Phillips eyes another victory after earning first ATP point in Turkey

Bermuda’s Daniel Phillips is hoping to maintain his strong run of form as he heads into the second round of the International Tennis Federation’s M15 tournament in Turkey, fresh off securing his first ATP singles point.

The 20-year-old achieved the milestone on Wednesday with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win over Russia’s Ivan Denisov in the opening round of the main draw. He also bettered Germany’s seventh seed, Niklas Schell, 6-4, 6-1 in second-round action and is now set to face another top-ranked German, Nino Ehrenschneider, in the quarterfinal, as he looks to continue his impressive progress.

“It feels surreal to get my first ATP point out here in Turkey. It’s been two weeks since I got here, and it’s been unbelievable after doing so well in the Davis Cup for my country. It feels like I’ve kept things rolling. I didn’t want to stay in Bermuda long because I knew I had to be off the island to get this exposure,” Phillips told The Royal Gazette.

Phillips, who recently became the fourth Bermudian to turn professional—joining the ranks of Stephen Alger, James Collieson, and Davis Cup teammate Richard Mallory—earned his place in the main draw the hard way, coming through three rounds of qualifiers.

He began his campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win over Italian Jacopo Gianno, followed by a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Switzerland’s Aleksandar Lavrnja. He then sealed qualification with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Great Britain’s Matthew Rutter.

“It felt nervous playing against the Russian guy because it was my first main draw round after qualifying. I served and played really well. I wasn’t making a lot of errors, so I didn’t give my opponents a whole lot of opportunities,” he said.

While proud of reaching another career milestone, Phillips remains focused on what lies ahead.

“I’m just going to keep moving forward. I hope to go all the way. I always want more, and I’m not satisfied yet—even after attaining professional status,” Phillips declared.