The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SHAMELESS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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More clues leading to the result SHAMELESS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "tennis champ overcomes poor player at start of set (9)" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tennis champ overcomes poor player at start of set (9) = shameless.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SHAMELESS mean?
SHAMELESS adjective- Having no shame, no guilt nor remorse over something considered wrong; immodest; unable to feel disgrace.