Athenian teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to the “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s Barcelona Open 6-2, 6-1.
Tsitsipas, who holds 63rd place in the world, had produced the best tennis of his career and became the first Greek player to reach an ATP Tour final since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in Des Moines in 1973.
But the youngster was unable to trouble the clay-court master as Nadal bulldozed his way to another title in just 78 minutes.
Tsistipas, who until the final did not drop a set at the tournament, was the youngest Barcelona finalist since Nadal in 2005.
Despite losing to Nadal he is likely to become the first Greek player to break into the world’s top 50 when the latest men’s rankings are released on Monday.