Indian-American Samir Banerjee won his first junior Grand Slam singles title by beating compatriot Victor Lilov in the Wimbledon boys’ singles final. The 17-year-old registered a 7-5, 6-3 win in a match that lasted an hour and 22 minutes.

In his past five matches, the young gun dropped just three sets and surged into the boys’ singles final. Since 2014, this was the first all-American boys’ final at Wimbledon.

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“Remember the name – Samir Banerjee. The American wins his first junior Grand Slam singles title by beating Victor Lilov in the boys’ singles final,” tweeted Wimbledon.

While Samir is savouring his moment, his Bengali parents in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, have received a pleasant surprise.

“It’s a big surprise for us. After he lost in the first round of the French Open, his goal was to just win one match at Wimbledon. But I guess, he got used to the grass as he likes playing on grass surfaces. It is a pleasant surprise, we are thrilled,” Samir’s father, Kunal Banerjee, told Sportstar on Saturday after Samir’s semifinal victory against Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg.

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Banerjee and his wife Usha, who was born in Vizag and grew up in Hyderabad, moved to the United States approximately 35 years ago. They met there, married, and now have two children: Samir and Divya, Samir’s older sister.

Samir was initially interested in a variety of sports, but he gradually developed a passion for tennis, his father told Sportstar. He has a record of 10 final appearances in 16 ITF junior competitions despite starting late in his career. 

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The Indian-American player spent this year’s pre-European season practising at the Waske Academy in Germany alongside India’s No. 1 Prajnesh Gunneswaran and World Military Games medallist Sriram Balaji.

He was eliminated in the first round of the French Open last month. He is, however, steadily building a reputation for himself in the tennis world, which has been bolstered after this win.