Stefanos Tsitsipas crowned as champion at Millennium Estoril Open

The 20-yearls-old greek got his first ever ATP clay court championship in Portugal.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the great singles champion at Millennium Estoril Open 2019. The world number 10 beat lucky loser Pablo Cuevas 6-3 and 7-6 (4) in the final and confirmed his first seed status.

Winner in Stockholm (2018) and Marseille (already this year), both in indoor hard courts, Tsitsipas was weeking his career’s first clay court title – precisely the surface where he made his debut in a final of ATP events (nearly a year ago in Barcelona) – and ended up lifting the sought-after trophy after one hour and 45 minutes.

After three matches where his serve was noticeably vulnerable, Stefanos Tsitsipas was finally  capable of enhancing the level of that shot and rarely allowing Pablo Cuevas to bother him. Nevertheless, the uruguain veteran managed to get back to the discussion taking advantage of the first break point at his disposal to equalize 4-4 and later on ahead at 5-4 where he wasted a set point.

But that didn’t seem to intimidate Tsitsipas, whom held on tight to his serve, recovering his confidence and give it all in the tie-break: in a blink of an eye, he was 6-1 ahead. The best greek tennis player of all time couldn’t finish the match in any of the first three attempts, but made it in the fourth. From his chair, the renowned Brazilian referee Carlos Bernardes announced the “game, set and match” that Tsitsipas was wishing for. By that time, he was already lying on the clay of Estádio Millennium Open, completely packed.

First championship on clay court, second of the year, third in his career. Stefanos Tsitsipas has had the time of his life here at Clube de Ténis do Estoril, where in 2018 he had reached the semis, joining the more and more prestigious list of champions in the only ATP tournament in Portugal.

Pablo Cuevas, in turn, says goodbye to Portugal one the tenth ATP final in his curriculum, and now has a 6-4 record (the last title being two years ago in São Paulo). Despite not winning the trophy, the 33-year-old uruguaian can brag himself of being the author of the point of the tournament and highly likely the point of the year: check it out here.