MUNICH, September 23, 2020 (by Dietmar Kaspar)
M25 Prague CZ – Jiri Lehecka wins maiden Pro Citcuit title
The RPM Prague Open 2020, held at TK Spoje Praha, concluded with the title win of teenager Jiri Lehecka.
The 18-year-old Czech, who entered the competition with a wild card, rallied down Christian Lindell from Sweden in the stage of the final four in straight sets.
Sebastian Baez from Argentina, who clinched the title at the Under-16-Metropolia Orange Bowl International Championships in 2015, emerged victorious from the the semi-final battle with former junior’s World No. 1 Jonas Forejtek, winning in three sets.
Lehecka made one point less in the title match against his 19-year-old rival, but secured a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win on home soil after one hour and 57 minutes. The Mlada Boleslav native, who made his Davis Cup debut at the 2019 qualifying round against Robin Haase from the Netherlands, celebrated his maiden triumph on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
Singles runner-up Baez clinched the doubles trophy alongside his Argentinian countryman Pedro Cachin, beating the tournament’s second favourites Lucas Miedler from Austria and Polish Jan Zielinski by the score of 7-6, 6-1.
M25 Klosters CH – Holger Rune captures his maiden title on the Pro Tour
Danish tennis hope Holger Rune is the champion of the ITF Men’s Open Klosters hosted at Arena Klosters.
The 17-year-old, who triumphed at the Roland Garros Junior Championships and the ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu in 2019, battled past Gonzalo Lama from Chile in the stage of the last four in three sets.
The tournament’s No. 5 Jesper de Jong won the all-Dutch semi-finals following a three-set win over No. 7 seeded Jelle Sels.
Copenhagen-born Rune capitalized on four of his seven break-point chances in the championship match to prevail 6-4, 6-2 in 83 minutes. The former No.1 in ITF Junior’s ranking has lifted his first career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
In the doubles competition, German college-player Patrick Zahraj from UCLA clinched the trophy alongside his Austrian partner Neil Oberleitner, defeating Swiss tandem Jakub Paul and Damien Wenger in the title match by the score of 6-3, 6-7, 10-6.
M25 Plaisir FRA – Igor Sijsling celebrates his second title of the season
Following his title win on home soil in Alkmaar three weeks ago, No. 6 seeded Igor Sijsling triumphed at the Tournoi de la Ville de Plaisir, held at Tennis Club de Plaisir.
The 33-year-old, who reached a career high at World No. 52 in 2014, eased past Yannick Mertens from Belgium in the semi-finals in straight sets.
Frenchman Johan Sebastien Tatlot, who was ranked World No. 5 as a junior, took the last step to the final by beating Israeli qualifier Daniel Cukierman in three close sets.
In spite of winning the same number of points in the championship match, Amsterdam-born Sijsling sealed a 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 victory after two hours and 34 minutes. The Dutch veteran has celebrated his 12th singles trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour in addition to his seven titles won on the ATP Challenger Tour.
M15 Monastir TUN – Alexander Shevchenko earns maiden trophy
Alexander Shevchenko is the champion of the Magic Tours tournament hosted at Magic Hotel Skanes Family in Monastir.
The 19-year-old Russian stopped the run of German lucky loser Benedikt Henning, who played for the College of Charleston, in the semi-finals in two sets.
Austrian No. 2 seed David Pichler emerged victorious from a tough three-set battle in the stage of the final four against qualifier Alexander Kotzen from the United States.
No. 8 seeded Shevchenko converted four of his eight break-point opportunities in the title match to seal a 6-3, 6-4 victory in one hour and 53 minutes. The Rostov-On-Don native, who has been coached by Austrian Günter Bresnik for many years, lifted his maiden trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
M15 Sintra POR – Carlos Gimeno Valero clinches his first trophy on hard court
The M15 Sintra II tournament, held at Beloura Tennis Academy, concluded with the victory of Carlos Gimeno Valero.
The Valencia native knocked off the tournament’s top favourite Ryan Peniston from Great-Britain in the semi-finals in two sets.
No. 5 seed Sebastian Fanselow of Germany, a former college player for Pepperdine University, made the last step to the final through a straight-set win over Spanish qualifier Nicolas Alvarez Varona.
Unseeded Gimeno Valero outpointed his 28-year-old opponent in the championship match 90-87 to prevail 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 after two hours and 19 minutes. Following his two title wins on clay in 2019, the 19-year-old Spaniard celebrated his third career title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
M15 Curtea de Arges ROU – Duje Ajdukovic takes second trophy of the season
After lifting the trophy in Antalya in March ahead of the tour’s suspension due to the coronavirus outbreak, Duje Ajdukovic wins the title at the MTA Open, hosted at Tennis Club Curtea de Arges.
The 19-year-old Croatian held the run of Spanish qualifier Alex Marti Pujolras in the stage of the last four in straight sets.
Italian Franco Agamenone, who entered the tournament by special exempt, edged out No. 7 seeded Vitaliy Sachko from the Ukraine in the semi-finals in three sets.
Winning five points more in the title match than his 27-year-old rival, Split-born Ajdukovic secured a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback-win after two hours and 39 minutes. The No. 5 seed lifted his fourth career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
