By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, January 5, 2019
Kevin Anderson reeled off the final five points edging Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), to capture a pulsating Pune final a year after he was tournament runner-up.
Photo credit: Tata Open Maharashtra Facebook
The tallest ATP final in history came down to miniscule margins.
A committed Kevin Anderson made one final determined push edging Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), to capture a pulsating Pune final.
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The 6'8" South African stood tall under pressure storming back from a 2-5 deficit in the final tiebreak to top the 6'11" Karlovic for the fourth time in five meetings. Karlovic cranked 36 aces and denied all eight break points he faced.
A dramatic victory denied the 39-year-old Karlovic, the oldest ATP finalist since a 43-year-old Ken Rosewall won Tokyo 42 years ago, his ninth career title.
"First, I want to congratulate Ivo on a great week; what you are doing is really inspirational," Anderson said. "It's great to see you playing this brand of tennis. I know it was a tough one today, but well done.
"It could have gone either way. Obviously, I'm very pleased to have gone one step further than last year. I thought the fans were fantastic. This atmosphere was unbelievable. It's you guys that make our sport and it's just awesome to be here. And this atmosphere tonight is something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
It is Anderson's sixth career title, including his second championship in his last four events. The 32-year-old Anderson defeated Kei Nishikori to win the 500-level Vienna crown in October.
Runner-up to Gilles Simon in the 2018 Pune final, Anderson ran off the final five points of the decisive tiebreak, searing a couple of timely passes to find the finish line in dramatic fashion.
Anderson, who did not face a break point, slashed his 21st ace out wide to close a gripping final in two hours, 45 minutes.
Appreciative Pune fans serenaded Karlovic with chants of "Ivo! Ivo!" during the final set and the trophy presentation, prompting the Croatian to smile off a painful setback and offer thumbs-up of gratitude to fans.
"I mean it was unlucky, but I would like to congrats to Kevin on an unbelievable last year and also this week," said Karlovic, who collected the runner-up check for $49,205. "Last year, I was down and out. I was able to rise a little bit and I'm here now so all is good. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue on this level."
A tenacious Karlovic kept pressing forward. Karlovic pounded successive aces to save two championship points and force the tiebreak then put himself in position to win his first title since 2016.
Using every inch of his expansive frame, Karlovic dug out a superb full-stretch backhand volley to snatch a 5-2 lead in the final-set tiebreak. Anderson fired a forehand pass and an ace to close to 4-5.
Stepping up to the line, Karlovic had the title on his racquet with two serves coming, but Anderson refused to let him close.
A forehand pass followed by a backhand pass down the line brought Anderson a third championship point.
The Wimbledon finalist whipped one final ace to close a tense test.
"Definitely looking forward to going down (to Australia)," Anderson said. "My sights were firmly set on this week. Right now, I'm not thinking about Australia. I'm just enjoying this. You don't get to win tournaments every week so when you do it's very special and something that means a lot to me."