Rising German youngster Justin Engel has become just the second 17-year-old since 1990 to win an ATP Tour-level match on all three surfaces.
The teenager – currently at No 281 in the ATP Rankings – received a wildcard entry into the Stuttgart Open and he made the most of his opportunity as he defeated James Duckworth in the first round.
His 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) victory was his maiden top-level win on grass and comes on the back of his first clay-court success in Hamburg in May when he defeated fellow German Jan-Lennard Struff via two tie-breakers.
Engel only made his ATP Tour debut at the Almaty Open last October and he won his first match on the hard courts when he beat Coleman Wong.
The German is set to rise 20 places in the rankings to a new career-high of No 261.
Aged 17 years and eight months, he is the second-youngest player since 1990 to win at least one match on hard courts, clay and grass.
Unsurprisingly, the great Rafael Nadal is the youngest since the launch of the ATP Tour 25 years ago to secure the achievement as he was 17 years and two months when he completed the surface feat.
However, Nadal is not the youngest in the Open Era to win a match on all three surfaces as that honour goes to Michael Chang as he was only 16 years when he won a match on hard, clay and grass.
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Chang and Boris Becker are the only two men to win on all three surfaces as 16-year-olds.
Back to the ATP Tour era and Engel is the youngest German since 1990 to win a match on a hard court, a clay court and a grass court as compatriot Alexander Zverev was a few months older when he achieved the feat.
Zverev was 18 years and one month when he won on all three surfaces, just days younger than Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Alcaraz.
Five youngest players to win on all three surfaces since 1990:
1. Rafael Nadal – 17 years and 2 months
2. Justin Engel – 17 years and 8 months
3. Alexander Zverev – 18 years and 1 month
4. Lleyton Hewitt – 18 years and 1 month
5. Carlos Alcaraz – 18 years and 1 month
Alcaraz, of course, is the youngest man to achieve the Grand Slam surface feat as he was 21 years old when he completed the feat of winning the US Open (hard), Wimbledon (grass) and the French Open (clay) in 2024.
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