Teen Tennis Sensation Rei Sakamoto Falls Short in Thrilling Qualifying Clash
Rei Sakamoto Falls Short in Las Vegas Tennis Open Qualifying Final
Rei Sakamoto, the 18-year-old world-ranked 806th tennis player, suffered a disappointing loss to Quinella Vandecaster (United States), ranked 754th, in the Las Vegas Tennis Open (USA/Las Vegas, hard, ATP Challenger) men’s tennis singles qualifying final. The match ended with a score of 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 1-6, marking Sakamoto’s third failed attempt to advance to the main draw of a Challenger tournament.
Sakamoto, a former junior world No. 3, had recently won the junior doubles title at the US Open (New York, USA, hard, Grand Slam). Following his junior tournament, he traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the qualifying rounds of the Las Vegas Tennis Open. Despite a tight schedule, Sakamoto played in the first round of singles qualifying, where he defeated 3rd seed F. Corwin (USA) in a comeback victory, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
In the qualifying final, Sakamoto dominated the first set, winning points with an 86% success rate when his first serve went in. He broke once in the return game and took the lead. However, in the second set, both players held their serves, and the match went into a tiebreak. Sakamoto was given four consecutive points from a 2-2 situation but was eventually caught up with at one set all after taking his second set point.
In the final set, Sakamoto struggled to maintain his momentum, winning only one game. After 2 hours and 26 minutes of intense competition, he ultimately ran out of steam.
This was Sakamoto’s second time participating in a Challenger tournament this season and his fifth time overall. Last year, he achieved his first win in the main draw of a Challenger tournament at the Yokkaichi Challenger (Japan/Yokkaichi, Hard, ATP Challenger), where he defeated second seed J. Rodionov (Austria) in straight sets.
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