Beating Thai Tennis Player, Tole Wins First Professional Title

– Indonesian mainstay tennis player, Muhammad Rifqi “Tole” Fitriadi (24) finally won the third singles title for the Harum Energy Mens World Tennis Tour in Jakarta, Sunday (2/7/2023).

In the top match, Merah Putih’s best singles frustrated the sixth seed from Thailand, Palaphoom Kovapitukted on the tennis court of The Sultan Hotel and Residence, Senayan. Tole won in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-4.

“Of course, we are very happy to be able to win the third week of this event. This tournament is very helpful for Indonesian tennis players. By competing at home, we don’t have to think about accommodation costs. We are excited to compete again,” said world number 695.

Tole opened the first set by securing his serve. After drawing two games, the fifth seed snatched one opponent’s serve while posting three games in a row. Meanwhile, the ball never left. This distance lasted until the end of the set, he won, 6-3.

“I played consistently and aggressively. This match was very fierce and the tension was very high. I managed to get the momentum to attack at crucial points,” he explained.

In the second set, the action reciprocated break happen. Both finalists were unable to secure serve on their own before their respective fourth games. When the sun started to rise, Tole was able to break the deadlock. Three games in a row are listed in his name.

Forehand dive sharply to the left side of the opponent’s defense managed to finish the top party match, 6-4.
Throughout the match, Tole played almost without mistakes. The 2023 SEA Games gold medalist has only scored once double faults And unforced error. Meanwhile, he managed to score two aces and spared a quarter of the attempts break for an hour and a half game.

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Tole also ended his thirst for a professional title for Indonesian men’s singles since the last time Christopher “Papi” Ruangkat embraced him at the ITF Future Series in Karebosi, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 2016. Meanwhile, the athlete born in Banjarmasin has satisfied his curiosity after losing in his first final in ITF M25, last April.

“The big target this year is the Asian Games. To prepare myself, I will play at M25 Jakarta, August and several tournaments of the same level in Taiwan and Thailand,” he said.

His coach, Revy Raturandang, stated that Tole had a winning mentality. That mental toughness also skyrocketed its ranking. Next week, a donation of 15 points will take him to the 540’s world singles ranking.

“I developed Tole’s game more aggressively. He is a typical player baseline, who likes to wait behind and is passive. However, I tried him to come forward and finish off the points with a volley. I made him a player who controls the entire field,” he said.

With this result, the three tournament series sponsored by mining companies that took the floor on the stock exchange with the code HRUM have come to an end. Apart from Rifqi, one of the host’s tennis players, Justin Barki, who partnered with Thiemo de Bakker triumphed in the second week of the doubles sector.

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