Sevenoaks star Anton Matusevich claimed a third-place finish in Week 1 of the UK Pro League and warned his British rivals – ‘now I feel at home’.

The up-and-coming Kent ace, 19, is considered one of the brightest prospects on the circuit and beat the experienced Dan Cox in straight sets in Sunday’s third-fourth place play-off.

Matusevich had topped his Pool at Loughborough University and though he lost to Billy Harris in Saturday’s semi-finals, bounced back in style to claim the final spot on the podium.

He struggled to adapt to the chilly indoor courts but reckons it’s only a matter of time until he finds his best form.

“I’m very pleased – all players here can play, especially indoors,” he said.

“There’s definitely an element of fatigue for both of us. Dan’s pretty fit and topped up his group comfortably, but then he’s got to play another two matches so that’s tough as well.

“On these surfaces when it’s cold, it’s very tough for me to generate pace on the ball. Maybe on a more lively surface it’s slightly better, but five out of seven wins – I’m pretty happy with that.

“I’m going to be coming back a week after and I’ll be feeling at home out here later. I’m looking forward to it – I’m getting more used to the surface and the conditions.”

The innovative UK Pro League is the brainchild of Jamie Delgado – Andy Murray’s coach – and brings together the country’s top professional tennis players across nine separate weeks from March to November.

The season-long competition involves players competing in a round robin format in eight individual qualifying weeks, with the weekend play-offs then giving them the opportunity to accumulate ranking points to seal qualification for November’s Finals Week.

Matusevich finished at the top of Pool A on points difference over eventual Week 1 winner Josh Paris, but was unable to topple the Isle of Man’s Harris in his last four duel.

The Sevenoaks ace will next take to the Loughborough court on March 15, when Week 2 of the competition gets under way.

What comes first, however? Matusevich, an economics student away from sport, is swapping serving for studying as he bids to broaden his horizons in lockdown.

“I have a coursework economics assignment due at midnight,” he joked.

“When I get back I’m going to have to crack on with it. Luckily I have a friend who knows the questions and answers, so I’ll probably just copy off him!”

*With a prize fund of around £500k and Broadcast live on BT Sport, the UK Pro League is the only place where the British player group come together to compete across the full year.

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