GRAN CANARIA, March 7, 2021
Fifteen days of professional tennis on the Canary Islands organized by MEF Tennis Events concluded on Sunday with Spanish wild card entry Carlos Gimeno Valero winning the title of the Gran Canaria Challenger II. The 19-year-old defeated No. 8 seed Kimmer Coppejans of Belgium 6-4, 6-2 at the Club de Campo El Cortijo in Telde to lift his maiden trophy on the ATP Challenger Tour.
The teenager battled through the bottom half of the draw, celebrating victories over Frenchman Constant Lestienne, No. 2 seed Federico Gaio from Italy, No. 6 seeded Italian Alessandro Giannessi and Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia en route to the final. Gimeno Valero saved all eight break points he faced, breaking Coppejans’ serve three times to prevail after one hour and 35 minutes.
#GimenoValero gana contra #Coppejans 6-4 6-2 y conquista su primer título Challenger 🏆@cgimenotenis #GCC #meftennisevents #tennis #ATPChallenger @ATPChallenger | @turismogc | @GranCanariaTur | @gctourism | @GranCanariaCab | @RFETenis | @GranCanariaDep | @ESPNtenis pic.twitter.com/rYd9cGn6in
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) March 7, 2021
“I’m speechless and impressed by the level I have shown in this final. I played well and managed to win the title. It has been a difficult week, I have beaten excellent players. I am very happy,” said Gimeno Valero.
“I played very aggressively right from the first round. This was my focus in practice and now it has paid off.”
The former World No. 12 of the Under 18 juniors trains at the JC Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy in Villena. “When I’m on tour with Ferrero and my friend Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, I always receive valuable advice that helps me to improve. I have a great time at the academy and I want to continue working to become a great player.
“It is too early to say where I could go and which tournaments I could win. For me the important thing is to practice with continuity and concentration to improve day by day. This title gives me confidence for the future. If I continue playing with the spirit shown in Gran Canaria, I will be able to obtain great results.”
Gimeno Valero pocketed in Gran Canaria €6,190 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points.
