With his first ATP main tour win, the 23-year-old reached the third round of an ATP main tour competition as he prepares for his Championships debut next week.
The British No.5 had received a bye into the second round after World No.21 Francisco Cerundolo withdrew.
The World No.142 detailed what the victory meant as he heads towards his Wimbledon debut as a wildcard holder.
Samuel said: “It’s huge. I’m sort of starting to believe I can play at this level and play on the tour fully. It’s just a huge boost for my confidence.
“I’m super lucky to have got a lucky loser place into the second round, which is a weird situation because I lost in the qualifiers.
“Yesterday I found out I got in with a first-round bye, so I kept my head down. I was lucky that I got a day’s notice before I had to go out. The last two days, I have been on site waiting to see if I’d get in.
“I went out today and just played freely. I came out playing some of my best tennis in the first set, seeing everything, serving really well and hitting the ball big from the back.”
The Brit raced into a set lead after just 20 minutes in the opening match on Court 1 on day three, met by 30-degree heat in the town widely regarded as the sunniest in the UK.
Samuel dominated the opening exchanges and claimed the set 6-1 inside just 21 minutes, and as the mercury touched 30 degrees Celsius and higher, Samuel was dragged into a tie-break which he won 7-6 (9-7).
Samuel will meet Francisco Cerundolo’s younger brother, World No.45 Juan Manuel Cerundolo, in his quarter-final debut in Devonshire Park.
The younger Cerundolo reached the fourth round of the French Open this June and has twice reached the main draw of The Championships.
Samuel will be looking to make his work trip to the seaside idyll last as long as he can, with Wimbledon’s main draw only days away from starting on Monday 29 June.
The Brit from Hampshire is due to make his singles** debut in SW19, having appeared in the doubles alongside Connor Thomson in 2023.
For the latest updates on the British summer grass court season, visit the LTA website, lta.org.uk
