PRAGUE/STARNBERG, May 15, 2023
Czech teenager Jakub Mensik capped a dream run on home soil and clinched his maiden title on the ATP Challenger Tour by winning the seventh edition of the TK Sparta Prague Open. The 17-year-old wild card entry defeated No. 6 seed Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 6-3 in Sunday’s singles final.
In his 12th appearance at Challenger level, Mensik advanced to the championship match with wins in the top half of the draw over top seed Radu Albot from Moldova, Ukrainian lucky loser Vitaliy Sachko, Australian qualifier Akira Santillan and Spanish alternate Alejandor Moro Canas. The World No. 333 withstood four aces and broke Koepfer’s serve four times to prevail after one hour and 18 minutes.
The pride of a nation 🇨🇿
At 17 years and 8 months, Jakub Mensik becomes the youngest Czech champion in Challenger history 🤯#ATPChallenger | @jsmeceskytenis pic.twitter.com/ogbtB5Tgv2
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 14, 2023
“It’s the biggest achievement of my career so far. I’m glad I did it here,” Mensik said, quoted by the ATP Challenger Tour website. “I had my family and a lot of fans here and I felt a lot of support from them. I was confident from the beginning to the end, I’m very happy I managed to [win] and I’ll keep working hard.”
After becoming the youngest Czech Challenger champion in history, Mensik pocketed €9,880 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.
On the junior tour, the Prostejov native has a career high ITF junior combined ranking of World No. 3 achieved on 31 January 2022. Mensik reached the final of the 2022 Australian Open boys’ singles competition, losing to US-American Bruno Kuzuhara after suffering from thigh muscle cramps.
