Nishioka claims maiden ATP singles title

SHENZHEN: Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka broke through for his maiden ATP singles title Sunday, outlasting seasoned Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in a grueling final of the Shenzhen Open.

The 23-year-old Nishioka, ranked 171 in the world, in the end played seven matches in eight days at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre but his legs were full of running in a marathon final as he threw himself at everything Herbert could give.

As the match clock ticked towards twoand-a-half hours, Nishioka sealed the victory on his fifth match point.

Both players came into the final unfancied and unseeded and both had yet to claim a ATP Tour singles title.

Herbert had only made one final previously (losing in straight sets to South African Kevin Anderson at the WinstonSalem Open in the US in 2015) while Nishioka had never before graced the big stage.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, controversial Australian Bernard Tomic won his first significant tournament in three years on Sunday — saving four match points to triumph at the Chengdu Open.

The 25-year-old defeated top seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) in a thrilling three-setter in southwest China, where he was a qualifier.

Victory for Tomic — his first ATP World Tour crown since Bogota in 2015 — will propel the world-ranked 123 comfortably inside the top 100.

For Tomic, it was a welcome change to be making headlines for the right reasons. Once seen as a rising star, he has had a number of run-ins with authorities over the years.

In January he faced a backlash after boasting “I just count my millions” in response to failing to negotiate qualifying for the Australian Open.

In 2017, as his once-promising career nosedived, Tomic admitted he was sometimes “bored” during matches and not always giving 100 per cent.