The sensation is perfect! The 16-year-old German tennis youngster Justin Engel surprisingly celebrated his first tournament victory at the M15 tournament in Villach, Austria. In the final, Engel gave no chance to a real DTB scare.
Justin Engel fought for every meter for 2:05 hours before he used his first match point and completed the greatest triumph of his young career. Particularly noteworthy: Engel, who started the week as number 1237 in the world rankings, beat the top-seeded Swiss Jérôme Kym (number 478 in the world rankings) in the final.
The 21-year-old Kym, who won 22 of 29 games in 2024, had previously eliminated DTB professional Patrick Zahraj in the quarter-finals and the German talent Tom Gentzsch in the semi-finals. Both are well ahead of Engel in the ATP rankings.
However, the Swiss always had problems with his own serve against the German newcomer. Engel, on the other hand, scored the point in 43 out of 53 cases when he was able to bring the first player into the field. A circumstance that was ultimately not diminished by a whopping eight double faults (4 aces).
The first step to the top has been taken
Engel had previously only won two tournaments at youth level: in 2023 he won in Hamburg (J100), followed by a title in Oberhaching (J200) in 2024. In 2023 he was also crowned U16 European champion in the final against Finnish Linus Lagerbohm in Parma.
For his victory in Villach, Engel also received ten world ranking points, which will bring him close to the top 1000.
It is of course clear that the success at the small tournament in Austria does not mean that Engel has his eyes on the world’s best – but it is definitely a first, important step. Especially since a win against a player from the top 400 of the ranking impressively underlines what is possible for the young German.
2024-05-18 14:30:00
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