Norway's Budkov Kjaer wins first pro title at M15 Antalya
Norway's Nicolai Budkov Kjaer won his first ITF World Tennis Tour singles title on Sunday, on the clay at M15 Antalya in Turkiye.
Budkov Kjaer, 17, became the youngest Norwegian man to win an ITF World Tennis Tour singles title since Casper Ruud won Spain F3 Futures in February 2016.
The teenager was competing in just his third ITF World Tennis Tour event, winning the tournament without dropping a set, defeating Dutchman Niels Visker 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
Budkov Kjaer reached the boys’ singles semifinals at the Australian Open in January, only losing to eventual champion Rei Sakamoto.
The Norwegian is still ranked as the junior world No. 4, but has reached the semifinals and won the title at two of his first three ITF World Tennis Tour events.
Budkov Kjaer made his senior tennis debut in the Davis Cup back in September in a World Group I tie against Peru, before representing Norway again in a World Group I Play-off against Latvia.
He then made his ITF World Tennis Tour debut at M15 Villena in Spain in February, falling in the first round and reaching the semifinals in two events there.
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Budkov Kjaer is competing in another M15 event in Antalya this week as he looks to build on his form.
He started the week at No. 1301 in the ATP rankings, but will be ranked inside the world’s Top 1000 for the first time come the next rankings update on Monday.
Elsewhere, Jakub Nicod won his fourth title of 2024, and first at M25 level, on the hard courts at M25 Trnava in Slovakia.
The Czech jointly leads the men’s ITF World Tennis Tour for singles titles in 2024 with three other men, Dmitry Popko, Filip Cristian Jianu, and Jaime Faria.
Nicod, 19, is now the sixth Czech man to win six or more ITF World Tennis Tour singles titles as a teenager.
Lautaro Midon won a second title in as many weeks at M15 Bragado in his native Argentina, after winning M15 Punta del Este in Uruguay on 24 March.
After winning just two matches in his first five events in 2024, the 20-year-old is now on a 10-match win streak after claiming back-to-back titles.
On the women’s tour, junior world No. 1 Renata Jamrichova matched Budkov Kjaer in winning her first professional title.
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