Marcos Giron saved a championship point and captured his first ATP title by beating Alex Michelsen 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 at the Hall of Fame Open on Sunday afternoon. Michelsen, who also finished runner-up in Newport last summer, came within one point of victory only to see Giron snuff it out with an ace at 4-5, 30-40. The 30-year-old American seized a break in the next game and then held at 6-5 to get across the finish line.
“Honestly, Alex, unbelievable tournament–unbelievable match,” Giron said. “It’s unreal…19 (years old). We’ve been practicing together. On court, he’s so mature, he’s so good. He’s got such a bright future. I’m happy to get the win now while I can.”
Nuno Borges also triumphed on the ATP Tour for the first time, and he did so in dream fashion. The 27-year-old from Portugal took down 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2 in the Nordea Open final.
“I don’t know what to say,” Borges commented. “I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already. It’s crazy; in tennis it doesn’t happen when you expect it sometimes. I know we all wanted Rafa to win–a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today.”
A busy week also saw Matteo Berrettini and Arthur Fils lift trophies. Berrettini made quick 6-3, 6-1 work of Quentin Halys at the Swiss Open Gstaad, while Fils outlasted Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(1) at the Hamburg Open.
Fils’ victory was especially dramatic and also productive, as the 500 points–it was the lone event of the week at that level–propelled him into the top 20 for the first time in his fast-rising career. The 20-year-old Frenchman climbed eight spots to 20th.
“I knew from the start it was not going to be easy,” Fils noted. “(The) first set I was taking care of it, I think I had a little but of luck, but playing great. Then (in the) second set he managed to play better than me and to raise his level. Then we closed the roof and when we closed the roof I knew it was going to be just a fight–like a dogfight. You just have to fight until the last point, until the last ball.
“I think that I [have been] practicing since a long time for this kind of moment, so I’m really happy to win it.”
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nice one, Nuno