Young Cypriot tennis star Petros Chrysochos took another massive step in his fledgling career on Monday following his first-round win in the boys’ singles at Roland Garros, coming back from losing the first set to defeat Theo Fournerie of France.
The elite junior player showed excellent character to fight back from a disappointing opener and, after leveling the match at one set apiece, there was only ever going to be one winner.
Fournerie took a 2-1 lead in the second set but the Cypriot won the next five games to level the match. In the final set, Chrysochos initially dominated and rushed into a 5-1 lead until a slight lapse in concentration which saw Fournerie win the next three games.
However, the 18-year-old held his nerve, and his serve, to claim a 4-6 6-2 6-4 win and will now face Croatia’s Nino Serdarusic in the second round.
“I was expecting the match to be tough and at the beginning I couldn’t find a solution to break him, but I didn’t give up, I kept trying,” a relieved Chrysochos said afterwards.
“The first set I was staying behind the baseline which was helping him find some space to hit some winners. Then I was pushing him and he made the mistakes.”
In contrast to the island’s tennis icon, Marcos Baghdatis, who moved to France at a very young age to dedicate his time solely to a career in the game, Chrysochos maintains a full school program at the American Academy in Larnaca and had been preparing for his end of year exams ahead of the Roland Garros tournament.
“Marcos Baghdatis stopped school and everything, he was practicing morning and afternoon, and at 21 he was in the final of the Australian Open. I still have time for that. I’m still in school and studying and just took my A-level exams. I had to finish my exams and do good and then I came here to play, which is tough but I’m doing my best to combine both,” Chrysochos said.
Since early May, Chrysochos has been on somewhat of a hot streak having won two tournaments back-to-back. At the beginning of last month, the teenager won his first ever tournament in professional tennis after claiming the ITF Futures Tournament in Egypt, defeating Turkey’s Cem Ilkel in straight sets (6-3 6-3) in the final.
And just last week, the young ace claimed the Astrid Bowl in Charleroi, a junior international championship which sees some of the most talented youngsters in the game compete.
The Larnaca native defeated Korea’s Duck Hee Lee in straight sets (6-4 6-1) to earn his first Grade 1 title, adding his name to an illustrious list of former winners which includes Lleyton Hewitt and Gustavo Kuerten.
Cyprus Mail