{
    "title": "Zizou Bergs makes history as first Belgian man to win ATP title on grass",
    "modified_at": "2026-06-29 10:22:58",
    "published_at": "2026-06-28 14:18:00",
    "url": "https://belganewsagency-eu.prezly.com/zizou-bergs-makes-history-as-first-belgian-man-to-win-atp-title-on-grass",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/3QJd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "zizou-bergs-makes-history-as-first-belgian-man-to-win-atp-title-on-grass",
    "body": "<p><strong>Zizou Bergs won the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Sunday afternoon, claiming the first ATP title of his career. Bergs is the first Belgian male tennis player to win an ATP tournament on grass.</strong></p><p>In Sunday&#039;s final in southern England, the 27-year-old defeated France&#039;s Ugo Humbert in three sets, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, in exactly two hours. The match had been suspended on Saturday during the fourth game of the first set due to rain before resuming on Sunday afternoon.</p><p>Bergs succeeds American Taylor Fritz, who won the tournament for the fourth time last year but was absent this week. Bergs was knocked out in the opening round last year by Brazil&#039;s Joao Fonseca.</p><h4 id=\"record-breaking-victory\" >Record-breaking victory</h4><p>This weekend&#039;s match was the third ATP final of Bergs&#039; career, and his first victory. In January 2025, he fell to Gael Monfils during the <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/zizou-bergs-reaches-first-atp-final-in-auckland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">final of the hard court tournament in Auckland</a>, New Zealand. A few months later, Canadian Gabriel Diallo proved too strong in the grass-court final at Rosmalen.</p><p>Bergs is also the first Belgian man to win an ATP title on grass. The victory lifts him to 37th in the world rankings, surpassing the 38th place he \u200b reached earlier this year.</p><p>Sunday&#039;s match was the second meeting between Bergs and Humbert. In February 2025, the Frenchman beat Bergs in the semi-finals on the hard court in Marseille. The two will have a rematch on Tuesday, as they have been drawn against each other in the first round at Wimbledon. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>#FlandersNewsService | &copy; PHOTO GLYN KIRK / AFP</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-65396d8b-1b55-463e-9c4f-08d8d1b0ab5a\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/blockx-stuns-defending-champion-ruud-to-reach-madrid-semi-finals\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fa80f0c8f-abb4-43bf-ae93-5ca9dba84e63%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=17534ae1f835e030a7a48d0734758090)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/blockx-stuns-defending-champion-ruud-to-reach-madrid-semi-finals\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"65396d8b-1b55-463e-9c4f-08d8d1b0ab5a\"\n           >\n                Blockx stuns defending champion Ruud to reach Madrid semi-finals            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Belgium\u2019s rising tennis star Alexander Blockx has continued his remarkable run at the Mutua Madrid Open, beating defending champion Casper Ruud to...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fblockx-stuns-defending-champion-ruud-to-reach-madrid-semi-finals&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Blockx stuns defending champion Ruud to reach Madrid semi-finals",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/blockx-stuns-defending-champion-ruud-to-reach-madrid-semi-finals"
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    ],
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
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