Teenagers prevailed at five of last week’s six men’s tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour in a week where youth overwhelmingly triumphed over experience.

Nineteen-year-olds Duje Ajdukoic, Carlos Gimeno Valero and Alexander Shevchenko, 18-year-old Jiri Lehecka and 17-year-old Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune were all winners over the weekend, while 33-year-old Igor Sijsling brought the average age of winners up by claiming his second title of the year at M25+h Plaisir.

Rune, the youngest of the troop, was rewarded for his grit and determination as he won four of his five matches in three-sets before claiming his first professional singles title at M25 Klosters.

Taken the distance in all of his encounters up until the title match, the Dane enjoyed a smoother ride in the final as he defeated Dutchman Jesper De Jong 6-4 6-2 to claim his maiden title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

A former junior world No. 1 and boys’ champion at Roland Garros in 2019, Rune is enjoying a strong transition to the professional game. He reached the quarter-finals at M15 Porec in March before the suspension of professional tennis halted his progress, and immediately reached the semi-finals at M25 Vogau on the Tour’s return in August.

Czech Lehecka and Russian Shevchenko also won their first professional titles. Lehecka prevailed on home soil at M25 Prague, defeating another promising teenager and former junior world No. 1, Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, 19, in the final.

Shevchenko’s milestone triumph came in Tunisia, where he defeated Austria’s David Pichler in the final at M15 Monastir.

Meanwhile, Croatia’s Ajdukoic won his fourth ITF title – and second of the year – on Romanian soil at M15 Curtea de Arges. Ajdukoic now has four career titles to his name – all of which have come at ITF level on clay.

Spaniard Carlos Gimeno Valero won the title at M15 Sintra - his third career singles title and first of the year - after beating Germany’s Sebastian Fanselow on Portuguese soil.