Ymer Survives Face Plant Match Point In Bordeaux

#NextGen star Elias Ymer survived a dramatic finish to his second-round match on Wednesday at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bordeaux, France, surviving a face plant that forced him to serve underhand and a match point to advance past Roberto Carballes Baena, 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-6 (7).

Serving with a match point at 6-5 in the third-set tie-break, Ymer tripped while running to the net and face planted on the court, later revealing that he fell on his chest and couldn’t breathe properly. After taking a medical timeout, he lost the next point while serving underhand after the Spaniard hit an overhead winner. Carballes Baena had the match on his racquet serving at 7-6, but was unable to take advantage and sent a forehand long. Ymer earned another match point at 7-7 by hitting a forehand winner and then fired another forehand winner on the next point, raising his arms in triumph after his comeback victory.

“These are the moments I play tennis for,” said Ymer. “Everything was like a dream. The crowd was epic.”

Ymer advanced to his fourth ATP Challenger Tour quarter-final of 2016 with the win and is looking for his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the year, having prevailed last month in Barletta, Italy. Next up for the teenager is qualifier Jonathan Eysseric.