Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas outdueled Mikhail Kukushkin 7-5, 7-6 (5) to win the Open 13 Provence title in Marseille, France on Sunday to claim the second ATP Tour title of his career.
Tennis – Australian Open – Semi-final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, January 24, 2019. Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in action during the match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Tsitsipas, 20, delivered 14 aces but still had to fight off the Kazakhstan native in a second-set tiebreaker to prevail. His other official title came last season in Stockholm. He also triumphed in Milan at the ATP Next Gen Finals in November.
“Winning titles is the thing that I am working for,” Tsitsipas, the world’s 12th-ranked player, said afterward. .”.. It’s the biggest satisfaction and the biggest joy in tennis.”
Kukushkin, 31, had two aces while failing to win his second career title.
Delray Beach Open
Radu Albot notched the first ATP title of his career by recording a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7) victory over Great Britain’s Daniel Evans in the championship match in Florida.
The 29-year-old Albot fought off three match points in the third-set tiebreaker to become the first player from Moldova — a European country with a population of 3.4 million — to win an ATP Tour-level event. He also endured a 56-minute rain delay earlier in the set after taking a 2-1 lead.
Evans, who had three aces, also was seeking his first career ATP crown.
Rio Open
Laslo Djere won his first career ATP title with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the championship match at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 23-year-old Serbian had just 20 unforced errors compared to 47 for Auger-Aliassime, who also had nine double faults.
“It’s been the week of my dreams,” Djere said after the win. “So many things have been achieved here. I’m really happy, excited and emotional now. I’m happy I could push through this match because it was very tough mentally and physically.”
—Field Level Media