#NextGenATP Tsitsipas Qualifies For Wimbledon

#NextGenATP player Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to his first main draw at Wimbledon after surviving a marathon final-round qualifying match on Thursday against Joris De Loore of Belgium 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Three other #NextGenATP players also qualified, including American Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev of Russia and Christian Garin of Chile.

“I’ve never felt so happy before in my life. I’m really tired right now, but this happiness is something I can’t describe,” said Tsitsipas. “It’s been my dream since childhood to compete at Wimbledon. I had my family here supporting me the whole match, so it felt like I was playing at home.”

The 18 year old, currently No. 190 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw last month at Roland Garros. He also successfully came through qualifying at an ATP World Tour event for the first time this April in Istanbul.

Fritz, seeded 21^st, stormed past Vincent Millot of France 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. The 19 year old didn’t face a break point in the contest and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points to prevail in one hour and 33 minutes.

“I feel great. It’s one of the best matches I’ve played in a long time and I’m really happy to get through it,” said Fritz. “I get another chance to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam. I’ve had a lot of chances and I truly want to win one.”

Fritz has enjoyed success in 2017, scoring his first win over a player inside the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings by defeating Marin Cilic at the BNP Paribas Open.

Rublev, seeded fifth, came through a lengthy tussle against former Top 15 player and 20^th seed Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(11), 6-4. The 19 year old saved three set points in the third-set tie-break. Rublev has been in top form on grass this season, reaching his first ATP World Tour quarter-final last week in Halle. He also came through qualifying and reached the second round at the Australian Open before losing to World No. 1 Andy Murray.

Garin won the longest match on Thursday, outlasting Aussie John-Patrick Smith 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 4-6, 12-10 in three hours 39 minutes. The win puts the 21 year old into his first Grand Slam main draw.

Two notorious Wimbledon upset stories, 11^th seed Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine and Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic, also qualified. Stakhovsky, who defeated Roger Federer in 2013, defeated Tatsuma Ito of Japan 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-7(6), 6-4, 8-6. Rosol, who stunned Rafael Nadal in 2012, moved past eighth seed Darian King of Barbados 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Other players who also reached their first Grand Slam main draw on Thursday include Sebastian Ofner of Austria and Stefano Travaglia of Italy.

The qualifiers will find out their fate in the main draw when the singles and doubles draw ceremony is held on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.