PHOTOS: Newport Tennis Splendor, Hall of Fame Inductions and Big Win
GoLocalProv Sports Team
PHOTOS: Newport Tennis Splendor, Hall of Fame Inductions and Big Win
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On Sunday, Marcos Giron won his first ATP Tour title, defeating Alex Michelsen 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 to claim the Hall of Fame Open in Newport.
He saved match point with an ace at 4-5, 30/40 in the deciding set and clinched victory with his 13th ace of the match.
"Better late than never. We'll take it!" Giron said after the win. "There are so many people I can thank and couldn't be more lucky to have them in my life. Family, coaches, friends. For this, it's really special for me but also for all their help and support though the years."
Of the four semi-finalists, he was by far the shortest at 5'10."
Michelsen is listed at 6'4"— the two semi-finalist losers on Saturday, Chris Eubanks is 6'7", and Reilly Opelka is 6'11".
The 30-year-old was a tennis star at UCLA and has battled back from injuries.
Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes on Saturday became the first Asian men to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as contributors and players, respectively. But for India, their enshrinement into the most prestigious tennis club means so much more.
Among the fellow Hall of Famers were Andre Agassi, Chris Evert, and Maria Navratilova.
Agassi put on a clinic on Saturday with some local tennis players.
Biggest News
On Wednesday, it was announced that professional tennis will return to Newport in 2025 as the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) announced a revamped Hall of Fame Open, including ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125 level tournaments.
Scheduled for July 6-13, 2025, the Hall of Fame Open will become just the second combined men’s and women’s 125 level event in the United States. It will be the only grass court stop on the Hologic WTA Tour outside of Europe, and the first women’s professional tournament at the ITHF since the Virginia Slims of Newport concluded in 1990. Equal prize money will be awarded to both the men’s and women’s draws.
