Croatian Champion Clicks: Wins Kremlin ATP Title

Croatian Champion Clicks: Wins Kremlin ATP Title


Many wondered if Marin Cilic was a one hit wonder when he won the US Open title this year, beating Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer. Cilic has set the stories to rest by clinching the Kremlin ATP title in Moscow. Second seeded player Marin defeated the fifth seeded Spanish plater Roberto Bautista-Agut during the final.

He is the first Croatian player to win this Moscow ATP 250 tournament since coach Goran Ivanisevic defeated Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the year 1996. Sixth seeded player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from Russia defeated Romanian player Irina Camelia Begu to win the WTA title. Anastasia is the first Russian woman to win the Kremlin cup since her Russian compatriot Elena Demetieva in the year 2007. She had earlier also proved victorious at the Open GDF Suez in Paris.

Cilic won the championship beating Agut 6-4,6-4 in the final of the Kremlin cup. The match was held at the Olimpiisky arena in Moscow. This is the 13th career title Marin has clinched apart from it being his fourth victory in the season. Meanwhile, Pavlyuchenkova beat her Romanian rival 6-4,5-7, 6-1 to prove victorious at the women's event. Cilic was quoted as saying "I wasn't able to hit big bombs. I was today playing more in combinations and I was playing a bit better from the baseline. It was many difficult physical rallies."

He qualified for next month's ATP Finals as a result of this win. "I'm going to be motivated to do well," he was quoted as having said "I've been winning a lot of matches in indoors which is for sure one of my favorite surfaces to play." He is the first Croatian man to win the Moscow tournament since Ivanisevic and he played a rival he had met 12 years ago at an under-14 tournament. Bautista Agut is now 2-2 in his career finals following this match.

Cilic becomes the first Croatian man to win the Moscow ATP 250 tournament since his coach Goran Ivanisevic beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1996. Russian tennis player Pavlyuchenkova converted her second match point to be the first Russian woman since Dementiava to win the match.

She was playing in her home city. Pavlyuchenkova was quoted as saying, "It's just the best possible way to end the season. It was a really tough match. I just couldn't have lost at home."

She is now 7-3 in career WTA Finals, this being her season's second title. She dropped just one set in 5 matches played to get to the title. World No. 61 Begu is now 1-3 in her finals, this being her first final since 2012. Elsewhere at Vienna, Andy Murray won his second title of the year beating worthy contender David Ferrer at the AT Vienna tournament final. This certainly is a time for tennis aces to shine.
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