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Marcos Giron claimed his first ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open, where he saved a championship point to defeat #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen in the final.

The 30-year-old American spoke to ATPTour.com about his journey to his first title, those who have helped him along the way, his relationship with Andre Agassi and more.

What are the emotions that you felt when you won championship point?
It's really special. For me this has been years of hard work, years of dedication and years of support from family, friends and coaches. And so I couldn't have done this without them. My childhood coach from when I was six or seven, Scott Christie, who believed in me from the beginning. My coach from when I was 16 to 22, I called him Frenchie, but [his name is] Amir Marandy. Max Tabatruong, who's traveled with me for quite some time on Tour. Nick Meister, who traveled with me a little bit a few years ago, and then he's joined me again on the grass. It's been really special.

And my family, all the support throughout the years, whether I've wanted to play or not, they've always been supportive. And so I think for me winning it is really special, because I feel like it's everybody's doing, and not just mine. But it's cool, it's pretty fun to go and win the last point of the tournament.

Nothing beats that first title feeling ?@TennisHalloFame | #InfosysHallOfFameOpen pic.twitter.com/DHtUS3iWdE

David Goffin won a battle of former Top 10 stars on Monday at the Atlanta Open, where he clawed past Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the second round.

“It was not easy, especially the first match of the U.S. summer. That kind of surface can be different if the sun comes out or not, with the humidity, with the heat,” Goffin said. “It's not easy to find a good rhythm in the first match [of the swing], but I'm really happy that I managed to win that one. It's great for my confidence, especially on the first tournament and first time I'm coming here in Atlanta.”

That first round win feeling ??@David__Goffin takes the victory over Shapovalov 6-4 3-6 6-1 @ATLOpenTennis | #AtlantaOpen pic.twitter.com/Ljqc3NCkVt

The former No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings qualified for Wimbledon before losing a heartbreaker in the first round of the main draw. Tomas Machac eliminated the Belgian in a final-set tie-break.

Goffin bounced back against Shapovalov, against whom he now owns a 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage. The 33-year-old is the first Belgian to win a match in Atlanta since Ruben Bemelmans in 2012.

Czech teen Jakub Mensik continued his push towards a place at December’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF with a convincing win over Alexei Popyrin at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag Monday.

Mensik, who reached the Doha final in February, improved to 13-10 on the season with a 6-3, 6-2 win over the Australian (13-13), who recently pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets at Wimbledon.

In the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, 18-year-old Mensik saved all four break points he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Mensik, who is now 8-4 in first-round matches in his career, next faces the winner of fifth-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi and home hope Duje Ajdukovic, who last week pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets in the Bastad semi-finals.

In another good result for the ATP’s emerging stars Monday, 22-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli upset sixth-seeded Argentine Mariano Navone 6-2, 6-3. The win lifted Cobolli to a career-high No. 46 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Two months after claiming his second ATP Challenger Tour crown and becoming the youngest Chinese player to earn multiple titles at that level, Buyunchaokete is back in the winners’ circle.

The 22-year-old on Sunday was crowned champion at the Les Championnats Banque Nationale de Granby, where he prevailed against Frenchman Terence Atmane 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-4 in the final. Despite relinquishing three match points in the second set, Buyunchaokete quickly rebounded to lift the trophy after two hours, 36 minutes.

‘Bu’, up to a career-high World No. 147 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is among a trio of Chinese players to capture three ATP Challenger Tour titles (Wu Yibing, Zhang Zhizhen), having won in Wuxi two months ago and in Seoul in 2023. He is now the holder of a 27-10 Challenger-level season record after recovering from last week's heartbreaking defeat in the Winnipeg semi-finals. 'Bu' held a match point before falling to eventual champion Benjamin Bonzi.

In other Challenger action, August Holmgren became the fourth Danish champion in the past 20 years at that level. The 26-year-old rallied from a set down in both his semi-final and final match, clawing past top seed Antoine Escoffier 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to seal his maiden Challenger title at the Open de Tenis Ciudad de Pozoblanco.

