Lopez San Martin gathering steam after winning eighth ITF title

Former junior world No. 11 Alvaro Lopez San Martin appears to be putting a slow start to the 2021 season behind him after collecting his eighth singles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour. 

The 23-year-old Spaniard (a former Wimbledon boys’ singles quarter-finalist) had failed to surpass the second round at a tournament this year before reaching the quarter-finals at M25 Angers in late April, but he kicked on another gear last week - denying French teenager Kyrian Jacquet his first career singles title in the final at M15 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

A fan of grass, Lopez San Martin appears supremely confident on clay - defeating Jacquet 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 7-5 in the final to collect his eighth ITF clay court crown.

Elsewhere, Chile’s Bastian Malla won his 10th ITF singles title (all of which have come on clay) after defeating Jack Pinnington Jones 4-6 6-1 6-2 in the final at M15 Cairo.

The 18-year-old Brit had won his first professional singles match in the first round and went on to reach the final, ultimately falling 4-6 6-1 6-2 despite a positive start.

Also a strong junior having reached a career-high No. 6 earlier this year, the tournament was the fifth of Pinnington Jones’ pro career, having made his debut on the ITF World Tennis Tour at M15 Sharm El Sheikh in February.

Jeroen Vanneste won his sixth ITF clay court singles title after overcoming Sandro Ehrat 6-4 6-3 in the final at M15 Antalya. The tournament triumph was the 27-year-old Belgian’s first since we won on home soil at M25 Lasne in July 2019.

The only hard court event of the week saw Lucas Catarina win his second title of the year at M15 Monastir.

The 24-year-old from Monaco, who had finished runner-up at M25 Angers the previous week, hit back in emphatic fashion on Tunisian soil – thumping Frenchman Benjamin Pietri 6-0 6-0 for his ninth ITF title.