Frenchman Adrian Mannarino won the third title of his career at the age of 35, beating 18-year-old American hopeful Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the ATP 250 tournament on grass in Newport, Rhode Island.
This title, his first for almost a year and his victory at Winston Salem in August 2022, crowns a convincing grass campaign for the 38th in the world – final in Mallorca, quarter-final in Queens and ‘s-Hertogenbosch – and will allow him to climb to 27th place on Monday in the new ATP ranking. The French N.1 will no longer be far from the best rank ever reached in his career: the 22nd, in March 2019.
The final between the French N.1 and the 19th American (190th in the world before the tournament) quickly turned in favor of the oldest and highest ranked, who took his opponent’s serve twice in a first set won with a bang 6-2 in less than 28 minutes.
Michelsen, then taking more initiative, reacted early in the second set, taking Mannarino’s serve to lead 2-0 thanks to a powerful backhand return winner on his first break point. But from the next game, thanks to a backhand passing after a very long rally, it was Mannarino’s turn to steal the American’s serve.
After a short interruption to allow the evacuation of a spectator who was unwell, the game resumed, and Mannarino obtained his first break points at 4 games everywhere. He converted the third, with a deep return, to lead 5 games to 4 and finish the match victoriously on his serve.
If Mannarino won the third title of his long career in his thirteenth final, Michelsen will not become at 18 years, 10 months and 28 days the youngest winner of an ATP tournament in 2023.
This record remains in the hands of Frenchman Arthur Fils, winner in Lyon on May 27, at 18 years, 11 months and 16 days. But the American teenager will still make a big leap in the rankings: his place as a finalist in Newport, the first of his career, will allow him to move from 190th to 140th in the world on Monday.
