By Chris Oddo | Sunday, July 13, 2014

 

Pablo Cuevas won his maiden ATP title in Bastad, and became the first man from Uruguay to do so in 17 years.

Photo Credit: Skistar Swedish Open

Pablo Cuevas notched a milestone for himself and for his country on Sunday as the Skistar Swedish Open in Bastad.

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The 28-year-old raced past Joao Sousa, 6-2, 6-1, in fifty-nine minutes to claim his first ATP title on Sunday, breaking serve on five of seven opportunities and winning 70 percent of the match’s total points.

Cuevas, world No. 111, becomes the first player from Uruguay to claim a title since 1997, when Marcelo Filippini won in Austria.

The Uruguayan is the lowest-ranked player to claim an ATP title in 2014, joining Martin Klizan, who won in Munich with the same ranking (111).

Cuevas upset 6th-seeded Jeremy Chardy in the first round at Bastad before knocking off last year’s runner-up, third-seeded Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals, before playing his best match of the week in the final.

Cuevas underwent knee surgery in 2011 and missed all of 2012 due to the injury. He went 2-4 at the ATP level after returning to tennis in April of 2013, and this year he has gone 8-7.