“I’m so grateful that I could play well this entire week. I’ve had a good past few weeks and I’m just keeping the momentum going,” Holmgren said.

Laslo Djere continued his history of strong showings in Kitzbühel on Monday, when the Serbian moved past qualifier Vit Kopriva to kick-start his 2024 campaign at the Generali Open.

The eighth seed prevailed 7-6(6), 6-3 in the first-round clash at the clay-court ATP 250. Djere is a two-time semi-finalist in Kitzbühel, and he improved his record in the Austrian Alpine town to 8-4 by converting three of four break points he earned against Kopriva, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I like the conditions here,” said Djere in his post-match interview. “The balls are a bit faster due to the altitude, and I generally like faster conditions. It just really suits my game well.”

Djere will take on Thiago Seyboth Wild, a 6-2, 7-6(6) winner against #NextGenATP home favourite Joel Schwaerzler, in the second round. The Serbian defeated Seyboth Wild in the second round in Kitzbühel last year and holds a 3-0 lead overall in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Brazilian.

Yannick Hanfmann, Nicolas Moreno De Alboran and Sumit Nagal also registered first-round wins on Monday in Austria. The 2020 finalist Hanfmann defeated Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-4 and wild card Moreno De Alboran beat Andrea Collarini 6-4, 6-4. Nagal let slip six match points before finally overcoming Lukas Klein 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(3).

When Marcos Giron defeated Alex Michelsen on Sunday in the Infosys Hall of Fame Open final, more than just this edition of the tournament came to an end. After launching in 1976, this was the last edition of the tournament as a tour-level event.

The Infosys Hall of Fame Open will remain on the calendar as an ATP Challenger Tour event, to be played alongside a WTA tournament of the same level in an exciting new setup. But nevertheless, this was the end of an era for the only professional tournament played on grass outside of Europe.

Two of the final three champions at the tournament were first-time ATP Tour titlists. In 2022, the serve-and-volleying standout Maxime Cressy rushed his way into the forecourt and lifted the trophy.

“Newport was extremely unique and meaningful to me because of the atmosphere that it was bringing near the ocean and the energy was just electric. It was such an amazing crowd, it was very respectful and a very entertaining crowd. They're very passionate about the sport and bring a lot of value into the beauty of our sport,” Cressy said. “It was extremely meaningful to win this tournament especially because it was the first ATP tournament that I envisioned winning. It was the first one I competed in and heard so many incredible things about this tournament and how unique it is. I really enjoyed myself there and looking forward to coming back hopefully next year for the Challenger event.”

The most famous grass-court event in the world is Wimbledon, and for nearly five decades players who enjoy the surface have been able to extend their stay on it for an extra week in Newport, where the first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championship was played in 1881.

Marcos Giron is proving age is just a number.

The 30-year-old is playing the best tennis of his career in 2024 and on Sunday the American won his first ATP Tour title, defeating #NextGenATP countryman Alex Michelsen 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 to claim the trophy in at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. The champion saved match point with an ace at 4-5, 30/40 in the deciding set and clinched victory with his 13th ace of the match.

"Better late than never. We'll take it!" Giron said with a laugh. "There are so many people I can thank and couldn't be more lucky to have them in my life. Family, coaches, friends. For this, it's really special for me but also for all their help and support though the years."

The former college tennis star at UCLA, who underwent right hip surgery in December 2015 and left hip surgery in February 2016, reached his first two ATP Tour finals two years ago in San Diego and earlier this season in Dallas. After a gritty two-hour, 37-minute victory against 19-year-old Michelsen, the veteran Giron can now call himself a tour-level champion.

A critical moment for Giron came when he served at 2-3 in the deciding set. Facing break point, the new No. 38 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings crushed a courageous forehand winner to escape trouble.

The worldwide action continues this week on the ATP Tour with a three-tournament slate in Atlanta, Umag and Kitzbuhel. Ben Shelton is the top seed at the Atlanta Open, while Andrey Rublev leads the field at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag and Sebastian Baez takes top billing at the Generali Open in Austria.

