MUNICH, May 16, 2019 (by Dietmar Kaspar)

M 15 Troisdorf GER – Kacper Zuk first champion of the TVM Open

The TC Rot-Weiss Troisdorf, which is located in the South-East of Cologne, hosted the first edition of the TVM Open to start the German clay-court swing on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

The tournament was dominated by 20-year-old qualifier Kacper Zuk from Poland, who did not drop a set during the competition. In the semi-finals, he stopped the last German hope Constantin Schmitz, who clinched his maiden ITF title in Rovinj this season.

En route to the final, unseeded runner-up Jeroen Vanneste from Belgium rallied past top seeded German Marvin Netuschil in the stage of the final eight in straight sets.

After an even first set in the title match, Zuk claimed a 7-5, 6-1 victory after one hour and 36 minutes. Both players earned nine break point opportunities. Zuk used three of them, Vanneste did not break his opponent during the encounter.

Asked about his goals in the future, the Polish young gun told: „I want to reach the top ten of the world“.

The second singles trophy of the season for Zuk is equated with his second career singles title on the ITF Pro Circuit.

Of special interest for the home crowd was the doubles competition. Current No. 52 in ATP doubles ranking Andreas Mies from Germany returned to his home club, where he started playing tennis.

Teaming up with his compatriot Mike Doering, the local wildcard-duo made it to the final versus German Negritu with his partner Patrick Grigoriu from Romania.

Saving a match point at the score of 9-10 in the third set, No. 2 seeded Negritu/Grigoriu got the win of the epic battle by the score of 7-5, 5-7, 12-10.

„It is a hard way to the top, but such moments compensate for all these things, and this is the reason why we are here,” a happy Negritu said afterwards.

Negritu celebrated his 10th doubles trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour, the second with his partner Grigoriu.

M25 Prijedor BIH – In-form Botic van de Zandschulp captures his third title of the season

Botic van de Zandschulp sealed the win of the Memorijal DR.M. Stojanovic-Prijedor Open 2019 to lift his third singles trophy in 2019.

The 23-year-old Dutch stopped the way of No 8 seeded home competitor Nerman Fatic in the semi-finals, winning in straight sets.

Romanian young gun Vlad Andrej Dancu, who knocked off Argentinean No. 2 seed Manuel Pena Lopez in the opening round, made his second final appearance on the ITF Pro Circuit.

No. 3 seeded van de Zandshulp was the more efficient player in the title match. Converting all of his two break point chances without facing a break point opportunity against his unseeded rival, the Wageningen native secured a 6-2, 7-5 victory after one hour and 38 minutes to celebrate his sixth singles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

Additional to his triumph in the singles competition, van de Zandschulp crowned his great week with the doubles championship alongside his countryman Igor Sijsling.

M25 Vercelli ITA – Clay-court fan Maxime Chazal ends title drought

Maxime Chazal celebrated the win of the Citta’ Di Vercelli, held at Tennis Pro Vercelli. The 26-year-old New Caledonian, who is representing France, has lifted his first trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour since his last title in 2016, also won on Italian soil.

No. 8 seeded Chazal, who defeated French No. 2 entry Evan Furness in the stage of the final eight, faced top seeded favourite Corentin Denolly in the title match.

Both competitors broke their opponents five times, scoring the equal point score of 105. After two hours and 16 minutes, Chazal finished the even final by the score of 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to capture his 10th title on the ITF Pro Circuit, all of them achieved on clay courts.

M25 Pensacola USA – Favourite win of Juan Pablo Varillas in Florida

Top seeded Juan Pablo Varillas clinched the title of the Pensacola M25K Championship without dropping a set during the tournament.

In the stage of the final four, the 23-year old Peruvian stopped the run of Colombian teenager Nicolas Mejia, who was ranked ITF No. 4 as a junior last year.

24-year-old US-American Harrison Adams, who entered the competition on position 2, took the last step to the final in beating his countryman Felix Corwin in two sets.

Lima resident Varillas converted three of his nine break point chances without losing a service game. After 70 minutes, he secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory to lift his fourth trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

M 15 Sozopol BUL – Altug Celikbilec secures second title of the season

The Santa Marina Cup, which was hosted at Tennis Centre Santa Marina, concluded with the win of top seeded Altug Celikbilek.

