took the last step to the title match in beating French wild card entry Maxime Hamou, who triumphed twice in Tabarka in recent weeks, in straight sets.
Capitalizing on five of his 20 break point chances by dropping four own service games, Sanchez Izquierdo battled down his opponent 6-3, 7-6 in one hour and 47 minutes.
M25 Abuja NGR – Dan Added celebrates maiden singles title
French Dan Added claimed his first singles title on the ITF Pro Circuit after winning the GSL Open at the National Tennis Centre in Abuja.
The 20-year-old, who entered the competition with his current ITF ranking, advanced in the semi-finals against No. 7 seed Niels Lootsma from the Netherlands in two sets.
In the final, he met No. 3 seeded compatriot Tom Jomby, who clinched the title at the same place last week without dropping a set. 28-year-old Jomby stopped the great run of Swedish teenager Simon Yitbarek in the stage of the final four, who started the tournament in the qualifying competition.
Added stayed solid on his service game in the first set, getting the break in the 12th game to end Jomby’s run of 18 consecutive set wins. After losing the first two games in the second set, Jomby had to retire due to injury. Firing 11 aces in 59 minutes, Added sealed his first singles championship after he had won 15 doubles titles on the ITF Pro Circuit.
M25 Santa Margherita di Pula ITA – Teenager Hugo Gaston captures maiden title
Hugo Gaston clinched the title at ASD Fortevillage in Santa Margherita di Pula to lift his first trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
The 18-year-old French, who was ranked ITF No. 2 as a junior last year, drew attention in beating Italian top seed Alessandro Bega in the stage of the final four in two sets.
Runner-up David Pichler from Austria sealed his second final appearance on the ITF Pro Circuit with a victory in the semi-finals versus Italian No. 4 seed Liam Caruana by a three-set clash, lasting two hours and 28 minutes.
In the title match, 23-year-old Pichler outpointed his French opponent 79-76, but Gaston saved a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory after two hours and 16 minutes to celebrate his first singles title on the ITF Pro Circuit.
M25 Andijan UZB – Tim van Rijthoven clinches his second title of the season
No. 3 seeded Tim van Rijthoven won the title of the Andijan Combined ITF World Tennis Tour Event, held at Andijan Tennis Club. The trophy was a perfect gift for the Dutch, who celebrated his 22nd birthday this week.
The former No. 13 in the ITF Junior rankings dominated the bottom half of the draw without dropping a set on the way to the final, beating No. 8 seeded Vladyslav Manafov from the Ukraine in the semi-finals.
In the top half, the run of Russian No. 1 seed Roman Safiullin, who won two titles in Shymkent in recent weeks, was stopped by his compatriot Alexander Vasilenko in the stage of the final eight. Later on in the semi-finals, unseeded Vasilinko fell to Russian veteran Konstantin Kravchuk in straight sets.
Big-serving van Rijthoven, who already strucked 12 aces in the semi-finals, fired 13 aces in the title match without losing a service game. After two hours and 52 minutes, he got the final victory with 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 against No. 7 seeded Kravchuk, who was previously ranked ATP No. 78, to lift his sixth overall trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
M15 Bucaramanga COL – Mauricio Echazu gets another trophy in South America
The ITF M15 tournament in Colombia, which was hosted at Club Campestre de Bucaramanga, was a good place for the favourite competitors. All top four seeded players made it to the all-South American semi-finals.
No. 2 seeded Mauricio Echazu from Peru took the last step to the final by a tough three-setter against his compatriot and No. 4 seed Arklon Huertas del Pino with 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, lasting two hours and 42 minutes.
Colombian teenager Nicolas Mejia, who was ranked No. 4 in the ITF Juniors last year, battled past top seeded Maximiliano Estevez from Argentina in the stage of the final four with 6-3, 7-6.
Outpointing his opponent only by 89-88, 30-year-old Echazu emerged victorious in the title match after two hours and 30 minutes with 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to lift his sixth trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Following his five victories on South American soil, he captured one trophy in Costa Rica.
M15 Cairo EGY – Marko Tepavac expands series of annual victories
25-year-old Marko Tepavac got the crown of the Egypt Men’s Future, held at Al-Solaimaneyah Tennis Center in Cairo.
The unseeded Serb met veteran Jaroslav Pospisil from the Czech Republic in the semi-finals, getting the win in two sets against the former World No. 103 on the ATP Tour.
Runner-up Dennis Uspensky from the United states, who rallied down top seeded Spanish clay-court specialist Pol Toledo Bague in the stage of the final eight, cleared the last hurdle on the way to the final in defeating No. 6 seed Adam Moundir from Switzerland in three sets.
Capitalizing on five of his eight break point chances in 71 minutes without losing a service game, Tepavac sealed a 6-1, 6-1 win against his 22-year-old rival. He celebrated his 16th title on the ITF World Tennis Tour, hoisting at least one trophy every year since his maiden triumph in 2014.
M15 Cancun MEX – Hugo Grenier captures back-to-back titles
Hugo Grenier was the dominating player at the Cancun Tennis Cup, hosted at the Cancun Tennis Academy. The 23-year-old French clinched his second consecutive title at the same place without dropping a set during the competition.
En route to the final, the No. 2 seed fought past Diego Hidalgo from Ecuador in straight sets in the stage of the final four.
24-year-old Gage Brymer advanced to the title match, battling past fellow US-American qualifier Christian Langmo, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 43 minutes.
The more efficient serve was the decisive factor in the final. Grenier won 82 per cent of his first service points and 70 per ent on second serve. After 82 minutes, he sealed victory to lift his third trophy of the season and his fourth overall on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
M15 Tabarka TUN – Geoffrey Blancaneaux celbrates his third title of the season
Geoffrey Blancaneaux captured another title at Thabraca Magic Hotel in Tabarka. Following his title win in Doha and his triumph last month at the same place, he sealed the third win of the season.
The 20-year-old French battled past Brazilian No. 4 seed Rafael Matos after two hours and 58 minutes in a tough semi-final clash.
The former No. 5 in the ITF Juniors ranking had to compete versus top seeded Orlando Luz from Brazil in the title match. After two hours and 38 minutes, No. 2 seeded Blancenaux knocked off his 21-year-old opponent, who was previously ranked ITF No. 1 as a junior, in two intensive sets with 7-6, 6-4 to lift his 10th overall trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
Tabarka Victoire 7/6 6/3 pic.twitter.com/lCibP5sBFQ
— Geoffrey Blancaneaux (@Geof888) 28. April 2019
M15 Antalya TUR – Christopher O´Connell finishes drought period
Christopher O’Connell clinched the trophy of the Tennis Organisation Cup, held at Starlight Resort Hotel in Antalya. It has been his first title on the ITF Pro Circuit since his most successful year 2016, when he captured five titles in one season.
The 24-year-old Australian, who rallied past Bulgarian top seed Dimitar Kuzmanov in the stage of the final eight, met teenager Jonas Forejtek from Czech Repzblik in the title match.
Forejtek, the former No. 7 in the ITF Junior rankings who is coached by the Alexander Waske Tennis University in Germany, fought past last week’s Antalya-champion Christopher Heyman by a great comeback 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 win in the semi-finals, making three points less than his 25-year-old opponent from Belgium.
Lasting one hour and 48 minutes, O’Connell outpointed 18-year-old Forejtek by 85 to 81 to get the victory in the final 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. O’Connell celebrated his seventh overall singles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
