First player born in each year to win ATP match: Featuring Sinner, Alcaraz, Fonseca, Dedura-Palomero
Aged just 17, Diego Dedura-Palomero made history with his first-round win at the BMW Open as he emulated the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca.
The German initially thought his campaign at the ATP 500 tournament was over after he lost in the final round of qualifiers against Alexander Bublik.
But Gael Monfils’ withdrawal earned him a lucky loser’s spot in the main draw and he faced eighth seed Denis Shapovalov in the opening round.
The teenager held his own in the opening set as there were no breaks of serve before he dominated the tie-breaker. Dedura-Palomero then raced into a 3-0 lead with Shapovalov clearly struggling with injury.
The Canadian eventually threw in the towel with the score at Shapovalov 7-6(7-2), 3-0, handing the German his maiden ATP Tour victory.
It sparked wild celebrations from Dedura-Palomero as he became the first player born in 2008 to win a top-level match, Sinner (2001), Alcaraz (2003) and Fonseca (2006) on the list of First players born in each year to win an ATP match.
“I just can’t put it in words right now. I’m just so happy,” the teenager said. “I was struggling all these years and now I just got the wildcard for qualifying.
“I won against Top 100 Mackenzie McDonald [in the first round of qualifying], then lost against Bublik. I had bad luck because there were three lucky losers who got in, and I was the fourth one.
“So I was waiting the whole day on Monday and then Monfils pulled out. He hugged me and was so nice.
“I just went in and told myself to, ‘Just have fun, go with the crowd and just play your best tennis’. I can’t put it in words. I’m just so happy right now.”
He followed in the footsteps of some incredible players with Shapovalov also on the list.
First player born in each year to win an ATP Tour match since 1999:
Denis Shapovalov – 1999
The Canadian was handed a wildcard entry for the 2016 Rogers Cup and upset world No 19 Nick Kyrgios in three sets to claim his maiden ATP Tour win.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – 2000
Two years later, Shapovalov’s fellow Canadian Auger-Aliassime followed in his footsteps as he beat Vasek Pospisil in the first round of the 2018 Indian Wells Open.
Jannik Sinner – 2001
Future world No 1 Sinner’s first ATP Tour event was the 2019 Hungarian Open as he was handed a lucky loser’s spot. He defeated Mate Valkusz in the first round for a maiden top-level win.
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Lorenzo Musetti – 2002
2025 Monte Carlo Masters runner-up Musetti came through qualifying at the 2020 Italian Open and was handed a plum first-round match against three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. He defeated the Swiss in straight sets and followed it up with a win over Kei Nishikori in the second round before going down in the third round.
Carlos Alcaraz – 2003
A 16-year-old Alcaraz – who would also go on to become world No 1 – made his main draw debut at the 2020 Rio Open after being handed a wildcard. His big moment came against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos Vinolas in the opening round.
Stefanos Sakellaridis – 2004
The Greek youngster is currently outside the top 450 in the ATP Rankings, but his first ATP main draw win came at the 2023 United Cup when he beat Zizou Bergs.
Shang Juncheng – 2005
Rising Chinese star Shang’s big moment came at the 2023 Australian Open when he came through qualifying to beat Oscar Otte for his maiden top-level win.
Joao Fonseca – 2006
Exciting Brazilian youngster Fonseca was ranked No 655 when he claimed his first ATP Tour win at the 2024 Rio Open, beating Arthur Fils in straight sets while he was just 17 years old.
Justin Engel – 2007
Seventeen-year-old German Engel made his main draw debut at the 2024 Almaty Open after being handed a wildcard and he beat Coleman Wong for his first top-level win.
Diego Dedura-Palomero – 2008
Dedura-Palomero followed in his compatriot’s footsteps at the 2025 BMW Open thanks to a lucky loser’s entry, getting the better of Denis Shapovalov with the Canadian forced to retire due to injury.