En route to the final, the 22-year-old Turk rallied past Russian No 4 seed Kristian Lozan, who belongs to the rare breed of ambidextrous tennis players, in the stage of the final four in two sets.

In the title match, he faced 20-year-old Bulgarian Alexander Donski, who defeated his No. 2 seeded compatriot Aleksandar Lazov in the second round in straight sets.

Capitalizing on eight of his 18 break point opportunities by dropping four service games, Celikbilek defeated his unseeded rival after two hours and 38 minutes with 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

The Antalya native celebrated his second title of season and his fifth overall on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

M15 Heraklion GRE – Michail Pervolarakis seals maiden title with home win

Michail Pervolarakis prevailed at the 14th Lyttos Beach ITF tournament, held at the Lyttos Beach Tennis Academy, without dropping a set during the competition.

In the semi-finals, the 22-year-old Greek battled past Austrian Jonas Trinker, who knocked off top seeded Lloyd Glasspool from Great Britain in the stage of the final eight.

Runner-up Henry Craig from the United States, who entered the tournament on position 7, took the last step to the final with a two-set victory against Greek teenager Alexandros Skorilas.

No. 6 seeded Pervolarakis fired 12 aces in the title match to get the win with 6-2, 7-5, lasting exactly two hours. He celebrated his first singles trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

M15 Cancun MEX – Ryan Peniston clinches his maiden title on the ITF Pro Tour

23-year-old Ryan Peniston got the crown of the Cancun Tennis Cup, which was hosted at the Cancun Tennis Academy.

The No. 2 seeded from Great-Britain rallied past US-American Austin Rapp in the title match. 22-year old Rapp stopped the way of Australian top seed Matthew Romios in the second round in straight sets.

Capitalizing on all of his three break point chances by dropping one service game, Peniston sealed a 6-4, 6-4 victory against his unseeded opponent after 89 minutes to lift his first singles trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

M15 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ESP – Esteve Lobato captures his third consecutive singles title

No. 3 seeded Eduard Esteve Lobato dominated the Gran Canaria Isla Europea Del Deporte, held at Club Tamarasit , without losing a set during the competition. After the triumphs in Reus and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the 24-year-old Spaniard lifted his third singles trophy in a row on the ITF Pro Circuit.

In the semi-finals, the Barcelona resident stopped the run of No. 5 seeded Jordan Correia from Brazil.

Top seed Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves from Brazil took the last step to the final in beating No. 8 seeded Spanish teenager Carlos Lopez Montagud, who was ranked ITF No. 11 as a junior last year, in two sets.

Outpointing his 21-year old opponent 58-34 in 66 minutes, Esteve Lobato emerged victorious from the title match, winning 6-4, 6-1 to celebrate his sixth career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour, all of them won on Spanish clay courts.

🎾 El tarraconense Eduard Esteve repite victoria en el segundo torneo ITF de Las Palmas

📝Leer más: https://t.co/fABedfQEtU pic.twitter.com/ke2iA0HJZt

— Tenis España (@spaintenis) 13. Mai 2019

M15 Karlskrona SWE – Markus Eriksson crowns his dream week at home

The Karlskrona World Tennis Tour tournament at Karlskrona Tennisklubb culminated in the triumph of Markus Eriksson. Additionally to his singles title, the 29-year old Swede clinched the doubles trophy together with his countryman Filip Bergevi.

Top seeded Eriksson, who went to the final without dropping a set, defeated Goran Markovic in the stage of the final four.

In the final he faced No. 4 seeded Ronald Slobodchikov, who battled down Finnish No. 2 seed Patrik Niklas Salminen in the semi-finals.

Eriksson struck sevenaces in the title match to seal a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory in two hours and 21 minutes. He lifted his ninth singles trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

M15 Tabarka TUN – Teenager Filip Cristian Jianu with sensational run to his maiden title

The Magic Tours tournament at the Thabraca Magic Hotel was dominated by 17-year-old Filip Cristian Jianu. The current No. 5 in ITF Junior rankings clinched his first title on the ITF World Tennis Tour without dropping a set during the tournament.

En route to the final, the Romanian knocked out left-handed top seed Aziz Dougaz from Tunisia in the semi-finals.

Lasting 80 minutes, Jianu converted four of his nine break point chances in the title match by losing only one service game to claim a 6-2, 6-4 win versus 26-year-old Frenchman Mathieu Perchicot.

