ATP Tour welcomes first winner to be born in 2008

MUNICH — Diego Dedura-Palomero made his mark on tennis in more than one way Tuesday.

The 17-year-old German became the first player born in 2008 to win a match on the ATP Tour and marked the feat with a unique celebration.

After his opponent Denis Shapovalov retired when trailing 7-6 (2),3-0 in their first-round match at the BMW Open in Munich, Dedura-Palomero used his feet to scrape out a cross on the Munich clay before lying down on top of it.

Dedura-Palomero said he was "quite religious", and the celebration was "a gesture of gratitude", in comments reported by German news agency dpa.

Only four players younger than Dedura-Palomero — including a 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984 — have ever won at the storied Munich tournament, the ATP said. The most recent was Romanian Dinu Pescariu, who had just turned 17 when he upset John McEnroe in 1991.

Dedura-Palomero wasn't even meant to be playing Tuesday. The teenager from Berlin had lost in qualifying to Alexander Bublik, but got a place in the main draw when Gael Monfils withdrew. After his win against the eighth-seeded Shapovalov, Dedura-Palomero goes on to play Zizou Bergs in the second round.

Dart apologizes

At the Rouen Open, Britain's Harriet Dart has apologized for saying her opponent, France's Lois Boisson, "smells really bad" during her comprehensive defeat on Tuesday.

Dart, who lost 6-0, 6-3, was captured on the broadcast asking the umpire to tell Boisson to use deodorant, during a second-set changeover.

"Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad," Dart was heard saying to the official, as she struggled against the 21-year-old Frenchwoman in the first round.

The comment sparked an immediate backlash on social media, prompting Dart to address the incident on Instagram.

"It was a comment made in the heat of the moment, and I truly regret it. It's not the way I want to behave, and I take full responsibility," Dart wrote.

"I have a lot of respect for Lois and the way she competed today. I'll learn from this and move on."

Boisson, who was already out on court while Dart was still seated, appeared to be out of earshot when the Briton made the remark.

The victory marked a stunning upset for the 303rd-ranked Boisson — making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season following injury — against the 62nd-ranked Dart, who failed to convert any of her six break points and dropped her serve four times.

Agencies