HAMBURG, October 27, 2019 (by Alessandro Boroch & Florian Heer)

Botic van de Zandschulp has claimed his maiden crown on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 24-year-old Dutchman won the title of the inaugural Tennis Challenger Hamburg presented by Tannenhof. In a final between two unseeded players, van de Zandschulp battled past Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at the venue of the Hamburger Tennis-Verband.

The World No. 270 capitalized on five of his six break point opportunities and won 56 per cent of the total points played to secure victory in one hour and 47 minutes.

“It was a tough match today but I am happy to win my first Challenger title,” van de Zandschulp said.

By lifting the trophy of the €46,600 hard-court event, Van de Zandschulp took away from Northern Germany €6,190 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points. On Monday, he will rise to a new career high ranking of World No. 211.

Asked about the key to his phenomenal season, in which he has already climbed 326 spots in the ATP Rankings, Van De Zandschulp said: “The biggest difference compared to my previous seasons is that I’m finally pain free. I have been able to play without injuries until now. I am also a little bit more consistent.

On Tuesday, the Dutch will be back in action in the first round of the Eckental Challenger, where he will face German wild card entry Tobias Simon. He lost the previous meeting earlier this season at the Open Castilla y Leon in Segovia.

Jamie Cerretani and Maxime Cressy clinched their maiden team title. The US-American duo, who finished runner-up to Quentin Halys and Tristan Lamasine in Ismaning last week, upset the tournament’s top seeds Ken Skupski from Great Britain and John-Patrick Smith of Australia 6-4, 6-4. The encounter lasted one hour and 17 minutes.