Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Ignacio Buse became the first Peruvian to win on the ATP tour in 19 years as he battled past American Tommy Paul on Saturday in the Hamburg final. Buse joined Luis Horna, who won his second and last title in Chile in 2007, Pablo Arraya, who took one tournament, and Jaime Yzaga, who won eight, as ATP champions from Peru. Arraya was in the stands to watch Buse fight to a 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-3 victory.
“It’s the best feeling in my entire life for sure. I feel incredibly happy,” he said on court after the win. “I’m also really proud of Peru. It’s the best country in the world so I’m just so emotional now.”
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The match, in 30-degree Celsius heat, lasted three hours and three minutes on the Hamburg clay. The victory will lift the 22-year-old to 31st in the rankings ahead of his first match at Roland Garros, where he faces world No.13 Andrey Rublev in the opening round. Buse played two qualifying rounds to make the main draw in Hamburg. In the main draw, his victims included three top-30 players: Fabio Cobolli, ranked 12th, Jakub Mensik (28th) and finally Paul (26th).
In a closely contested final, Buse clinched the first set in a tie-break before hitting a dip in form at the start of the second. Paul seized the opportunity to level. In the second game of the third set, Buse let slip four break points before converting the fifth. He broke the American’s serve a second time to lead 5-1, before closing out the victory on his first match point.
“It’s fully emotional for my family,” said Buse, whose father Hans is a tennis coach and was in the crowd in Hamburg. “So many people involved that I cannot describe. This is for them and I feel extremely happy. It’s the best feeling in my entire life for sure.”
© 2024 AFP
