Tommy Paul capped a dominant week by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight units to win the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm for a second time.
The fourth-seeded American, who hadn’t dropped a set this week, noticed off Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 in 85 minutes to assert his third victory of the yr – following on from successes at Dallas and Queen’s Membership – and win the ATP 250 occasion he additionally lifted the trophy at in 2021.
It was additionally a crucial win to Paul’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals for the second time in his profession. The 27-year-old moved previous Dimitrov within the race to qualify for the season-ending match for the yr’s prime eight gamers, which he has by no means beforehand featured in.
It was anticipated to be a titanic tussle between the fourth and third seeds however Paul broke to like within the second recreation and swiftly raced right into a 4-1 lead. Dimitrov then took two straight video games as he threatened to attract stage however Paul broke straight again and went on to take the opening set after one other fast alternate of breaks.
Paul then acquired the essential break within the penultimate recreation of the second set and served out the match, which sees him be a part of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Matteo Berrettini as the one gamers to have at the very least three wins on tour this season.
“It’s a very special place for me,” Paul mentioned. “This is where I got my first title a few years ago and to come out and play the level of tennis I did this week, it’s been a dream. I feel like every match I played a little bit better and better. Today, I came out playing amazing, so I was definitely happy with the performance.”
Bautista Agut stars to take Antwerp title
Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut received his twelfth profession title and his first since 2022 by finishing a dominant victory over Jiri Lehecka within the ultimate of the European Open in Antwerp.
The world No 60 had seen off Luca Van Assche, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hugo Gaston on his option to the ultimate, the place he thrashed Lehecka 7-5 6-1 to change into the second-oldest winner on the ATP Tour – behind Novak Djokovic – this season.
Lehecka acquired a masterclass from the Spaniard within the 75-minute match, as Bautista Agut hit 17 winners in opposition to 5 unforced errors. Bautista Agut claimed his fourth consecutive win in opposition to the Czech participant and can now transfer again inside the highest 50 within the PIF ATP Rankings.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
Highlights of the European Open ultimate between Roberto Bautista Agut and Jiri Lehecka in Antwerp.
“This one is very special,” Bautista Agut mentioned. “I broke my foot last year and I had to fight so hard this year. I went back to 120 in the world, but I was still going to practice with a smile on my face, trying to be a better player, to fight until the end of my career. I think I deserved a week like this.”
Elsewhere, Russia’s Karen Khachanov received his first indoor hard-court title since 2018 after defeating Gabriel Diallo 6-2 5-7 6-3 to safe the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan.
The third seed took Diallo deep into plenty of video games, amassing 19 break-point possibilities and capitalizing on six of them, along with his victory in simply over two hours and 20 minutes including to the title he captured in February in Doha.
Kasatkina comes by way of title tussle to win China title
Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina overcame Russian compatriot Mirra Andreeva 6-0 4-6 6-4 to win the Ningbo Open ultimate in China on Sunday and seize her second victory of the season.
Kasatkina has misplaced 4 finals this yr however breezed by way of the opening set in opposition to her teenage opponent, who seemed nervous, however faltered within the second to permit her shut good friend to attract stage and take the ultimate to a deciding set.
Andreeva constructed a 3-0 lead within the third however allowed her opponent again into the competition with a collection of unforced errors, as Kasatkina clawed her method again and claimed a victory that can transfer her again into the world’s prime 10.
“It’s been a very tough week, honestly,” Kasatkina mentioned after her victory. “All the matches were super tough. In the quarter-final I came back from two match points down, and today from 3-0, almost 4-0 [down] in the third set.
“This trophy means rather a lot as a result of I labored on many challenges throughout this week, and I am actually happy with myself.”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports activities app, giving Sky Sports activities prospects entry to over 50 per cent extra dwell sport this yr at no further price. Discover out extra right here.
