Khachanov clinches maiden title at Chengdu Open

(Reuters) – Russian Karen Khachanov produced a stirring fightback to clinch his first ATP title with a 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 6-3 win over Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the final of the inaugural Chengdu Open on Sunday.

The 20-year-old, ranked 101st in the world, is expected to soar nearly 50 places in the ATP standings after humbling fifth seed Ramos-Vinolas.

Playing in his third ATP final, Ramos-Vinolas converted his only break point in the opening set and looked poised to surge through the set but Khachanov forced a tiebreak before surrendering it 7-4.

However, Khachanov leveled the match against the Spaniard when he bagged a tightly-contested second set 7-3 in the tiebreak.

Khachanov, who had beaten three seeded players en route to his first ATP final, relied on his strong service game, including 14 aces in the match, to complete a memorable win.

“I can’t believe I won my first title,” said Khachanov.

“At this level, all the players are really tough.

“I was playing against a guy much higher-ranked than me, so I just had to focus on every goal and keep going. You cannot lose focus and be relaxed.

“I was just pushing myself to the limit and I got the second set and then the third.”The Moscow native is the ninth first-time winner on the ATP tour in 2016.

(Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Clare Fallon)