ATPTour.com breaks down some of the top storylines at each ATP 250 event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ATLANTA
1) Hometown Shelton: Competing in the city of his birth for the third straight year, Shelton enters as the top seed as he looks to improve on his 1-2 record at the event. Atlanta will be Shelton's first hard-court event since Miami, on the heels of a fourth-round run at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Jannik Sinner.

2) Americans In Action: Since 2010, 10 Americans have won the Atlanta title. Third seed Frances Tiafoe, seventh seed Brandon Nakashima, Mackenzie McDonald, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Reilly Opelka and wild card Andres Martin will join Shelton in hoping to add to that tally, in addition to any qualifiers. Nakashima will face McDonald in the first round, while Kovacevic and Opelka will also square off. Martin could meet Shelton in the second round.

3) Mannarino Aims To Stop Skid: Adrian Mannarino remains in the Top 35 of the PIF ATP Rankings despite an 8-17 record this season. After notching just one singles win in five grass tournaments, could a switch to the hard courts spark a turnaround for the talented Frenchman?

Rafael Nadal has always analysed his performances with great perspective. After a disappointing 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Nuno Borges on Sunday in the Nordea Open final, the Spanish legend saw both sides of the coin when looking back on his week in Bastad.

While the 38-year-old was not happy with his tennis overall, despite grinding his way to his first final since Roland Garros in 2022, Nadal was boosted by the way his body handled the heavy load of match play on the ATP 250's clay courts.

"The level was so far from what it should be," he said of his display on Sunday. "Probably the energy too. It has been a long week with long matches. Even if my body, I don't have damage, that's important — but mentally and physically, I am not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches."

What a week @RafaelNadal ?@NordeaOpen | #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/cToTp6oC9z

After beating fifth seed Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Thursday, Nadal won three-set marathons against fourth seed Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic over the next two days. Those battles appeared to take their toll on Sunday, when Nadal was flat against Borges.

A four-tournament week on the ATP Tour featured #NextGenATP Arthur Fils winning the biggest title of his career in Hamburg, Matteo Berrettini lifting his second clay ATP 250 trophy of the year, and Marcos Giron and Nuno Borges clinching their maiden tour-level crowns.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Monday, 22 July.

No. 20 Arthur Fils, +8 (Career High)
French #NextGenATP star Fils has jumped into the Top 20 for the first time after charging to his maiden ATP 500 crown at the Hamburg Open. A year after reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 500, the 20-year-old went two better by defeating Sebastian Baez and 2023 champion Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals and final, respectively. Fils is the third man this century to win the Hamburg title before the age of 21, after Roger Federer and Lorenzo Musetti.

No. 38 Marcos Giron, +8 (Career High)
Playing the best tennis of his career at the age of 30, Marcos Giron clinched his first tour-level title after coming back from the brink in the Infosys Hall of Fame Open championship match. The American saved championship point against his countryman Alex Michelsen to clinch the trophy in Newport, and has risen eight spots to a career-high No. 38 as a result.

No. 42 Nuno Borges, +9 (Career High)
Nuno Borges dropped just one set across five matches to earn his first tour-level crown at the Nordea Open in Bastad. Tennis royalty stood between the 27-year-old and the trophy in the final, but Borges eased past Rafael Nadal to become just the second ATP Tour singles champion from Portugal. After his title run, he has risen nine spots to a career-high No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Pickleball, a fast-growing sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, has its own unique set of terms. Here's a guide to some common pickleball terms: Basic TermsServeThe initial hit to start a point, must be made underhand and below the waist.Server: The player who initiates the serve.RallyContinuous play of the ball betw...

“I see this guy, sleeveless t-shirt, only one racquet, and I say, ‘Who is this guy? He’s in the quarter-finals with me? No chance I am going to lose to him!’”

