Laslo Djere beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 7-5 to win his first ATP title at the Rio Open.
Djere dedicated the title to his parents, both of whom died from cancer.
"I lost my mom seven years ago so I want to dedicate this one to her," he said to wild applause from the crowd.
"And also to my dad, I lost him two months ago. My parents had the biggest impact on me and, because of them, I am who I am today. I hope they are watching me now."
The 23-year-old, ranked number 90 in the world coming into this tournament, broke twice in the decisive second set to beat Auger-Aliassime, who was the youngest man to reach an ATP 500 final.
Auger-Aliassime saved four match points before succumbing to the unseeded right-hander, who had not won a match on clay all season and had never beaten a top 10 rival until he arrived in Rio.
He hammered Dominic Thiem in the first round, however, and did not lose a set on his way to clinching the title in impressive style.
Djere broke Auger-Aliassime six times in the two-hour final and was commanding with both his powerful forehands and two-handed backhands.
"It’s been the week of my dreams," Djere added. "So many things have been achieved here. I’m really happy, excited and emotional now."
Auger-Aliassime became just the fourth teenager to reach the final of an ATP 500 event -- the 13 tournaments which rank just below the Masters series -- since the level was created in 2009.
Article and photo by Reuters
