Jarry Chases Down First Title In Båstad

In his third ATP Tour championship match, Nicolas Jarry made a significant breakthrough at the Swedish Open on Sunday.

The 23-year-old defeated Juan Ignacio Londero 7-6(7), 6-4 to earn his first tour-level trophy in Båstad, landing 10 aces and converting both break points he created to triumph in 90 minutes. Jarry did not drop a set en route to the trophy in his maiden appearance at the clay-court ATP 250 event, improving on previous career-best runner-up finishes in Sao Paulo last year and Geneva in May.

“It is amazing. I am really happy for [the title],” said Jarry. “It was a really tough match… Juan Ignacio was playing great. There was a lot of wind and I couldn’t manage to play as well as the other days, but [with] titles, you have to win them as you can and I am really happy to be able to pull this one off.”

Jarry produced his best tennis on Swedish west coast to improve to 19-15 at tour-level in 2019, powering past Henri Laaksonen, home favourite Mikael Ymer, Jeremy Chardy and Federico Delbonis before overcoming Londero for the first time. In February, Londero defeated Jarry in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter during his title run at the inaugural Cordoba Open.

Jarry joins his grandfather, Jaime Fillol Sr., as an tour-level titlist. Fillol Sr. lifted six tour-level trophies between 1971 and 1982, including four crowns on clay, and reached a career-high No. 14 in the ATP Rankings in 1974.

“I had some chances back in Geneva and I think this time it went to my side. I am extremely happy. I have been working for this for a long time and it really means a lot. We are a big team back home and I really appreciate everybody that has been behind me for a long time.”

Jarry made a quick start to his third tour-level championship match, breaking Londero to love with depth on his return en route to a 3-0 lead. The Chilean failed to maintain his advantage, dropping serve in the fifth game of the match with a forehand unforced error, and soon found himself facing two set points at 4/6 down in the tie-break. But Jarry raised his level under pressure, increasing his aggression in all areas to overpower his opponent, converting his first set point with his sixth ace of the match.

The Santiago-born star made the crucial breakthrough at 3-3 in the second set with powerful play, stepping inside the court to extract errors from his opponent. Jarry maintained his composure from that point, taking the title on his second match point with a familiar combination. After a powerful first serve out wide, the Chilean fired a forehand into the corner before falling to his knees in celebration.

Londero was aiming to double his ATP Tour trophy count, after earning his first crown at the Cordoba Open in February. The 25-year-old has earned 18 wins from 30 tour-level clashes this year.

Jarry collects 250 ATP Ranking points and €90,390 in prize money. Londero gains 150 points and €48,870.