VICENZA, June 4, 2017

Marton Fucsovics captured the title of the €43,000 Internazionali Di Tennis Citta Di Vicenza held at the Circolo Palladio 98 in Vicenza. The 25-year-old from Hungary battled past seventh seed Laslo Djere from Serbia, rallying 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 in an exciting final on Sunday.

In front of about 700 spectators, Fucsovics had a rusty start into the match, producing a lot of unforced errors. Djere gained the first breaks of the encounter and took the opening set in 38 minutes.

However, the longer the match lasted, the more even became the affair. Djere broke serve in the seventh game of the second set and had the chance to seal victory in the 12th game but missed one match point. The Serbian missed another one in the tie-break and Fucsovics eventually capitalized on his fourth set point to push the match the distance.

Fucsovics gained the early break at the beginning of the final set and therewith broke the will of Djere, who appeared in his fourth ATP Challenger final but was again denied to clinch his maiden title. The Budapest resident prevailed in two hours and 21 minutes.

Watch match point

Final ceremony with Marton Fucsovics and Laslo Djere

“I was fighting until the end and didn’t give up. I served very well in the second and third set and played more aggressively,” Fucsovics told Tennis TourTalk after lifting his first trophy since his triumphs in An-Ning as well as in Andria in 2013.

“I am unbelievable happy right now. I actually didn’t want to play the tournament here, enjoying a bit of rest but obviously it was a good decision not to do so. Since 2013, I  have improved my clay court tennis and played a couple of finals but I am really happy to eventually win another tournament. It is an incredible feeling.”

Fucsovics enjoyed great support in Vicenza, as his girl-friend and her family, his father as well as his dog attended the final.

“It was unbelievable to play in front of such a crowd. The entire week was just fantastic,” Fucsovics said and added that his goal is to break into the Top 100 as soon as possible. Next up for the Hungarian will be the Czech Open in Prostejov.

“I am bit tired right now but I am looking forward to the tournament, as I made it to the final there last year.” Fucsovics was heading for the Czech Republic right after the final.

Vicenza Challenge To Return In 2018

Vicenza tournament director: Enrico Bettini

The tournament in Vicenza, a thriving and cosmopolitan city, with a rich history and culture, started about 10 years ago with an ITF Futures event and wants to celebrate its fifth ATP Challenger edition next year.

“We like to go on and maybe even improve the total prize money to €64,000,” tournament director Enrico Bettini told.

“It will not be easy, as you always have to find sponsors but we have a lot of local support. We also do not mind the tournament taking place in the first week of Roland Garros. There are still a couple of great players ranked between World No. 100 and No. 200. It would just be great to see one Italian to reach the final. So maybe next year,” Bettini is looking forward to 2018.

Photo Gallery Singles Final: