Costa Rican tennis player Jesse Flores-Knowles, 21, reached a milestone for the country by winning the M15 WIPHOLD International tournament on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Pretoria, South Africa.

According to the National Olympic Committee, Flores also secured his first professional singles title.

Flores defeated Turkey’s Melih Tuncay Duran in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, to claim the championship, capping a week of high-level competition on the international circuit.

The victory makes Flores the first Costa Rican to win a title on the ITF World Tennis Tour. He also turned in a strong performance in doubles, finishing as runner-up and marking one of the best results of his professional career.

“This result reflects not only Flores’s athletic development, but also his perseverance and commitment to high performance, values that have been essential in his journey in international tennis,” the committee said in a statement.

The Olympic committee sponsored Flores’s participation in the professional men’s tournament, hosted by Tuks Tennis Club. The event featured players from South Africa, Germany, Turkey, Russia, China, France, Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, Norway and Australia.

In other sports-related developments, former National Football League players Eric Ebron and Khalen Saunders led an exhibition football training session last week as part of an initiative to encourage young people to get involved in sports.

The National Olympic Committee is the independent sporting body responsible for supporting, preparing, and selecting Costa Rican athletes to represent the country at the Olympic Games and international tournaments.

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