Canada's Gabriel Diallo captured his first ATP Tour title at the Libema Open in the Netherlands on Sunday.
The 23-year-old from Montreal defeated Belgium's Zizou Bergs 7-5, 7-6 (8).
In what was a tight, back-and-forth second set, Diallo was down 6-4 in the tiebreaker before pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. He got three straight points from then on before eventually taking the win.
“Oh man, I don’t have the words. It’s something that you dream of for your whole life since you were a little kid, to get an ATP Tour title,” Diallo said in his on-court interview. “The fact that I was able to do it here after losing a final last year, it just means the world to me.
"I’m very happy, not only for myself but for my whole team.”
Diallo, who is ranked 55th in the world, had nine aces and two double faults. He won 76 per cent of points on first serve and converted his lone break-point attempt.
It was just Diallo's second career final after finishing runner-up at the Almaty Open in October.
The six-foot-eight Diallo was the first Canadian men’s singles finalist in event history.
He's projected to rise to a career-high 44th overall with the victory.
For now, Diallo is set to take his momentum into Wimbledon, where he appears likely to make his main-draw debut after missing qualifying in each of the past two years.
Diallo also reach the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open last month before falling in the second round of the French Open.
Wimbledon, the iconic grass-court major, is set to begin June 30. Diallo will first compete at London's HSBC Queen's Club Championships beginning Monday, where he will face England's Billy Harris in the Round of 32.
--with files from The Canadian Press
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