GALLERY: Dimitrov and Princess Estelle wow Stockholm Open crowd
Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria downed Spain's David Ferrer to claim the Stockholm Open men's singles title on Sunday. But it was Sweden's Princess Estelle who stole the show.
Eager audiences filled the seats of Stockholm's Royal Tennis Hall on Sunday to watch the finals of the IF Stockholm Open to see Dimitrov dispatch Ferrer with 2-6, 6-3, and 6-4 in hard-fought men's final match.
Dimitrov, 28th ranked in the world, overcame a four-match losing streak to beat third-ranked Ferrer of Spain for his first title. The 22-year-old Bulgarian has trained in Sweden.
"It's a dream come true," said Dimitrov of winning.
IN PICTURES: See action from the Stockholm Open finals
In the doubles tournament, hopes were high that 41-year-old Swede Jonas Björkman would make a comeback after a five-year absence from the court. He and partner Robert Lindstedt, however, couldn't manage to take home the trophy, losing in straight sets to Pakistani-Dutch pair Aisam-ul-Haw Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer, 6-2, 6-2.
But Björkman still had big fans in the audience - including Sweden's young Princess Estelle and her mother Crown Princess Victoria. The bouncing toddler gave the Swedish tennis veteran a little round of applause when he visited the royal box after the match. The royal family attended the final on Sunday, and pink-clad Princess Estelle's smile shone upon the players, much to the delight of other fans and press photographers.
IN PICTURES: The cutest tennis fan in all of Sweden
"It's not the easiest thing to sit there, quiet and still, for two and a half hours," Björkman said to the Expressen newspaper. "She behaved herself admirably. Very impressive how she handled it."
Solveig Rundquist
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Eager audiences filled the seats of Stockholm's Royal Tennis Hall on Sunday to watch the finals of the IF Stockholm Open to see Dimitrov dispatch Ferrer with 2-6, 6-3, and 6-4 in hard-fought men's final match.
Dimitrov, 28th ranked in the world, overcame a four-match losing streak to beat third-ranked Ferrer of Spain for his first title. The 22-year-old Bulgarian has trained in Sweden.
"It's a dream come true," said Dimitrov of winning.
IN PICTURES: See action from the Stockholm Open finals
In the doubles tournament, hopes were high that 41-year-old Swede Jonas Björkman would make a comeback after a five-year absence from the court. He and partner Robert Lindstedt, however, couldn't manage to take home the trophy, losing in straight sets to Pakistani-Dutch pair Aisam-ul-Haw Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer, 6-2, 6-2.
But Björkman still had big fans in the audience - including Sweden's young Princess Estelle and her mother Crown Princess Victoria. The bouncing toddler gave the Swedish tennis veteran a little round of applause when he visited the royal box after the match. The royal family attended the final on Sunday, and pink-clad Princess Estelle's smile shone upon the players, much to the delight of other fans and press photographers.
IN PICTURES: The cutest tennis fan in all of Sweden
"It's not the easiest thing to sit there, quiet and still, for two and a half hours," Björkman said to the Expressen newspaper. "She behaved herself admirably. Very impressive how she handled it."
Solveig Rundquist
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