#NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev captured his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday as he defeated fourth seed Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. “It’s amazing. I have no words to explain it, especially after this tough week,” said Rublev. “Now I’m here and it’s amazing.” It caps a dream week for the 19-year-old Rublev, who had beaten third seed and defending champion Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals and home hope Ivan Dodig in the last four to reach his first ATP World Tour final. The Moscow native had fallen in the final round of qualifying, but earned a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser when Borna Coric was...
Watch Paolo Lorenzi come through a three-set nail-biter against Florian Mayer on Monday at the Apia International Sydney. Photo credit Getty Images. Video courtesy Tennis Australia.
Albert Ramos-Vinolas – Bastad [Ramos-Vinolas Spotlight] Competing in his first clay court event since reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final two months earlier at Roland Garros, Ramos-Violas once again showed off his red-clay prowess by capturing his first ATP World Tour title in July in Bastad. After defeating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for the first time in seven tries in his semi-final win, Ramos-Vinolas prevailed in another all-Spanish encounter by defeating Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match. The win also enabled him to snap a three-match losing streak against Verdasco. “I cannot be more happy after a long time waiting. I have been working very hard,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “Everybody wants to win or dreams of winning a title....
At age 35, Paolo Lorenzi showed no signs of slowing down this year. The Italian won his first ATP World Tour crown on the clay courts of Kitzbuhel in July, took a set off Andy Murray in the third round at the US Open in August and claimed two titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Last but certainly not least, the Rome native added “husband” to his 2016 titles, marrying Elisa Braccini on Saturday, 17 December in Siena, Italy. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Read 2016 First-Time Winner Spotlight: Paolo Lorenzi