Delray Beach.- Moldovan tennis player Radu Albot, after saving three match points, beat Englishman Daniel Evans 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the final of the Delray Beach Open hard court tournament. and got his first ATP title.
Albot, 29, made history by being the first tennis player in his country to achieve a first-class ATP title, after overtaking Evans in a game that lasted 2 hours and 51 minutes after a postponement of 56 minutes by rain .
With a poor serve by both players, the blows from the back of the court were the key to the game and those who allowed Albot, 82 of the world, to win after the tiebreaker managed to save three match points.
Evans, 28, 148 of the world, made the ‘break’ in the eighth game of the third set to tie it 4-4 and force a sudden death that dominated English tennis with partial advantage of 4-1.
But again Albot emerged with his best right-wing shots from the back of the court and managed to stay in the game until the partial 6-4, favorable to Evans, and take over the Moldovan tennis player who saved the first match point. “
Then already Evans with his serve had the second chance to secure the victory, but he lost the ball in the exchange of punches and although he asked for revision, he lost it and the tie came 6-6.
From that moment, Albot was already convinced that he had his
reach the historic victory for the tennis of his country and dominated to Evans with his serve that assured him the triumph, although before it was with the third “match point” (7-6) that saved.
Evans looked destined to complete the comeback when he took a 6/4 lead in the final playoff.
But Evans made mistakes in his three opportunities, including a backhand volley from just a couple of feet inside the baseline that went just a few inches long.
Not adapting to the intensity of the game, Evans committed a double fault when he faced his first match point, which allowed Albot to lift the trophy.
All the credit for Albot, who fought after losing a first set for the third consecutive game.
Although his rivals sometimes proved superior with his tennis, the new champion always stayed in the fight and raised his level of play to make the most of the weaknesses of his opponents.
Albot, who took a cash prize of $ 97,490 and 250 points for the ATP world ranking, finished the game with 74 points won.
The last player to win the first ATP Tour trophy for his country was Stefanos Tsitsipas, the champion of Marseille this week, in Stockholm last year.
While Evans, who also played his first final of an ATP level tournament, received a prize of $ 52,495 and 150 points for the world ranking.
Evans tried to become the first classified to lift the trophy in Delray Beach, since the Latvian Ernests Gulbis in 2013, and the first Briton to succeed in the 27-year history of the tournament. (Florida, USA), (EFE)
