Kevin Anderson beat 20-year-old American Jenson Brooksby 7-6(8) 6-4 to win the Hall of Fame Open.
The 35-year-old South African on Sunday captured his seventh ATP tour title, his first for the reason that Maharashtra Open at Pune in January 2019.
“I guess I’m towards the end, but I’m definitely really motivated to keep going,” he mentioned to the gang on centre court docket after accepting a trophy.
Anderson is coming off knee surgical procedure final 12 months.
“It’s been quite a road, a lot of injuries, surgeries,” he mentioned.
“Winning a title definitely means a lot.”
Brooksby, the second youngest finalist within the event’s 45-year historical past, performed in his first ATP last.
This is when the laborious work pays off 🏆
Pure delight for @OkAndersonATP as he clinches his seventh title 🙌
🎥: @TennisTV | @TennisHalloFame pic.twitter.com/G2J7EzMuOp
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 18, 2021
Greg Rusedski, then 19-years-old, was the youngest when he gained the 1993 title on Newport’s grass courts, the one tourney performed on grass in North America.
The event is held along with enshrinement ceremonies into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The match lasted 2 hours, 11 minutes, ending when Brooksby hit a forehand return into the web on the second match level.
Anderson raised his arms, then walked to a nook of the court docket and into the primary row of seats behind a baseline the place he hugged his spouse, Kelsey.
Anderson, a wild-card entrant and the eighth seed, trailed 5-2 within the tiebreaker earlier than rallying to take a 7-6 lead, his first of the tiebreak.
His slicing ace made it 9-8 earlier than he despatched a backhand winner down the road to shut the set.
“I was able to win some big points on my serve,” he mentioned.
Anderson, a 2018 Wimbledon finalist, broke within the first sport of the second set. He blended up his serves, altering from laborious, at occasions, to a slicing one to maintain the fan favourite, Brooksby, off steadiness.
It was the most important age differential in a last within the tourney’s historical past.
