AMBATO/STARNBERG, September 27, 2021
Thiago Agustin Tirante clinched his maiden title on the ATP Challenger Tour. The No. 7 seed of the $52,080 clay-court tournament lifted the trophy of the inaugural Ambato La Gran Ciudad held at the Club Tungurahua in Ambato, Ecuador.
Tirante upset top seed Juan Pablo Varillas from Peru 7-5, 7-5 in Sunday’s singles final. The 20-year-old La Plata native struck seven aces, saved both break points he faced and capitalized on two of his own seven break-point opportunities to secure victory in one hour and 35 minutes.
#AmbatoLagranciudad A todo pulmón celebró @thiagotirante su primer título Challenger. El argentino ex #1 juvenil escalará del #255 al #204 ATP aproximadamente @ATPChallenger @nicolapentti pic.twitter.com/zaiV9w80Gc
— KCtenis (@KCtenis) September 26, 2021
“I am very happy to close the week with the title, it was a difficult match and I was able to play the best match of the week, very calm,” said World No. 255 Tirante.
“I knew I did not have the pressure to win, that Juampi (Varillas) had it. It was my third final, I already had a bit of experience in finals and well they say that the third time is the charm and so at this moment it happened. I was able to play a good match, very focused knowing that I would have opportunities and when I could I took advantage of them. I am very, very happy to claim my first Challenger title.”
Tirante, who achieved a career-high ITF juniors year-end ranking of World No. 1 in 2019 and also won the French Open Boys’ Doubles title the same year, finished runner-up in Lima 2020 and at the Città di Trieste earlier this season. The #NextGenATP Argentine earned $7,200 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points.
“I dedicate this triumph to my whole family,” Tirante added. “I have been making a lot of effort for a long time and they encourage me to continue doing so every day of my life to be able to get up and to be a better person every day.”
