Joaquim Almeida of Brazil completed one of the most improbable title runs at any level of professional tennis, defeating top-seeded and No. 322-ranked Alex Rybakov of the United States 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to win the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at the Sea Oaks Beach & Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida.
Just seven days before beating Rybakov in the final, Almeida was the 28th player on the alternate list simply trying to get into the qualifying tournament. Even without an ATP ranking or secondary International Tennis Federation ranking, he still called in during the alternate sign-in period, hoping there was a chance he could slide into the 32-player, two-round qualifying draw that precedes the main draw.
Almeida’s place on the alternate list was determined only by his World Tennis Number, the ITF’s tennis rating system (similar to the UTR ranking). That number ultimately helped get him into qualifying, which began Monday, May 4.
Above: Joaquim Almeida. Photo credit: Tennis Vero Beach.
Once in the draw, Almeida opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ying Hou of Great Britain, the No. 15 seed in the qualifying tournament. In the final round of qualifying on Tuesday, May 6, he saved two match points in a 6-4, 2-6 (13-11) win over No. 1,755 ATP-ranked Kian Vakili of the United States. The match was decided by a 10-point match tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set, as used in the qualifying rounds of ITF World Tennis Tour events.
That victory, in which Almeida was twice one point from losing, pushed him into the main draw.
His path did not get any easier from there. Almeida drew No. 7 seed and No. 647-ranked Strong Kirchheimer in the first round and, in a contentious match, faced four match points, including triple match point. He survived again, earning a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory on Wednesday, May 6.
In the second round, Almeida faced Matthew Segura, the great nephew of Hall of Famer Pancho Segura, and won another hard-fought three-setter, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. After the match, Segura had to be wheeled off the court with heat distress.
The win over Segura set up a quarterfinal matchup against former world No. 39 J.J. Wolf, who was playing in his fifth tournament of a comeback after spending a year off the circuit with a severe shoulder injury.
Played in front of a large Friday night crowd of over 300 fans, the match began badly for Almeida, who lost the first eight games. The left-hander gradually worked his way back into the contest, winning key points after long rallies and giving himself a chance to extend the match.
Wolf served for the match at 6-5 in the second set but could not close it out, sending the set into a tiebreaker. Wolf then held match points at 6-5 and 7-6 in the tiebreaker, but Almeida again survived. Later, after a visit from the USTA Trainer, Wolf retired with continued shoulder problems. Almeida advanced to the semifinals after his 0-6, 7-6 (7), 1-0 (retire) win.
In the semifinals, Almeida did not need to save any match points or fight through the same level of adversity. He defeated No. 4 seed and No. 459-ranked Quinn Vandecasteele of the USA 6-4, 6-2 to reach the singles final.
Almeida then finished the run with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Rybakov, completing a remarkable week from alternate hopeful to Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships champion.
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Source: Courtesy of Randy Walker at World Tennis / Tennis Vero Beach