BERNARD TOMIC ENDED his first title on the ATP Tour in three years by beating top seed Fabio Fognini in the Chengdu Open final.
Down at 123 in the world rankings and without a tournament victory since July 2015, qualifier Tomic saved four match points against Fognini before registering a 6-1 3-6 7-6 (9-7) success.
Fognini had multiple opportunities in the deciding tie-break but failed to take any of them when 6-3 and 7-6 up, as he missed the chance to become the first Italian to win four singles titles in a season.
Tomic, 25, was last in an ATP final in February 2016 and made a fast start as he raced into a 3-0 lead, with Fognini failing to convert any of the six break points he had in an opening set which lasted just 29 minutes.
Fognini hit back in the second, twice winning games on Tomic’s serve and then saving two breaks points as he served out for a 6-3 win.
Both men lost serve twice in the opening five games of the decider and, though it was Fognini who took the early initiative in the breaker, Tomic roared back and finished with a forehand winner to end his long wait for a title.
- Omni
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