Almaty
#NextGenATP Engel makes history at 17 years old
He is the first player born in 2007 to score an ATP Tour victory
October 14, 2024
Andrey Udartsev / KTF.kz
By ATP Editorial Board
German Justin Engel made history this Monday at the Almaty Open, becoming the first player born in 2007 or later to record an ATP Tour victory.
Engel, who turned 17 on October 1, defeated fellow #NextGenATP Coleman Wong 7-5, 6-4 in his debut, breaking his record of matches won in his first participation in an ATP Tour tournament.
The German, who made his debut in the Kazakh ATP 250 thanks to an invitation, needed one hour and 35 minutes to close his ticket to the second round. He also became the youngest player to achieve an ATP Tour victory since Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the second round of Rio de Janeiro in 2020 at the age of 16.
“This year had already been very good for me and now this is incredible,” acknowledged the No. 458 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “Being able to win a main draw match at 17 years old is the best feeling I can have. “I have no words.”
Engel was the third player born in 2007 to try his luck on the ATP Tour. Before him, Manas Manoj Dhamne tried in Pune 2023 and Darwin Blanch on two occasions, both in Miami and Madrid 2024.
First player to win a match by year of birth (since 2000):
| Year | Player | Tournament | Rival | Result |
| 2007 | Justin Engel | Almaty 2024 | Coleman Wong | 7-5, 6-4 |
| 2006 | Joao Fonseca | Rio de Janeiro 2024 | Arthur Son | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 2005 | Juncheng Shang | Australian Open 2023 | Oscar Eight | 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 |
| 2004 | Stefanos Sakellaridis | United Cup 2023 | Zizou Bergs | 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 |
| 2003 | Carlos Alcaraz | Rio de Janeiro 2020 | Albert Ramos Vinolas | 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(2) |
| 2002 | Lorenzo Musetti | Roma 2020 | Stan Wawrinka | 6-0, 7-6(2) |
| 2001 | Jannik Sinner | Budapest 2019 | Mate Valkusz | 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 |
| 2000 | Happy Auger-Also | Indian Wells 2018 | Vasek Pospisil | 6-2, 7-6(4) |
“I have trained for a few days and I am adapting, but it is still very difficult,” said Engel about the altitude conditions. “I love playing here, the facilities are great.”
In May, Egel won his first ITF World Tennis Tour singles title at the M15 Villach in Austria. At 16 years and 231 days, he became the youngest German to win a professional title at any level since Mischa Zverev won at Italia Satellite 7 in November 2003. In total, he has won three ITF titles as of 2024 and reached the quarterfinals at the ATP Challenger in Villena (Alicante, Spain) two weeks ago.
Now in the second round of Almaty he will face Francisco Cerúndolo, who is exempt from playing the first round due to his status as the No. 4 seed. The Argentine could reach 100 ATP Tour victories this week, if he manages to win the title in the Kazakh hard court.
For his part, also German Maximilian Marterer successfully resolved his debut in Almaty against Damir Dzumhur 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 21 minutes. In the second round he will meet No. 2 seed Alejandro Tabilo.
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/almaty-2024-lunes-primera-ronda-engel
