STARNBERG, November 8, 2020

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe of Germany has clinched his first trophy since the 2017 Sibiu Open by winning the inaugural €44,820 Internazionali Di Tennis Citta di Parma, held inside the PalaRaschi in Parma, Italy. The No. 7 seed defeated Briton Liam Broady 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday’s singles final.

In the pair’s first meeting, Stebe was in control of the match right from the beginning. The World No. 141 won 81 per cent of his second-service points, didn’t face a break point and converted two of his own 14 break-point opportunities to secure victory in one hour and 36 minutes.

Cedrik Stebe 🇩🇪 è il campione degli Internazionali di Tennis Città di Parma 🏆 @cedrikstebe @ATPChallenger @ERTourism @ComuneParma #tennis #atpchallenger #parma #meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/sUh9twnMTZ

— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) November 8, 2020

“I am very happy and feel relieved,” Stebe told Italian journalist Matteo Mosciatti after the title match. “It has been a really great week for me. It is not easy to play on this surface, as it is very fast. But I managed to stay focused the entire week.”

By lifting his eighth ATP Challenger career trophy, Stebe took away from the Emilia-Romagna region €6,190 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points.

“I am happy to be through in two sets, as Liam is a great competitor. It is never easy against him. You don’t get anything for free. You have to work for everything,” the 30-year-old Muehlacker native commented on the championship match.

The indoor event in Parma was Stebe’s final tournament of the season. What does he think about this year? “It was a mixed season. I started off very well, when the pandemic broke out, I was a bit unmotivated to practice and to return to the tour was mentally very tough for me. To finish the season with a win, however, is always a good feeling. “

Asked about his goals for 2021, Stebe responded: “Definitely getting back to the Top 100 and to stay healthy.”