MUNICH, October 6, 2021 (by Dietmar Kaspar)
M25 Budapest HUN – Mate Valkusz prevails on home soil
The NEK Cup, hosted by Nemzeli Edzeskozpont in Budapest, concluded with the title win of local hero Mate Valkusz.
The 23-year-old won the all-Hungarian semifinal-clash against his No. 2 seeded compatriot Fabian Marozsan in straight sets.
Pawel Cias, the Polish No. 4 seed, knocked off the tournament’s top seed Zsombor Piros from Hungary in the stage of the final four in three sets.
Budapest-born Valkusz outpointed his 27-year-old rival in the championship match 69-52 and gained two breaks more to triumph 6-3, 6-4 in 74 minutes. The No. 3 seed celebrated his 12th singles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour and his fourth this season. The former junior’s World No. 1 clinched all of his trophies on clay court.
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M25 Skopje MKD – Matteo Arnaldi dominates in North Macedonia
Matteo Arnaldi was victorious at the Skopje Open 2021, held at Tennis Club Jug-Skopje, without dropping a set the entire week.
The 20-year-old Italian benefited in the semi-finals from the retirement of German college player Henri Squire at the score of 6-4, 4-2.
German No. 3 seed Louis Wessels advanced to his third consecutive final with a straight-set win against top seed Aldin Setkic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
No. 2 seed Arnaldi broke his 23-year-old opponent in the title match five times without losing a service game to seal a 6-0, 6-1 victory in 66 minutes. Following his maiden title win on home soil two months ago, the Sanremo native lifted his second career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
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M25 Fallun SWE – Shintaro Imai wins another trophy on hard court
Shintaro Imai took the title of the Falu WTT, hosted by the Falu Tennis Club.
The Japanese No. 6 seed took the last step to the final by defeating Vasil Kirkov from the United States in two sets.
Valentin Royer from France, who was ranked World No. 8 as a junior, edged out Uzbek No. 4 seed Khumoyun Sultanov in the semi-finals in straight sets.
In the championship match, both players gained four breaks, but Kanagawa-born Imai won six points more to prevail 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 after two hours and 43 minutes. The 28-year-old celebrated his ninth ITF World Tennis Tour title, all of them won on hard court.
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M15 Forbach FRA – Dan Added triumphs on home soil
Frenchman Dan Added is the champion of the Internationaux de Forbach held at US Forbach Tennis.
The 22-year-old fought past Syria’s Hazem Naw, who practices at the MKG tennis-academy of former tennis professional Marc-Kevin Goellner in Cologne, Germany, in the semi-finals in three sets.
British No. 7 seed Luke Johnson battled through the top half of the draw, beating No. 6 seeded Belgian Arnaud Bovy in the stage of the last four in straight sets.
No. 3 seeded Added struck 12 aces and won seven points more in the title match than his rival to secure a 6-4, 7-6 win after one hour and 29 minutes. The Strasbourg native lifted his fifth career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
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M15 Lubbock USA – Keegan Smith earns maiden title
The West Texas Tennis Pro Classic, hosted by McLeod Tennis Center, concluded with the triumph of Keegan Smith.
The US-American No. 7 seed rallied past Henry Patten from Great Britain in the stage of the final four in three sets.
No. 8 seeded Cannon Kingsley, a former No. 10 in the ITF Junior Rankings, set the all-US-American final with a straight-set win versus Slovenian qualifier Sven Lah.
Wilmington-born Smith sent down eight aces and won 78 per cent of his first-service points in the championship match to advance 7-5, 6-2 in 75 minutes. The 23-year-old, who played college tennis for UCLA, celebrated his first singles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
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M15 Cancun MEX – Christian Langmo wins another Cancun trophy
Following his maiden title win at the same place in 2019, Christian Langmo from Boca Raton clinched the trophy of the World Tennis Tour Cancun 2021, held at Cancun Tennis Complex.
The former college player for the University of Miami emerged victorious from the all-US-American semifinal-encounter against top seeded Strong Kirchheimer in straight sets.
Colombian No. 8 seed Juan Sebastian Gomez, who was ranked World No. 1 as a junior, made the last step to the final by defeating Argentinian qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez in three sets.
Twenty-five-year-old Langmo capitalized on six of his five break-point chances in the title match and lost three service games to seal a 6-3, 6-3 victory after one hour and 43 minutes. The No. 4 seed lifted his second career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
M15 Monastir TUN – Ugo Blanchet captures maiden title
Ugo Blanchet captured the trophy of the Magic Hotel Tours tournament, held at Hotel Skanes Family in Monastir, to celebrate his first singles title on the Pro Circuit.
The 22-year-old Frenchman eased past Dutch junior entry Guy den Ouden, who is playing college tennis for the Pepperdyne University, in the semi-finals in two sets.
French No. 3 seed Quentin Folliot booked the spot in the final with a straight-set win against No. 2 seeded US-American Gage Brymer.
Lasting two hours and 21 minutes, unseeded Blanchet won seven points more in the championship match and gained one break more to succeed 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.
M15 Cairo EGY – Hady Habib returns to winners’ circle
Twenty-three-year-old Hady Habib from Houston emerged victorious at the Egypt Men’s Future, hosted by Al-Solaimaneyah Tennis Club in Cairo.
The US-born, who has represented Lebanon since 2018, knocked off the tournament’s top favourite Luciano Darderi from Italy in the semi-finals in two sets.
Lorenzo Rottoli from Italy advanced to the final with a straight-set victory versus Argentinian No. 3 seed Fermin Tenti.
No. 7 seeded Habib fired 11 aces in the title match and broke his opponent four times to claim a 6-3, 6-4 win after one hour and 27 minutes. Following his maiden championship in Tunisia 2018, the college player for the Texas A&M University lifted his second career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
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