Elias Ymer wins the brotherly duel: the Swede advances to the round of 16 in Stockholm

The draw for the ATP 250 tournament in Stockholm had set up a nice surprise with a first-round clash between the Ymer brothers.

Spectators at the Center Court of the ATP 250 in Stockholm witnessed a matchup between Elias and Mikael Ymer this Tuesday. The two Swedish players, both in the main draw thanks to a wild card from the organizers, faced off for a spot in the round of 16.

Since 2000, this is only the sixth time that two brothers have faced each other in an official ATP match, following Christophe and Olivier Rochus (twice), Jürgen and Gerald Melzer, Alexander and Mischa Zverev, and Francisco and Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

Elias Ymer, ranked 243rd in the world, took on his younger brother Mikael, who has dropped to 617th place. Both players were looking to climb the rankings and had a golden opportunity to reach the round of 16 of an ATP 250, although the emotional aspect was certainly present in this match.

But in this duel, it was ultimately Elias Ymer who proved to be the stronger player. With 26 winners (including 12 aces) and only 12 unforced errors, the former world No. 105 won in straight sets (6-2, 7-6 in 1 hour and 29 minutes) in this first-ever meeting with his brother.

After a series of eight consecutive losses since August, Elias Ymer now moves on to the second round, where he will face Jacob Fearnley, who upset Tallon Griekspoor on Monday in his opening match (6-3, 6-7, 7-6).