By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Photo credit: Zhe Ji/Getty
Marin Cilic celebrated an early birthday blast winning his 21st career title in China.
In a high-quality final, Cilic cracked 18 aces edging China's Zhang Zhizhen 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in today's Hangzhou Open final.
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There were no service breaks in the final.
Former US Open champion Cilic, who celebrates his 36th birthday on Saturday, captured his first ATP title since the 2021 St. Petersburg crown. Cilic improved to 21-16 in career finals.
"I don’t think I did in any aspect better," Cilic said. "First tiebreak was 7-5 and the second tiebreak was also 7-5. So close.
"Both of us served incredibly well today. Not too many rallies today. It can happen like this. Obviously, it’s a fast court, fast tennis. Just a little bit luckier today.”
It's a historic win for Cilic, who started this week ranked No. 777 becoming the lowest-ranked ATP champion in history.
The victory vaults Cilic all the way up to No. 373 in the live rankings.