First-Time Winners: Thiem, Istomin, Paire

Six players on the ATP World Tour earned their first titles in 2015. At the time of their victories, they ranged in age from 21 to 34. Below are stories of the last three winners and how they fared for the rest of the season.

Dominic Thiem – Nice [Thiem Spotlight] Austria’s Dominic Thiem vaulted up the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2015, cracking the Top 20 for the first time behind a trio of clay-court crowns. The 22 year old’s maiden title came in Nice, turning in a stunning run that included four wins over seeded opponents. Thiem outlasted fourth seed Leonardo Mayer 6-7(8), 7-5, 7-6(2) in two and a half hours in the final, after toppling John Isner in the semis and defending champion Ernests Gulbis in the quarters.

“It’s really, really special; the first title ever,” said Thiem. “It’s not only this. The match today was a really high level. Leonardo played outstanding and I was fighting until the end. I think it was one of the best matches I’ve ever played. The first title, I will remember it forever, so I will also remember forever Nice.”

Thiem would not stop there, registering a 14-1 stretch on clay with consecutive titles in Umag and Gstaad in late July. He became the first Austrian to win in Umag since former World No. 1 Thomas Muster in 1995 and the fourth player born in the 1990s to lift three ATP World Tour trophies. A second consecutive third round appearance at the US Open months later would propel Thiem to the Top 20 and a career-high position of World No. 18. The Gunter Bresnik pupil also reached his first quarter-final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level in Miami, upsetting 10th-seed Feliciano Lopez en route.

Denis Istomin – Nottingham [Istomin Spotlight] They say good things come to those who wait. For 29-year-old Denis Istomin, this couldn’t be closer to the truth. The World No. 61 survived a furious rally from Sam Querrey to capture his maiden ATP World Tour title on the lawns of Nottingham in late June. The Uzbek, who had been defeated in two previous finals in New Haven 2010 and San Jose 2012, was one of two players to save a match point en route to a title this year. He denied one in sneaking past Leonardo Mayer in the quarter-finals.

“I worked for it,” said Istomin. “I’m not coming here to win two rounds. I always come to try to win the tournament. I passed this step and will try to do the next step in going up in the [Emirates ATP] Rankings. In the (second set) tie-break, I forgot about the score and I just tried to play and fight. In the end it worked… It would have been unprofessional from my side to lose from 5-2.”

The first player from Uzbekistan to hoist a trophy on the ATP World Tour, Istomin also added a 10th title on the ATP Challenger Tour in his penultimate event of the year. He became the sixth player to win on both circuits with a title run on home soil in Tashkent.

Istomin won his third ATP World Tour doubles title as well, prevailing alongside Aliaksandr Bury in Gstaad.

Benoit Paire – Bastad [Paire Spotlight] The 2015 Comeback Player of the Year in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moet & Chandon was France’s Benoit Paire. The 26 year old became the first player to win titles on the ATP World Tour, ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures circuit in a single season since Steve Darcis in 2006, claiming his maiden tour-level title on the clay of Bastad in late July. A 7-6(7), 6-3 victory over Tommy Robredo in the final secured the trifecta.

“It’s a perfect week,” said Paire. “The conditions today were not easy, but I’m really happy to win against Tommy. He’s a very good player. To play against him in the final and to beat him is a dream, so I’m very happy. It was a lot of pressure, but I think I played well… I hope it’s not the last First-Time Winners: Thiem, Istomin, Paire for me.”

It did not take long for the Frenchman to regain his footing after struggling with knee issues in 2014. Arguably his greatest moment came at the US Open, where he shocked World No. 4 and last year’s runner-up Kei Nishikori in the opening round in five sets. It marked his third Top 10 win and first over a Top 5 opponent. In October, he fell short in his bid for second career title, losing to top seed Wawrinka in the Tokyo final. Paire enjoyed one of the biggest jumps inside the Top 50 of the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings, soaring 99 spots to a career-high World No. 19.