ISTANBUL, May 2, 2016
Diego Schwartzman claimed his first ATP World Tour title, rallying from a break and a set down to upset second seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-7, 7-6, 6-0 in the final of the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open.
The 23-year-old Argentine battled all week in the Turkish capital, stunning top-seed Bernard Tomic in the second round and saving one match point in edging Damir Dzumhur on Friday.
In Sunday’s final, Schwartzman won 54% of the total points and capitalized on 10 of his 17 break point chances to prevail in two hours and 47 minutes.
Schwartzman is the second first time winner on the ATP World Tour this year, joining Marseille champion Nick Kyrgios. He is also the third different Argentine to triumph this season alongside Federico Delbonis and Juan Mónaco.
“It was an amazing match for me. I played well and fought all match. What happened to Grigor with the cramps also happened to me in Australia this year. With my doubles final and title in singles, it’s amazing,” told Schwarztman, who earns €75,880 in prize money as well as 250 ATP ranking points.
“I’ve practised really hard to improve my tennis. I played all the points with 100 per cent effort and I need to. All the matches are tough, against Tomic, Dzumhur and Bagnis. I played really well.”
Dimitrov explained his meltdown in the final set.
“I started cramping at 5-2 in the second set. It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t close out the match. I have to give credit to Diego,” said the Bulgarian, who was bidding for his fifth ATP World Tour crown.
“I have two big events coming up and hope that I can face one of the top guys there. There will be some altitude in Madrid and I won’t have much time to get ready, but I like it there.”
Flavio Cipolla and Dudi Sela (photo: Istanbul Open)
Flavio Cipolla and Dudi Sela claimed the doubles title, winning 6-3, 5-7, 10-7 over Andres Molteni and Diego Schwartzman in one hour and 27 minutes. The encounter ended at 10:40pm local time.
“I really love it here in Turkey. It’s very close to home. Great food here and a great city. I think me, Flavio and Diego are the shortest players on the tour and we’re all here on the court,” said Sela.
“We’ve been having so much fun. It’s been a wonderful week together. I want to congratulate Diego and Andres on a great week and thanks to the crowd. They’ve been great. It’s been a fantastic tournament,” Cipolla added.
