Seventeen-year-old Dutch wild card Thijs Boogaard earned his first ATP Tour win on Wednesday at the Libema Open in ’s-Hertogenbosch, defeating Wu Yibing 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in 1 hour 55 minutes.
Thijs Boogaard’s Historic Victory
At 17 years and 11 months, Boogaard became the second-youngest match winner in the tournament’s history, behind Sjeng Schalken, who achieved the feat at 17 years and 8 months in 1994. The victory lifted Boogaard from No. 779 to No. 632 in the live ATP rankings. It was just his second tour-level main-draw appearance after a loss to former world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in Rotterdam earlier this year.
Boogaard will face former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the second round. The two have shared practice courts before, but this will be their first official meeting. Boogaard described the milestone as a memorable breakthrough and said he would prepare thoroughly for the challenge, noting he has already learned from Medvedev’s precision in training.
He also joins a short list of players born in 2008 or later with tour-level wins, alongside Diego Dedura, while Moise Kouame, born in 2009, leads that group with three victories.
In other action, 2024 champion and second seed Alex de Minaur opened his campaign with a 7-6(8), 7-5 win over American qualifier Martin Damm. De Minaur will next meet either fifth seed Ugo Humbert or qualifier Benjamin Bonzi.
Overall, Thijs Boogaard’s remarkable achievement not only highlights his talent but also sets the stage for a promising future in professional tennis. Fans and analysts alike will be closely watching his journey as he continues to make a name for himself on the ATP Tour.