The Portuguese tennis player Frederico Silva won this Sunday, in Chennai, the first title of his career on the ATP Challenger Tourby defeating Argentine Federico Agustin Gomez in the final of the Indian tournament, 6-4, 6-7 (10-12) and 6-4, in a balanced match and decided only on the seventh match point, after around three hours.
The player from Caldas da Rainha, then 255th in the world rankings and sixth seed, started the match better and secured the first partial safely, but was unable to close the match in the second set, despite having been in advantage several times. In the tie-break, the opponent resisted and forced the decision into an intense third set, in which Silva once again took the initiative, although he only confirmed the victory after wasting six meeting points.
In the end, in statements to the Lusa agency, the Portuguese showed relief at achieving a long-pursued objective: “It was a title I had been looking for for some time. I had already managed to play in some finals and some I had lost in three sets, so I had already come close to this first trophy.”
The tennis player also acknowledged the recent difficulties in his career, marked by several injuries: “Obviously, in recent years, with the breaks I’ve had, I’ve moved a little further away from this type of encounter and, now, I’m very pleased to have reached the final and to have finally achieved my first title.”
Silva also explained the course of the meeting: “I started the match very well, I played a very good first set. In the second set, which was always more on my side, it was difficult for me to close, also due to the merit of my opponent, who played well in the important moments, in the ‘match points’ he saved.” Regarding the decision, he added: “I tried my best to clear my head for the third set and return to being faithful to my tactics. Fortunately, I managed to gain an advantage again, I couldn’t close on the first ‘match points’, when I was serving at 5-3, but I remained positive, resilient and with confidence. I ended up managing to make the ‘break’ at 5-4 and close out the match.”
The triumph, achieved in the fifth final played at this competitive level, earned him 50 ATP points and should allow him to climb the world hierarchy, in addition to making him the 13th Portuguese tennis player to win a challenger tournament. With no time for prolonged celebrations, the player is now heading to New Delhi, where he will participate in a new tournament on the same circuit, seeking to take advantage of the confidence gained in an important phase of the season.
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