Andrey Rublev has a distinct and hilarious memory of meeting Daniil Medvedev for the first time. Though it is a funny story now, it was not all laughs for a slightly skeptical Rublev back then. Instead it was tears, the 26-year-old revealed in ATP Tour’s latest ‘Best Friends’ feature.

The fan favourites also discussed heartfelt moments such as each other’s best qualities, why they are best friends and their biggest wish for each other. And then get ready to laugh again when they share their funniest moment together!

Watch the full video above for a behind-the-scenes look into Mevedev and Rublev’s longtime friendship and hear what career they would like to pursue if it were not for tennis.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

It was an upset-filled Wednesday at the Nordea Open, bookended with the top two seeds falling.

Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante earned his biggest career win in the last match of the day, stunning World No. 8 and defending champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4. Thiago Monteiro opened the day by ousting second seed and 2021 titlist Casper Ruud.

The 23-year-old Tirante, No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, responded to Rublev’s firepower with heavy hitting of his own to claim his first Top 20 win and reach his maiden tour-level quarter-final. 

"I think I played a great match," Tirante said. "This is the first match I've played with so many people, so I was very nervous. It was my first meeting against a Top 10 [player].

"I'm very happy to play my best tennis here. I didn't have good weeks before and this is the best of my life, so I will remember Sweden forever."

Several #NextGenATP stars continued to impress on the ATP Tour in recent months, with Arthur Fils and Shang Juncheng earning standout results.

ATPTour.com looks at those in contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held from 18-22 December in Jeddah.

View PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Fils makes major breakthrough
Arthur Fils achieved his best result at a major earlier this month at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round for the first time. The 20-year-old moved past Dominic Stricker and Hubert Hurkacz before he survived in five sets against Roman Safiullin.

Fils also enjoyed quarter-final runs at ATP 500 events in Barcelona and Halle in recent months, while he lifted the ATP Challenger Tour title at the 175 event in Bordeaux.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) announced on Wednesday a revamped Hall of Fame Open, including ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125-level tournaments.

Scheduled for 6-13 July 2025, the Hall of Fame Open will become just the second combined men’s and women’s 125-level event in the United States. It will be the only grass-court stop on the Hologic WTA Tour outside of Europe, and the first women’s professional tournament at the ITHF since the Virginia Slims of Newport concluded in 1990. Equal prize money will be awarded to both the men’s and women’s draws. 

“The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a global representation of the sport, and there is no better way to reflect that worldwide impact than to welcome women’s professional tennis back to Newport,” said Hall of Fame Open Tournament Director Brewer Rowe. “We are pleased to welcome the Hologic WTA Tour in concert with our ATP partners and are thrilled to provide fans with double the tennis starting next summer.”

“Elite tennis has been a part of Newport's history since 1881. The 2025 Hall of Fame Open represents the next exciting chapter in the International Tennis Hall of Fame's rich history of honouring the sport,” stated ITHF CEO Dan Faber. “Our distinctive venue and traditions will continue to deliver an exceptional experience for tennis fans in New England.” 

Both the ATP Challenger and WTA 125 draws will consist of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The WTA event will feature an 8-player qualifying draw, with a 24-player qualifying draw for the Challenger Tour event . Matches will be played on five courts simultaneously for at least four days of action.

#NextGenATP Alex Michelsen is aiming to go one step further than last year's runner-up finish at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open, where on Tuesday the third seed defeated 2022 champion Maxime Cressy 6-4, 6-4.

Seeded at an ATP Tour event for the first time, the 19-year-old began his Newport campaign in the same way he did in 2023: beating countryman Cressy, though Michelsen received a first-round bye this year.

Michelsen, World No. 61 in the PIF ATP Rankings, broke Cressy's serve to love at 3-3 in both sets and fended off the two break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to improve to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the 27-year-old.

"I really like that I didn't get my serve broken. A couple tight service games, he played a couple really good return games and I was able to weasel out," said Michelsen. "Really fortunate to get out of this one four and four. Max is a very tough out on grass. Really happy with the win."

