SINGAPORE, February 28, 2021
Alexei Popyrin has clinched his first title on the ATP Tour by lifting the trophy of the inaugural Singapore Tennis Open. The 21-year-old Australian defeated No. 4 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 in an entertaining singles final on Sunday at the Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Arena
In front of 250 spectators on Centre Court, Popyrin struck 11 aces and won 94 per cent of his first-service points to secure victory in one hour and 24 minutes.
Alexei’s Popping OFF 🙌
First ATP final, first ATP title for @AlexeiPopyrin99 as he beats Bublik in a wild match in Singapore! pic.twitter.com/pPd2BB84kd
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 28, 2021
“First I’d like to thank Singapore for all the support and love. It was an unbelievable tournament, a lot of dedication and hard work went into organising the tournament…I’ll definitely have a very fond memory of Singapore for the rest of my life,” said Popyrin, who took away from Southeast Asia $24,770 in prize money as well as 250 ATP Ranking points. He is projected to reach a new career-high ranking of World No. 82 on Monday.
Popyrin, champion of the 2017 French Open junior singles title, also extended his gratitude to the 250 fans in attendance, “It has made a huge difference. Playing with and without fans is very different. I just want to thank all 250 of you for coming out and supporting us through the tournament and the last few matches. I don’t think I would be here without you.”
Gille/Vliegen doubles champions
Earlier in the day, Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen clinched their first title of the season. The No. 1 seeds from Belgium defeated the Australian duo of Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles final. The encounter lasted one hour and six minutes.
Safe and entertaining Singapore Open
A total of 500 spectators attended the semi-finals and final matches of the tournament, with the number of spectators being capped at 250 per day due to the prevailing safe management measures. Stringent and robust Safe Management Measures were in place to ensure the tournament remained safe in its entirety. The tournament did not record any COVID-19 cases, displaying collective responsibility and vigilance of everyone involved, including the players and overseas officials.
“I am very proud of everyone involved in the tournament. This a collective achievement and I would like to thank all the agencies, players, officials, sponsors, staff and Team Nila volunteers who worked closely with us to deliver this world-class sporting event in a safe and entertaining manner. Not forgetting the fans who turned up on Saturday and Sunday – a big thank you,” said Mr. Lim Teck Yin, Chairman, Organising Committee, Singapore Tennis Open and CEO, Sport Singapore.
