MOSCOW, October 23, 2017
Damir Dzumhur claimed his first VTB Kremlin Cup title and the second ATP World Tour title of his career, winning Sunday’s final against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.
Dzumhur, who won his first title at the St. Petersburg Open last month and will ascend to a career-high in the Emirates ATP Rankings of No. 31, broke his opponent’s serve three times to prevail after one hour and 39 minutes.
The victory is the second for a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Dzumhur won the country’s first title in St. Petersburg. Earlier in Moscow, Dzumhur played compatriot Mirza Basic in the first all-Bosnian and Herzegovinian ATP World Tour semi-final.
“We played four times and he beat me three times. Last time I beat him, but I knew that for me this was going to be a tough match. He is a player who when he has a good day, he could beat anybody,” Dzumhur said.
“He has great shots. He has very strong shots and I knew if he was in the zone and if he was in his rhythm, he was going to be dangerous.”
Berankis entered the tournament on a protected ranking after starting the season in May following recovery from hip surgery. The Lithuanian was in his second ATP World Tour final after losing to Sam Querrey at Los Angeles in 2012.
“It was a very tough match. I think I had all the chances to win today — 4-3 in the third set, 0/40 on his serve, three break points. He took risks and he made those points. I guess he deserves to win today,” Berankis was a fair loser.
Mirnyi Lifts 50th ATP Doubles Trophy
Max Mirnyi earned his 50th ATP World Tour doubles title. He joined Philipp Oswald to defeat Dzumhur and Antonio Sancic, claiming their first title as a pair with a 6-3, 7-5 victory in 62 minutes. The victory was Oswald’s third title of the season, and Mirnyi’s fifth in Moscow.
“There is always a special pressure when you are playing at home. And I think the VTB Kremlin Cup is a home tournament for me as unfortunately we haven’t got an ATP tournament in Minsk. That’s why I consider the one in Moscow to be my home tournament. Many of my relatives and friends came to watch my matches and that is the one more reason to show your best. And when you managed to do this it is a great pleasure,” said Mirnyi
“It means a lot because when you look at the list of winners with Max, he’s won this tournament five times with Federer and all those top stars and now it also says 50th title with Oswald,” the Austiran stated.