Into his fourth quarter-final of the year, Michelsen next faces another American: Aleksandar Kovacevic, who overcame seventh seed Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

In a battle of former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Hamad Medjedovic 7-6(6), 6-3 on Wednesday to earn a debut win at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The top-seeded Greek saved four set points in the first set — three from 0/40 at 4-5 and another at 5/6 in the tie-break — but managed to snatch the opener before claiming the second set behind the lone break of the match.

"Hamad played great today," Tsitsipas said of the 2023 Jeddah champion. "From the start of the match it was difficult for me to figure it out. He put out a great effort to put me in trouble."

First W in Gstaad for @steftsitsipas ??

No. 1 seed Tsisipas takes the win with an ace over Medjedovic 7-6(6) 6-3@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/LOYkK5CoP3

Tsitsipas saved all five break points against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and raised his level as the match wore on to improve to 22-1 in opening rounds on clay since the start of 2021.

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud are giving the fans what they want at the Nordea Open, and the show will go on in Bastad after the popular doubles team escaped a dramatic quarter-final match on Wednesday.

The Spanish-Norwegian duo pulled out a 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 victory against Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin, saving a match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break before winning three straight points to close out the result. A backhand volley winner from Nadal put an exclamation point on a quality final exchange that was emblematic of the level of the match as a whole.

"I think we had some fun," Nadal said. "It has been an emotional match at the end, a good level of tennis against two good players. We enjoy it and the crowd was amazing, a full crowd in a doubles match, that's fantastic. Just enjoying every single day here."

The pair dominated on second serve in the victory, winning 63 per cent (12/19) of those points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Both teams broke serve twice.

"When you cannot win singles you have to try to win doubles," joked Ruud, who lost his opening singles match 6-3, 6-3 to Thiago Monteiro earlier on Wednesday. "It was not the best beginning of the day but a very nice way to finish the day for me.

"Winning alongside Rafa was a special doubles today. We saved a match point so a bit lucky, and we look forward to the next match."

Alexander Zverev enjoyed a comfortable first-round win at the Hamburg Open Wednesday but conceded that he continues to manage pain in his left knee resulting from a nasty fall at Wimbledon.

The World No. 4, who overextended his knee during a slip and fall in a third-round win over Cameron Norrie at the grass-court major, dropped just seven points on his first serve and did not face a break point in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Jesper de Jong.

"I was still unsure this morning if I was going to play or not and during the warm-up I was in quite a lot of pain," said Zverev, who has a bone edema and tear in the capsule of his knee. "But somehow when I step on this court it disappears a little bit when the adrenaline gets going.

"I have an injury where I know where I stand and it will take time to heal. It won't heal in the next few days, it will take weeks and it's up to me if I am going to play like that or not."

Making a successful transition from his fourth-round run at Wimbledon to the clay on home soil in Germany, the defending champion collected his 41st match win of the season and improved to 12-1 in first-round outings this season.

The ATP has announced a multi-year global partnership with Fitline, the premium sports nutrition brand. Fitline becomes the Official Sports Nutrition Partner and Official Energy Bar Partner of the ATP Tour through 2026.

Fitline’s premium range of products are designed for athletic performance and to support energy as well as immune function. The global brand, developed and distributed exclusively by PM-International, offers a variety of supplements that can be tailored to meet individual needs.

Through the new partnership, Fitline will receive global exposure across the ATP Tour's social, editorial and digital channels. It underscores the partners’ shared commitment to supporting athletic performance and clean sport, and builds on Fitline's partnership portfolio in professional sport, spanning athlete ambassadors and governing bodies.

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Fitline to the ATP Tour’s partner roster. The synergies between our brands are evident, with both organisations dedicated to optimising athletic performance. This partnership reflects the ATP Tour's appeal to global partners and our strength in engaging fans digitally.”

Rolf Sorg, PM-International CEO, added: “Through our partnership with the ATP Tour, we are proud that our sports nutrition is now represented on one of the largest stages in global professional sports. We’re excited to connect with tennis fans worldwide and continue sharing our passion to support professional and amateur sports in the community.”