Tennis rookie Stefanos Tsitsipas wins ATP finals

Stefanos Tsitsipas, a Greek professional tennis player in sixth place in world rankings, has claimed the 2019 ATP Finals title.

The young Greek beat Dominic Thiem of Austria 2-1 only in two hours and 35 minutes to become the champion of the Nitto ATP Finals held in London Monday and earning 2.65 million U.S. dollars in prize money.

The 21-year-old tennis player became the fifth-youngest winner to win the season finale, the first in 18 years since Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt claimed the title in 2001 at the age of 20. This is also the first time that a Greek player has clinched a trophy.

Since he won last year’s Next Generation ATP Finals where eight rising stars aged 21 or younger competed, Tsitsipas has risen to the top just in a year. He beat Switzerland’s Roger Federer (ranked third) to advance to the semifinals at Australian Open in January, and boasted his presence by winning the Open 13 in Marseille, France and the Estoril Open.


yesbro@donga.com