Tsitsipas becomes first Greek ATP champion with Stockholm win

STOCKHOLM: Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first Greek man to win an ATP title on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ernests Gulbis in Stockholm, ending the Latvian player’s perfect record in finals.

World number 16 Tsitsipas, who had lost both his previous finals this year to Rafael Nadal in Barcelona and Toronto, went one better than Nicholas Kalogeropoulos who was the first Greek to make a tour-level final in Des Moines in 1983.

The 20-year-old Tsitsipas, seeded third, wrapped up victory in 81 minutes and follows in the footsteps of Boris Becker, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro who also won the Stockholm title.

“I feel happy because I’m the first Greek to win a title. Hopefully many Greek players can achieve something like this,” Tsitsipas told atpworldtour.com.

Meanwhile, British number one Kyle Edmund fought back to down Gael Monfils in a final-set tie-break and claim his maiden ATP Tour title at the European Open in Antwerp on Sunday.

The 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4) victory caps a breakthrough season for the 23-year-old and keeps alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.

Edmund is the first British man other than Andy Murray to win a singles title since Greg Rusedski’s success in Newport in July 2005.

Top seed Edmund, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year, won successive tie-breaks after losing the opening set in just 31 minutes and broke down in tears after clinching victory on his first match point.

It was only his second Tour final after a straight-sets defeat by Pablo Andujar in Morocco in April.

In Madrid, International Tennis Federation’s chief operating officer said, the Davis Cup can succeed even without the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the reformed tournament will target a new generation of tennis stars.

It leaves the ITF, who run the Davis Cup, looking beyond the sport’s most celebrated male trio, and ahead to the next generation. The new format will involve a qualification tournament in February, from which 12 teams will reach the finals in November, along with the previous four semi-finalists and two wild cards.

The finals will take place at the Caja Magica in Madrid between November 18 to 24, but the concern is players usually take time off around this period.

Many may choose to prioritise the convenience of the ATP’s Team World Cup at the start of the season in January, over the Davis Cup’s history and prestige.

The hope remains that the ITF and ATP can find an agreement to avoid the two tournaments rubbing up against each other.