At 21, Alen Avidzba lifted the second title of his career on the international circuit by winning the 30th edition of the Faro Open, tournament organized by the Tennis and Padel Center of Faro with the support of the City Council of Faro and the Portuguese Tennis Federation.
A day after benefiting from the withdrawal of the first seed, Mischa Zverev, when he was already leading 6-2 and 2-0, the world number 468 was authoritative from start to finish and overcame Frenchman Lucas Poullain (514th), by 6-2 and 6-2, in 1h17, in a final that categorically undid the opponent's consistency.
Effusive during much of the meeting, Alen Avidzba opted for a contained celebration, without raising his arms or shouting, when he converted the first match point — a gesture reminiscent of one that his compatriot, Daniil Medvedev, made famous with the high-caliber victories he has signed on larger stages.
“It wasn't because of him, but the truth is that he is a great inspiration”, revealed, between smiles, the tennis player born in Sóchi, who has been training in the South of France for several years.
“We've known each other for a long time and we've been training together for three years. Of course he's an inspiration because he plays unbelievable tennis. But today I did this celebration just because I didn't want to scream, I was happy inside”.
This Sunday's final, on the 30th Faro Open, was the first for Avidzba in over a year and a half. And that's why it was special: “I haven't played in a final for a long time, so it had a certain meaning. Before the date I told myself to face it as another date, I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, to enjoy the moment and time in the court. I already knew him well, as did a lot of the players, because we crossed paths in a lot of tournaments, so I knew more or less what to expect, as I'm sure he did. I focused on being intense at every point, from the first shot, and I think that made the difference.”
Lucas Poullain, in turn, acknowledged the opponent's merit: “He played incredible tennis and I had few opportunities because he was simply better, so today I have no regrets. Of course I didn't play my best tennis, but even so I'm very happy with this week”, revealed the Frenchman, who two years ago won, in Sintra, the first singles title of his career on the international circuit.
At the ceremony to hand over the trophies to the singles finalists, Professor José Rosa Nunes, president of the Tennis and Padel de Faro and director of Faro Open, referred to the importance of “holding” the 30th edition of the historic tournament: “We couldn't stop. Over these 30 years we have faced great difficulties and this year we were almost giving up, but the Portuguese Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Federation told us that it was important to keep the event, because there is a lack of tournaments around the world, and we are proud . We gained courage, we did the Faro Open in accordance with all the norms and requirements of the General Directorate of Health and we are pleased to have reached the end with the objective fulfilled. Faro it has kept the tradition and we are proud that this is the longest-running international tournament in Portugal”.
Custódio Moreno, regional director of the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth, also highlighted the importance of the event and congratulated the organization: “The Faro Open is of utmost importance. The Tennis and Padel Center of Faro Congratulations, because it has shown that it is possible to carry out, without violating and in accordance with all safety standards, an event of this size, which has a lot of quality and requires great organizational capacity. The IPDJ has done its duty, which is to provide the facilities with physical conditions, and the balance is naturally extremely positive”.
Also present at the ceremony was the mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, who once again showed his full support for the Faro Open: “We can divide the importance of this competition into two components: the economic and the sport's point of view. Even with the issue of the pandemic, which affects us all, it is important that sport remains active and that people can continue to practice individual sports. And that in training, practice is effective for young people”.
“The Tennis and Padel Center of Faro has managed to do this with great success, even now has more students than last year, and has done an excellent job in terms of motivating and expanding the practice of the sport. And in economic terms, these 12 days of tournament allowed for the catering and hospitality of Faro have some activity. I would like to emphasize that this was the 30th Faro Open, which demonstrates the strength with which the CTPF continues to work”, added the mayor.
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