Chris Binnie is hoping that winning the Life Time Atlanta Open in Sandy Springs, USA, on Sunday will be the first of many more tournament wins this season that will result in a significant climb up the world rankings.
Binnie, the number-two seed defeated number-five seed Canadian David Baillargeon 14-12, 11-8, 11-6 in the final that lasted 42 minutes.
The nine-time All-Jamaica champion did not drop a set on his way to the final defeating Naoki Hayashi of Japan, Asyraf Azan of Malaysia, and Tomotaka Endo of Australia before Sunday’s final.
The win, he says, could be the start of something good in 2020.
“I am happy about the win. It has been a couple of years now since I have won. Professionally, at this level, I have lost a few times in the final. This is going to be really good for my points in the rankings, so hopefully, I can turn that around and start moving back up,” said the number 88-ranked player in the world.
Last year, he explained, was a challenging one with unavoidable setbacks, which saw him fall from a high of 65 in 2018 to his current ranking.
“I had a really tough year because of injuries and stuff and hopefully the changes we made and the good training I put in now will start to bear fruit so I am really looking forward to what is going to happen this year,” he said.
He emphasized that his focus will continue to be climbing up the world rankings while getting a few more wins along the way.
“In terms of goals, I don’t think it has changed anything. I went to a lot of smaller events to get my matches and to get my ranking back up so I am just going to keep working my way at it and hopefully I can win one or two or probably many more of these events this season and get things going again.”
He is already in Portland in the USA getting for another tournament that features a much tougher field on Tuesday.
“I am playing an English guy, I think, in the first round. This one is a little bigger. The draw is a little tougher as well. If I play well and play smart I have a good chance of doing well again,” he said.
“I am looking forward to it and hopefully I can continue to play well and stay healthy, which is the main thing.”