ATP Tour

Gea upsets Shapovalov to capture first ATP Tour title in Los Cabos

Five days ago, Arthur Gea arrived at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo having notched merely three tour-level victories.

On Saturday night at the ATP 250 event, the 21-year-old produced a composed performance to upset defending champion Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 and clinch his first ATP Tour title.

"I didn't know how I would win this week," Gea said during the trophy presentation. "I was really happy every day to win one more match, one more, then one more. And I have finished with a trophy, so it was an amazing week."

Competing in his first ATP Tour final, Gea embraced the moment without any nerves. After saving four break points at 2-2 in the opening set, the Frenchman applied pressure on Shapovalov’s serve and earned the decisive break at 4-3 before serving out the set. Gea carried that momentum into the second set, dictating with his shotmaking and court coverage while breaking early in the third game.

Although Shapovalov levelled at 3-3, the Frenchman responded immediately with another break and maintained his intensity to close out the victory in one hour and 29 minutes. The 21-year-old saved six of the seven break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. After converting his first championship point, Gea pointed to his team, then roared in joy, celebrating his milestone victory.

After defeating Soonwoo Kwon, Michael Zheng, third seed Francisco Cerundolo, Coleman Wong and Shapovalov to notch his first ATP Tour title, 21-year-old Gea became the sixth ATP Tour champion born in 2005 or later, joining Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, Rafael Jodar, and Shang Juncheng in that list.

The Frenchman needed three sets in each of his first three matches but found his best form as the week progressed. In the second round, Zheng led Gea by a set and had two break points at 4-4 in the second set. But the Frenchman survived and crafted his dream week.

Gea began the week at a career-high World No. 127 in the PIF ATP Rankings and will soar to No. 81 or No. 82 depending on an ATP Challenger result on Sunday. With his title triumph, the 21-year-old became the 11th first-time ATP Tour champion this season.

Despite the loss, Shapovalov can take confidence from his final run in Los Cabos as he now turns his attention to the National Bank Open presented by Rogers on home soil in Montreal, where he reached the semi-finals in 2017.

"Very happy to be back on court, healthy again," Shapovalov said. "A few weeks ago we didn't know if I would even be at this tournament. So to be back, playing at such a high level, is definitely very special."