Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands on Saturday clinched his maiden ATP Tour title when he beat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in a thrilling final at the Tata Open Maharashtra.
In a clash of first-time finalists, Griekspoor put on a display of brilliant shot-making to beat Bonzi 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 17 minutes at the Balewadi stadium. “First title means a lot to everyone, especially in the first week of the year,” the 26-year-old champion said. “It means a lot. There are so many people back home who have been involved in this – my parents and I have two brothers who are playing as well.
“Probably it means even more to them than it does to me,” said Griekspoor, who will move 34 places to 61 in world rankings after winning the ATP 250 Series event.
The last time an ATP final featured both debutants was in Munich last year, when Holger Rune defeated Botic van de Zandschulp. The Haarlem-born Griekspoor also became the first player from the Netherlands to win a hard-court title since 2002 US Open semifinalist Sjeng Schalken won in Stockholm in 2001. Tim van Rijthoven, 25, gave the Dutch their latest ATP success – in s-Hertogenbosch on grass last year. Saturday’s win also avenged Griekspoor’s loss to Bonzi in their only previous meeting – in a Challenger in France five years ago.
Bonzi took the first set when Griekspoor, serving to stay in the set, hit a double-fault on triple breakpoint. But the momentum shifted gradually when Griekspoor’s serve began to work better and Bonzi started to come under
In a clash of first-time finalists, Griekspoor put on a display of brilliant shot-making to beat Bonzi 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 17 minutes at the Balewadi stadium. “First title means a lot to everyone, especially in the first week of the year,” the 26-year-old champion said. “It means a lot. There are so many people back home who have been involved in this – my parents and I have two brothers who are playing as well.
“Probably it means even more to them than it does to me,” said Griekspoor, who will move 34 places to 61 in world rankings after winning the ATP 250 Series event.
The last time an ATP final featured both debutants was in Munich last year, when Holger Rune defeated Botic van de Zandschulp. The Haarlem-born Griekspoor also became the first player from the Netherlands to win a hard-court title since 2002 US Open semifinalist Sjeng Schalken won in Stockholm in 2001. Tim van Rijthoven, 25, gave the Dutch their latest ATP success – in s-Hertogenbosch on grass last year. Saturday’s win also avenged Griekspoor’s loss to Bonzi in their only previous meeting – in a Challenger in France five years ago.
Bonzi took the first set when Griekspoor, serving to stay in the set, hit a double-fault on triple breakpoint. But the momentum shifted gradually when Griekspoor’s serve began to work better and Bonzi started to come under
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