A wise man once said, "Never give up."

At the age of 34, Victor Estrella Burgos has won his first career Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) championship. Burgos defeated Feliciano López at the Ecuador Open in the finals.

Not only did Burgos make history by becoming the oldest player to win his first career ATP title, but his path to the championship was remarkable. This year's Ecuador Open began with 28 players. Burgos began his quest by defeating Andre Ghem of Brazil in straight sets and then Argentina's own Renzo Olivo.

Burgos began the tournament as the No. 77 seed in the world and the only Dominican-born player in the field. With the odds heavily stacked against him, Burgos then eliminated Martin Kližan and Thomaz Bellucci. In the finals Burgos squared against Feliciano López, the No. 14 player in the world. Interestingly enough, Burgos defeated López last year at the 2014 Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

In a thrilling three match set final, Burgus once again upset López. Lopez was the highest seed player in this year's tournament. With that win, Burgos' ranking increased to No. 52 in the world, the highest of any Dominican-born tennis player.

"The truth is that Quito has become a very special city for me. It actually already was, as I've won Challengers here. Today has been a very tough day for me where I was a set up, and later I lost the tie-break. In the third set I was up a break, and I didn't manage the nerves well. I got a little bit nervous, but thanks to God, I relaxed a bit in the tie-break, and I was able to win the mini-break and win the match" said Burgos.

Burgos has also made his presence known at the grand slams. Last year Burgos had a terrific showing at the United States Open making it all the way to the third round before losing to Milos Raonic. Burgos is also the first and only Dominican-born tennis player to qualify and compete in all four grand slams.

One of the biggest reasons Burgos was so successful was because of his defense. Burgos appears to be getting better as he gets older with his powerful backhand return. There's no doubt that Burgos will be competing at the 2015 French Open, the next tennis grand slam.

"I’m really happy to be able to win my first ATP title at age 34. I dreamed about not retiring without winning an ATP title. It is very important to every player; for me it is very meaningful, without a doubt. Quito will stay in my memory forever. I hope that this is not the first and last, and that from today on I continue to play good tennis to be able to stay in the Top 100" Burgos said in an interview.

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