FRENCHMAN Valentin Royer won the men’s singles title at the Kingston Open ATP Challenger lawn tennis tournament at the Liguanea Club on Saturday, defeating Pedro Martinez of Spain 6-4, 6-2.

Royer, ranked 78th in the world, was the top-ranked player in the tournament and duly obliged, dismissing Martinez, the fourth seed and world No. 151, in straight sets.

Royer raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set but Martinez fought back to level at 4-4 before Royer regained his composure with two thundering aces to start the ninth game, which he won at love. He then broke Martinez to win the set 6-4 in 51 minutes.

Martinez broke early in the second set and led 2-1 but Royer won the next four games, taking control of the set at 5-2 before breaking Martinez again to win the set and match 6-2, despite Martinez saving two match points.

The final was contested in front of a decent-size crowd, with Tennis Jamaica President John Azar pleased that the governing body had chosen Jamaica as a destination on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“This is the first time — not only in Jamaica but in the English-speaking Caribbean — that an ATP Challenger event is being held. All credit to the organisers for daring to dream big, and certainly we at Tennis Jamaica have been proud to play our role as the national association in ensuring that these historic events take place,” Azar told the Sunday Observer.

“The ATP Challenger Tour is an important stepping stone for tennis players to truly make their mark on the world stage at the highest levels,” he said.

“It has been great hosting some of the best tennis players from across the globe, and the standard of play throughout the week has been extremely high in somewhat difficult humid and windy conditions,” Azar said.

In the first week of the two-week event Jamaica had two players, Blaise Bicknell and John Chin, competing, with both eliminated in the round of 32.

Bicknell, Jamaica’s top player and ranked 379th in the world, lost to Australia’s Max Purcell, ranked 1046th, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6 in a match that lasted just over two hours.

Chin, ranked 1005th in the world, lost to Australia’s Edward Winter, ranked 355th, 1-6, 1-6.

“I have no doubt that there are players taking part in these events who will have a significant impact on the sport over the next few years, and some of the younger guys in particular are definitely names to take note of and to watch their progress in the months and years ahead,” said Azar.

“Events such as these also allow our top local players the opportunity to earn invaluable world ranking points right here on home soil, and also allows local fans to watch high-quality tennis right here in Jamaica as well.

“Of course, another long-term benefit is that some of our youngsters can witness first-hand the skill and determination of these professional players, and the hope is that they will truly understand the level of commitment needed to get to that level. I have therefore been pleased to see some of our coaches bringing their students out to watch the tennis each day and I have no doubt that we will reap the benefits of this in the future.

“Tennis aside, hosting sporting events such as this is good for Jamaica as well, and it has been great seeing the players and their respective support teams enjoying our food, culture and beaches on their off days and as the schedule allows,” Azar emphasised.

“Week one has been good and I am confident that week two will be even better, with the organisers having ironed out a few initial teething pains with the assistance of the ATP team who are also here in the island. We hope to host many more professional tennis events such as this in Jamaica in the years ahead, and I can say with confidence that these are the first of many such events that will be held here in the future,” he said.