He won his first top-level singles title in 1987 at the Sul American Open in Itaparica and ended the year ranked No. 25.
hiː wˈʌn hɪz fˈɜːst tˈɑːplˈɛvəl sˈɪŋɡəlz tˈaɪɾəl ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɛvən æt ðə sˈʌl ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ˈoʊpən ɪn ˌɪɾɐpˈæɹɪkə ænd ˈɛndᵻd ðə jˈɪɹ ɹˈæŋkt nˈoʊ. twˈɛnti fˈaɪv.