STUTTGART, Germany — German 17-year-old Justin Engel turned the youngest participant since Boris Becker 40 years in the past to succeed in the quarterfinals of an ATP Tour grass-court event by making the final eight on the Stuttgart Open on Thursday.
Engel beat seventh-seeded Alex Michelsen of the USA 6-4, 6-4 to turn into the youngest quarterfinalist ever in Stuttgart. He’s the youngest man to succeed in the quarters of any grass-court occasion since Becker received Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 1985.
Engel, who turns 18 in October, will subsequent face Félix Auger-Aliassime of Canada on Friday.
It has been a exceptional 12 months for Engel, who solely broke into the highest 800 within the rankings final July, having entered the 2024 season as No. 1,344. He’s now assured to maneuver into the highest 250.
Engel this week additionally turned the second youngest participant since 1990, behind Rafael Nadal, to have received a match on all three surfaces — grass, clay and hard-court — on the tour.