M15 Buenos Aires ARG – Local hero Francisco Cerundolo captures his third season title

Twenty-year-old Francisco Cerundolo got the crown of the ITF M15 tournament, which was hosted at El Abierto, to lift his third trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour in 2019.

The fNo. 7 seed from Argentina knocked off his 19-year-old compatriot and No. 4 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who was ranked ITF No. 12 as a junior, in the all-Argentinean semi-finals in three sets.

No. 5 seeded runner-up Genaro Alberto Olivieri, who battled past his top seeded compatriot Gonzalo Villanueva in the stage oft he final eight, took the last step to the final in beating last week’s Buenos Aires champion Sebastian Baez.

In the title match, both players converted five break point chances in two intensive sets. After two hours and 18 minutes, Buenos Aires native Cerundolo secured a 7-6, 7-6 win against his contemporary opponent, who was previously No. 8 in ITF Junior rankings.

Ceerundolo celebrated his overall fifth title on the ITF Pro Circuit, all won on clay court.

M15 Antalya TUR – Ergi Kirkin celebrates second Antalya-trophy of the season

Turkish youngster Ergi Kirkin clinched the title of the Daikin Cup Tennis Series, held at Starlight Resort Hotel in Antalya, to lift his second trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour following his maiden title at the same place in February.

The 20-year-old Ankara native, who entered the tournament on position two, rallied past 18-year-old Max Houkes from the Netherlands in two easy sets in the semi-finals.

Competing versus Russian No. 4 seed Denis Klok in the final encounter, Kirkin realized 84 per cent on first serve to seal a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory against his contemporary rival after two hours and 39 minutes. In contrast to his defeat in the title match last week, he took the last step to get the crown in Antalya.

M 15 Kampala UGA – Clay-court specialist Ivan Nedelko captures back-to-back titles

Top seeded Ivan Nedelko clinched the title of the UGPRO World Tennis Tour, held at the Lugogo Tennis Club in Kampala, to seal his second consecutive championship on the ITF Pro Circuit after his triumph in Antalya last week.

The veteran from Russia, who entered the competition with a wildcard, knocked out No. 8 seeded teenager Eric Vanshelboim in the stage of the final four in two sets. 17-year-old Vanshelboim, who was born in Sarajevo and representing the Ukraine, is currently ranked No. 40 in ITF Junior rankings.

No. 5 seeded runner-up Simon Carr from Ireland stopped the run of India’s left-handed teenager Muthu Aadhitya Senthilkumar in the semi-finals in straight sets.

In the title match, 32-year-old Nedelko converted four of his seven break point opportunities by losing only one service game. After one hour and 45 minutes, he earned a 6-2, 6-4 victory to lift his 22nd career trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour, all of them achieved on clay courts.

“I would like to thank all the officials and all the team that was part of the organisation. Congratulations to Ivan for winning, he is a good player. Good luck to him for the next weeks,” Carr said.

M25 Wuhan CHN – Yan Bai seals another win on Asian soil

The 2019 M25 Wuhan World Tennis Tournament, which was hosted at the Wuhan National Fitness Center, concluded with the favourite win of top seeded Yan Bai.

The 29-year-old Chinese battled past last week’s Wuhan-champion Shuichi Sekiguchi from Japan, who entered the competition on position four, in the title match.

Capitalizing on three of his 12 break point chances without facing any break point against his 27-year-old opponent, the former No. 10 in ITF Junior rankings got the final win after 72 minutes to with 6-2, 6-4. Bai lifted his 15th singles trophy on the ITF World Tennis Tour, all of them exclusively won on Asian hard courts.

M15 Piestany SKW – Dubrivnyy wins TeniSta Open

Artem Dubrivnyy of Russia took his first title of the season, lifting the trophy at the TeniSta Open held on clay courts at the HSC Piestany. The 20-year-old fought past unseeded Swiss Raphael Baltensperger 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Sunday’s singles final.

Dubrivnyy, who only dropped one set en route to the championship match sent down four aces, winning 82 per cent of his first service points to finish the encounter in one hour and 47 minutes.

The No. 6 seed from Taganrog captured his third ITF career title.

The all-Hungarian combination of Fabian Marozsan and Peter Nagy won the doubles final against Baltensperger and Matvey Kohmentovskiy of Russia.