Teen Djokovic Wins 1st Title at ATP AmersfoortPosted on July 24, 2006 Third-seeded Novak Djokovic captured his maiden ATP title in his first final at the Dutch Open Tennis in Amersfoort on Sunday. The 19-year-old did not drop a set at the championship and beat No. 4 seed Nicolas Massu 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 41 minutes.
Djokovic became the sixth first time winner of the 2006 ATP season, joining Jarkko Nieminen (Auckland), Andy Murray (San Jose), Radek Stepanek (Rotterdam), Luis Horna (Acapulco), Nicolas Almagro (Valencia) and Daniele Bracciali (Casablanca). The Serbian was also the third teenage ATP winner, alongside Murray and Nadal -- a winner in Dubai, ATP Masters Series Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and ATP Masters Series Rome in 2006. Massu, the 2003 champion, fought back from a 4-1 first set deficit to force a tie-break, which Djokovic claimed in one hour and 29 minutes. Djokovic broke the Massu serve on two of five opportunities in the second set and finished the match having won 29 of 38 points on first serve with nine aces and three doubles faults. Massu was looking for his seventh title in his 14th career final. This season the 26-year-old has won at Costa do Sauipe (d. A. Martin) in February and finished runner-up in Vina del Mar (l. to Acasuso) and Casablanca (l to. Bracciali), Djokovic may rise to a career-high No. 26 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings on Monday, from his current position of No. 36. He started the year ranked No. 78, and now holds a 24-11-match record with one semifinal in Zagreb and quarterfinals at Rotterdam and Roland Garros. -- ATP |
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