BOGOTA/STARNBERG, October 25, 2021
Gerald Melzer has lifted his first trophy on the ATP Challenger Tour in four years, winning the $52,080 DirecTV Open Bogota in Colombia.
On a rain-interrupted Sunday at the Carmel Club in Bogota, the 31-year-old Austrian fought past No. 5 seed Facundo Mena of Argentina 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5) in the singles final.
Melzer, who missed more than two years on the circuit with a chronic ankle injury and entered the tournament by protected ranking, broke his opponent’s serve three times and won four points more than Mena to prevail in two hours and 20 minutes. The match was suspended due to to bad weather at 4-4 in the third set but the World No. 421 could rely on his experience, kept his rhythm to secure the final tie-break.
🏆CAMPEÓN🏆🇦🇹Gerald Melzer vence a 🇦🇷Facundo Mena en el #DIRECTVOpenBogota🎾👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/uKDROyff6x
— DIRECTV Open Bogotá (@DirectvOpen) October 25, 2021
By winning his eighth ATP Challenger career title, Melzer earns $7,200 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points, cracking the Top 300 again. The Vienna native reached a career-high ranking of World No. 68 in November 2016.
Jarry/Quiroz take doubles title
In other action, Nicolas Jarry from Chile and Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador won the doubles title. The unseeded tandem edged past home favourites and No. 4 seeds Nicolas Barrientos and Alejandro Gomez 6-7(4), 7-5, 10-4. The encounter lasted one hour and 49 minutes.
Jarry and Quiroz split $3,100 in prize money and earned 80 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
#DIRECTVOpenBogota🎾 | 🇨🇱🤝🇪🇨 https://t.co/aPV4PVkvpt
— DIRECTV Open Bogotá (@DirectvOpen) October 24, 2021
