Qualifier Martin Klizan pulled off a shock victory over top seed Fabio Fognini in Sunday’s final of the ATP BMW Open in Berlin to claim only the second title of his career.
The Slovakian, ranked 111th in the world, recovered from losing the first set to claim a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win which denied Fognini, ranked 13th, his third straight title in Germany having won last season’s Hamburg and Stuttgart tournaments.
The 24-year-old Klizan, whose only previous ATP tournament win was in St Petersburg, Russia, in 2012, deserved his clay-court title having beaten Russian third seed Mikhail Youzhny in the second round, then defending champion and second seed Tommy Haas in Saturday’s semi-final.
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The final was a low-key affair with Klizan suffering from abdominal pains, needing treatment in the first set and writhing in pain at each changeover, while Italy’s Fognini had to be treated by the doctor in the third set for the same problem.
“I felt very bad and took two tablets because of stomach cramps after the first set,” Klizan said. “That was a crazy game from both of us.”
After losing the first set, Klizan regained his composure to race into a 4-1 lead in the second, then dominated the third to go 3-0 up, before Fognini pulled two games back, but the Slovakian held on to take the title.
Klizan picked up the winner’s check of 77,315 euros (US$107,243) and a new sports car.
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