By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Photo credit: Zhe Ji/Getty
Marin Cilic He celebrated his early birthday in style by winning his 21st title in China.
In a high-quality final, Cilic smashed 18 aces to beat China. Jangjijeon Today’s Hangzhou Open final ended 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
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There was no service break in the final.
Former US Open champion Cilic, who turns 36 on Saturday, claimed his first ATP title since the 2021 St Petersburg crown. Cilic improved to 21-16 in career finals.
“I don’t think I did better in any way,” Cilic said. “The first tiebreak was 7-5, the second tiebreak was 7-5. It was so close.
“We both served incredibly well today. We didn’t have many rallies today. Things like this can happen. Obviously, it’s a fast court, fast tennis. We just got a little bit luckier today.”
Into the history books
@cilic_marin He became the lowest-ranked winner in ATP Tour history. #Hangzhou Open 777th place! pic.twitter.com/uHQZKVrJCq
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 24, 2024
It’s a historic win for Cilic, who starts the tournament ranked 777th this week, making him the lowest-ranked ATP champion in history.
With this win, Cilic’s real-time ranking has soared to 373rd.
