HELSINKI/STARNBERG, November 21, 2021
Alex Molcan from Slovakia was crowned champion of the 2021 HPP Open held at the Tali Tennis Center in Helsinki, Finland. The No. 3 seed of the €44,820 ATP Challenger Tour hard-court tournament defeated Joao Sousa from Portugal 6-3, 6-2 in Sunday’s singles final.
Molcan withstood four aces and broke his opponent’s serve four times to seal victory in one hour and seven minutes.
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“Joao is a very good player, I knew it would be a battle,” Molcan said. “I didn’t expect a result like this. The last games were pretty intense. I was also a bit nervous but I did it. I am very happy to win my last tournament of the season.
“I was a break down in the first set but I was fighting. I knew that everything was possible. I got the re-break. I played my game and kept it until the end.”
Following his maiden triumph on home soil at the Svijany Open in Liberec, Molcan lifted his second ATP Challenger career trophy. The 23-year-old pocketed €6,190 in prize money and earned 80 ATP Ranking points. Molcan is projected to crack the Top 100 for the first time.
“Reaching the Top 100 is something everyone is dreaming about. I will try to focus, having a good pre-season,” Molcan added.
