WASHINGTON -- Shaking off back spasms to blast 18 aces, Australia's Nick Kyrgios kept his composure and captured the ATP Washington Open title Sunday, defeating Russia's 10th-ranked Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4).
The 24-year-old Aussie, who struggled through the opening set, claimed the $365,390 top prize and his sixth career ATP crown at the US Open tuneup event.
"This is probably my best memory of a final," Kyrgios said. "I left it all on the court."
Kyrgios, 5-1 this year against top-10 rivals, won his second title of the season after Acapulco in March and will jump 25 positions to 27th in Monday's new rankings, his first top-30 appearance in 43 weeks.
"This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life. I've made massive strides," Kyrgios said. "This whole week has been amazing. It's a week I won't forget."
Known for his fiery temperament and inconsistency, Kyrgios was resilient all week, breaking racquets but holding his emotions together -- "super proud" of his composure.
"In the past six months, it's crazy to think how much I've been able to turn it around," Kyrgios said. "I'm working hard to be better as a player and a person.
"I lost faith that I could still have weeks like this and be happy. I've got to thank (my family) for not losing faith.
"I just wanted to clean myself up and have a healthy attitude. I showed what I can do this week."
While saying his best memory of the week was "how professional I was off the court," Kyrgios also noted, "I've got a long way to go."
American Jessica Pegula captured her first WTA singles title by ripping Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-2 in the Washington women's final.
The 25-year-old daughter of NFL Buffalo Bills owner and natural gas magnate Terry Pegula took a $43,000 top prize.
Kyrgios won a match that featured no break points or deuces after 94 minutes with back-to-back aces, the last his tournament-best 110th of the week.
Medvedev, 23, was broken only twice this week but lost his lone sets to Kyrgios. He'll equal his career-best ranking of ninth on Monday.
"I know how well Nick can play when he wants to play. This week, I think he wanted to play and it was tough," Medvedev said.
"He was determined and it seemed like he wants to win. And that's what we don't see all the time."
Kyrgios, who beat Medvedev on Rome clay in May in their only prior meeting, would face him again in the second round next week at Montreal if Kyrgios beats Britain's Kyle Edmund.
"It's never easy to play Nick," said Medvedev, adding with a laugh. "I hope Kyle wins."
Kyrgios first grabbed his back at 2-all, stretching and twisting during a changeover but having no troubles after treatment between sets from a physiotherapist.
"I just happened to get through that first set, which was massive," he said.
His running and service speed were hampered at times during his seventh match in as many days counting doubles, but while Medvedev took 24 of 25 points on his serve, Kyrgios matching up into the tie-breaker.
Kyrgios denied Medvedev on set point with a 124-mph ace, then hit a passing winner and won it when Medvedev sent a forehand wide. In the last breaker, two Kyrgios aces made his Washington's first unseeded ATP champion since 2011.
- Pegula powers to crown -
Pegula's only other WTA singles final was last September at Quebec City, where she lost to France's Pauline Parmentier.
Pegula, who will jump 25 spots to a career-best 54th on Monday, broke early in each set and closed matters just inside an hour with an ace.
"It's extremely gratifying," she said. "The journey makes it all that much sweeter because it's hard. I really pushed myself this week. It's amazing. I'm excited.
"Hopefully I can take the momentum and keep riding it."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Champion Alexander Zverev cruised into the final of the Citi Open with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in Washington on Saturday.
World number three Zverev needed 87 minutes to win his 40th match of the year.
The German dropped only one point on his first serve and took advantage of the 10th seeded Greek's poor serving in the first set.
The second set was tighter. Tsitsipas, serving better, landed 65 percent of first serves and used that to moved closer to the baseline and prohibit Zverev from attacking from the first ball.
But in a 24-point game at 4-4, Zverev dived to earn one of six game points and on his fourth break point of the game, made a return off a deep second serve. Tsitsipas hit a forehand into the net to concede the deciding break.
“I saw he was getting a little bit tired, Zverev told Tennis Channel. "I think the heat helped me in this case a little bit. I saw him hitting himself (he smashed his palm against forehead five times at a changeover).”
Zverev will seek his third title of 2018 when he plays either Russia's Andrey Rublev or Australia's Alex de Minaur in Sunday's final.
Rublev and de Minaur were scheduled to play their semi-final later on Saturday.
The 16th seeded Rublev started his day by defeating American Denis Kudla 6-1 6-4 in a delayed quarter-final match.
Now on a nine-match Citi Open winning streak, Zverev chided officials for scheduling his semi-final in the afternoon after playing night matches all week.
“You play the whole week during the night and then all of a sudden on semi-finals day let’s play at 2 o’clock," the German said. "I’m not so sure of that idea.
"The semi-finals you want to play with the same conditions, with the same rhythm you had and all of a sudden you’ve got to go out there with the hottest weather all week.
"We’ve been going to sleep at 3:30-4 am and now all of a sudden we have to wake up at 10 o’clock and get ready to play.”
He said the only day match he played last year was the final.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, additional reporting by Andrew Both, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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Former world number one Andy Murray withdrew from the Citi Open on Friday, citing fatigue.
The returning Scot also announced his withdrawal from next week's Rogers Cup in Toronto.
He was to have met Australian Alex de Minaur in the Washington quarter-finals on Friday.
