Krebs defeated Chilean Claudio Trivinos, the main favorite, by 7/5 and 7/6 (8/6).
Photo: Felipe Mohr
Porto Alegre (RS) – Marcelo Krebs, from Rio Grande do Sul, continues to reign supreme on the courts of Associação Leopoldina Juvenil. This Thursday, not even the rain was able to stop the local tennis player who won his 11th trophy in the 37th edition of the Porto Alegre International Tennis Seniors – Copa Yone Borba Dias. The event is in the MT700 category and features 200 athletes from 13 countries, in the Associação Leopoldina Juvenil.
In a tight battle, Krebs defeated Chilean Claudio Trivinos, main favorite and former number 1 in the world, by 7/5 and 7/6 (8/6), winning the title in the 55 years old category. The game was interrupted in the middle of the second set by rain and moved to the club’s covered court. “I’m not unbeatable here on these courts, but we try to make the home factor count. Next year, I’ll move to the 60-year-old category,” he said. The champion commented on the victory in different conditions due to the change of court. “The conditions changed completely when it went indoors here, with no wind, a faster court. It was another game. It was all about the details.”
Galba Couto is two-time champion
São Paulo’s Galba Couto, fourth in the world, won his second title after winning a 3h20 battle against the 2nd seed, Dennis Marcondes. He scored 6/1, 3/6 and 7/5 in a game in which he was 4/1 down in the third set.
“Against Dennis it’s always a difficult game, he knows how to play against me, he slows down the ball and forces me to be patient. In the first set, I won very easily and in the second he completely changed the game, giving balloons and I got in trouble . In the third, he opened a break, then he served at 5/4, I broke zero and made 7/5. It was a battle, but it was worth it. I managed to defend last year’s title properly”, said Couto. He had a contracture in his calf during his debut: “The physiotherapy staff helped me a lot, I was afraid of short balls, but I had shock treatment with the tournament staff and I didn’t feel it, I put a compression stocking on my leg.”
Now he will compete in the South American Championship in Bolivia where he will also seek his second title and dreams of taking a step towards returning to the top of the rankings next season. “I beat the number 1 in the world, the Frenchman who will be there again. It will be difficult to beat the guys, but that’s what tennis is, you need to compete, don’t you.”
