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Teenager Mees Rottgering loses to Italian Bellucci on ATP Tour debut

17-year-old Mees Rottgering made his ATP Tour debut in Rotterdam
17-year-old Mees Rottgering made his ATP Tour debut in RotterdamČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Andre Weening
Dutchman Mees Rottgering (17) lost on his ATP Tour debut as Italian Mattia Bellucci (23) took the victory at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, the Netherlands: 6-3, 6-2.

17-year-old Rottgering - the number one junior singles player in the world - fought staunchly in his ATP Tour debut and showed some of his skills early on in a lengthy service game in which he took his Italian opponent to eight deuces before conceding the first break of his professional career.

A furiously serving Bellucci continued to impress the young Dutchman who did grab his first game after 25 minutes of playing after confidently beating Bellucci 15-40. This seemed to be the moment which gave Rottgering a much-needed boost as the youngster would go on to tie the game 3 games apiece after being down 3-0.

The bravely battling Rottgering impressed the home crowd with some quality shots but eventually couldn't challenge Bellucci for the set as the latter would go on to win 6-3.

As the second set progressed, Rottgering started to suffer from a calf injury which temporarily stalled the match in between games. Technical difficulties with the ball-tracking systems then further delayed the match - a cause not helping the young man's sore lower leg.

As the game clock surpassed the 90-minute mark, Bellucci progressively profited more from Rottgering's limited mobility after suffering his injury. A triple of aces sealed the deal for the Italian as he beat the 17-year-old Dutchman on his ATP Tour debut.

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