Rising Greek tennis player Rafael Pagonis has advanced to the final of the Wimbledon U14 boys’ tournament, marking a major milestone in his young career.
The 13-year-old, currently ranked No 1 in Europe in the U14 category, defeated Russia’s Nikita Berdin, ranked 20th, in a three-set semifinal on Friday, winning 4-6, 6-2, 10-5.
After dropping the first set, Pagonis bounced back with a dominant second set and carried his momentum into the decisive 10-point tiebreak to clinch the match.
He faced Austria’s Moritz Freitag, the European No 2, in Saturday’s final but fell to Moritz Freitag in a thrilling upset, 6-4, 1-6, 4-10 (match tiebreak). Both players showcased immense potential, signaling bright futures ahead.
Pagonis started strong, breaking Freitag’s serve to lead 1-0. In the second game, he saved three break points to hold serve, extending his lead to 2-0. Despite Freitag fending off a second break point to make it 2-1, Pagonis stayed composed. He nearly sealed the first set in the ninth game, but Freitag erased a set point to hold for 5-4. Undeterred, Pagonis clinched the set 6-4 in the tenth game.
The second set saw Freitag dominate. After Pagonis leveled the score at 1-1, Freitag won five consecutive games, including two breaks, to take the set 6-1, forcing a match tiebreak. There, Freitag surged to a 4-0 lead. Pagonis fought back to 4-1 and 6-2, but Freitag’s momentum was unstoppable. He earned seven championship points at 9-2, and despite Pagonis narrowing the gap to 9-4, Freitag sealed the title 10-4.