"I’m exhausted after playing so much over the past four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months. I also need to be careful and to listen to my body as I come back from a long-term injury," Murray said in a statement.
"I’m gutted not to be playing and I’d like to thank the tournament and all the fans.
"There are lots of positives to take from this week, so I’ll take some time to rest and recover, and then head to Cincinnati early to prepare and get ready."
In his third tournament back from hip surgery in January, the Scot showed signs of improvement, reaching his first quarter-final in more than a year.
The 31-year-old captured all three of his victories in three sets, the first time he has won three consecutive deciding sets at the same event since winning the 2016 Queen's Club tournament.
An emotional Murray broke down in tears after coming from behind to defeat Marius Copil 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(4) in a marathon third round match that lasted more than three hours on Thursday.
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WASHINGTON -- Alexander Zverev issued a warning to top ATP rivals Sunday after winning the Citi Open for his fourth title of the year -- he's not the next generation, he's the now generation.
The 20-year-old German defeated South Africa's Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to capture the $355,460 (302,000 euros) top prize at the US Open tuneup event on the Washington hardcourts.
World number eight Zverev dropped only nine points on his serve and never faced a break point in becoming the youngest player to win four ATP titles in a year, or take the Washington crown, since Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro did it at 19 in 2008.
"I improved a lot in the last few months to get where I can win tournaments," Zverev said. "The longer the tournament goes for me the better I'm able to play. Hopefully this can continue to be like that."
Zverev won his first title last September in St. Petersburg and added trophies this year at Montpellier, Munich and Rome, where he downed Novak Djokovic in the final.
He also ousted number four Stan Wawrinka at Miami and pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets in the third round of the Australian Open.
"I'm 'Next Gen' but the rankings say it for themselves," Zverev said. "I think I showed I can play with the big guys this year.
"I think I showed I'm not an 'in the future' kind of guy. I'm right now."
Only Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Roger Federer with five titles has won more ATP crowns this year than Zverev, and that's only because the Swiss star handed the German his lone finals loss of 2017 at Halle in June.
"A lot of people are looking at him as the face of tennis and the next Grand Slam champion," Anderson said of Zverev. "He seems to deal with it all pretty well. It will be interesting to see how the next little while progresses.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he wins a few Grand Slams. He definitely seems to be on a path in that direction."
Zverev, who will remain a career-best eighth in Monday's rankings, made a Slam-best fourth-round Wimbledon run, losing in five sets to Milos Raonic.
"Winning those types of matches is the next level I need to reach," Zverev said. "To get far in those events is my next goal."
Zverev thanked new co-coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world number one from Spain who worked with him at an event for the first time this week.
"What a way to start together and hopefully we have many more years to come and many more titles together," Zverev said. "It's amazing what we've already accomplished."
Makarova wins women's title
Russia's 58th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova prevented a German title sweep by rallying past 40th-ranked Julia Goerges 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 for her third career WTA crown.
"I was dreaming to win this tournament and I'm so happy," Makarova said.
Makarova hadn't won a title since 2014 in Pattaya City. Her first WTA trophy came at Eastbourne in 2010.
In the men's final, Zverev took the only break of the first set in the third game when Anderson netted a forehand overhead smash. Zverev broke to open the second set and held from there, winning after 69 minutes when Anderson sent a backhand wide.
"The couple of times I had small openings he played really well," Anderson said.
Anderson, in his first ATP final since winning the 2015 Winston-Salem title, will jump from 45th to about 33rd in Monday's rankings, his best mark since standing 25th last August.
"I played some of my best tennis here," Anderson said. "That has been really encouraging."
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WASHINGTON -- World number two Simona Halep cruised into the second round of the WTA Citi Open on Tuesday, ousting US wildcard Sloane Stephens 7-6 (7/3), 6-0.
The 25-year-old Romanian, runner-up at this year's French Open, needed just 79 minutes to advance past 957th-ranked Stephens on the Washington hardcourts as she starts preparing for the US Open that begins August 28.
"It was a tough first set. I was missing a little bit too much and she made some shots," Halep said.
"For first match on hardcourts, it wasn't that bad. I missed a few shots. Didn't have the rhythm at the beginning, but I feel better now."
Stephens has only been playing for a month after missing nearly a year with a left foot injury. She remains frustrated as she tries to regain the form that saw her claim her first WTA title in Washington in 2015.
"It was a good first set," Stephens said. "I did well to do the best I could. I got a little frustrated in the second set. It's going to take a while to get that consistency back and get more matches under my belt."
Top seed Halep will face Colombia's 115th-ranked Mariana Duque-Marino for a quarter-final berth.
"My serve wasn't the best but I was OK. Everything went well. I can't say I have to adjust something," Halep said.
"It was important I won today. It was important the second set was much better. The next round I have to be a little more aggressive. I have to come to the baseline and finish the points sooner."
Reigning Olympic champion Monica Puig of Puerto Rico and Russian seventh seed Ekaterina Makarova each ousted US qualifiers to book a second-round meeting.
Puig defeated Louisa Chirico 6-4, 6-4 and Makarova beat Jamie Loeb 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Romania's Patricia Maria Tig edged Britain's Heather Watson 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3).
On the men's side, Austrian top seed Dominic Thiem was set to face 96th-ranked Swiss Henri Laaksonen in a later second-round match while Japanese second seed Kei Nishikori was to meet American Donald Young.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
