Tomas Machac won his maiden ATP Tour level title after beating Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina by 7-6, 6-2 at Acapulco on Sunday. Machac, the eighth seed of the tournament, entered the tournament as the highest-ranked player not to have won an ATP Tour title but he turned the tables.

The Czech player bested players like Jakub Mensik, Daniel Altmaier, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima on his way to the title.

Machac smashed 11 aces against the Spaniard and won 95% of his first serve points in the summit clash.

Speaking to the ATP Tour after the win, Machac said, “It means a lot. It is something I never dreamed could happen. Especially at an ATP 500, so it feels amazing for me. I was working very hard in the past year, so I am happy I can achieve something that shows me I am going the right way.”

Machac credited his coach, family, and girlfriend for his success in the tournament.

He added, “I think the people around me who are helping me when I am struggling. It is very important because in those moments when the stress is in the court you just feel the good people around you will try and help you in your career. It helps me a lot as when I achieve those moments I will call those people and without them I would not be here.”

He continued, “My family, my girlfriend and cousins. Plus my coach and my team. My chiropractor, my physio from Australia, my fitness coach. We are all working together and the result is going up and up.”

Machac said he can be unpredictable on the court as he can be both aggressive and defensive.

He concluded, “I can be very aggressive and I can play defence, so I think my game is unpredictable. Sometimes I don’t know what to do on court and then I can play my best tennis. Off the court I think I am a nice person, easy going.”

With this win, Machac moved inside the top-20 in the PIF ATP rankings as he made a jump of five places.