September 26, (THEWILL) – Alexander Zverev captured his second title this season after battling back to defeat Roman Safiullin in the final of the Chengdu Open on Tuesday.
Trailing by a set and a break, Zverev recovered admirably to claim a 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-3 victory. The win enhances the German’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, moving up to seventh in the Race to Turin standings.
Zverev was the pre-match favourite but Safiullin played excellently to take the first set on a tie-break. The Russian struck first in the second set too, breaking the Zverev serve to go 2-0 up. However, Zverev broke back immediately and forced another tie-break, which he edged 7-5.
With momentum on his side, Zverev secured the decisive break at 3-1 in the final set. He then calmly served out the match to seal an impressive comeback triumph.
The title marks a return to form for Zverev, who also lifted the trophy in Hamburg earlier this season. After a difficult year, this win provides a timely boost ahead of the season finale in November.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
