French 22-year-old Luca Van Assche captured his first ATP Tour title on Sunday at the Millennium Estoril Open, edging Belgian teenager Alexander Blockx 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a gripping final that swung back and forth for over two and a half hours.
The match was a tale of momentum shifts from the opening game. Van Assche, who entered the week ranked 78th, started aggressively and earned an immediate break, but promptly surrendered his own serve as five consecutive games went against the server in the first set. The Frenchman regained control by breaking for a third time — this time to love — consolidating for 4-2 and eventually closing out the opener 6-4 after 43 minutes.
The second set appeared to be following a similar script when Van Assche broke early for a 2-0 lead against a visibly fatigued Blockx, who had fought through a near three-hour semifinal against Luciano Darderi the night before. But the match turned on a single stunning point: Van Assche, with the entire court open after retrieving a drop shot, played his reply too centrally, allowing Blockx to lob him perfectly. The Frenchman lost his composure, committing three consecutive unforced errors, and Blockx reeled off five straight games to seize the set 6-4.