Alex de Minaur won his third ATP title after beating Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (4), 6-4 at Zhuhai Open on Sunday.
The Aussie managed to win 12 breakpoints but never converted a single one before firing a forehand winner to break the Frenchman and seal the victory.
"It was a really tough match. I had a lot of chances and I felt like Adrian just played better than I did in those moments," De Minaur said after the match.
"I just told myself I had to try and take control of the point and just try to dictate as much as I could and I hit a great ball and I'm happy it ended there," he added.
The match turned into a contest of steady baseliners. De Minaur got three break points at 40-0 in the third game, only to see Mannarino hurrying to win five straight points to survive. The first set went into tiebreaks and Mannarino built up a 4-2 lead, before the Aussie turned it all around with five straight points.
Alex de Minaur gestures to Chinese fans after winning the Zhuhai Open at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, September 29, 2019. /VCG Photo
De Minaur led 5-4 after the pair held all their service games in the first nine games of the second set and Mannarino was under pressure in his must-win game, only to see the Aussie gaining another 40-0 lead and converting his second break point to win the match.
The 20-year-old won his maiden title at Sydney Open, his home event, before bagging his second Atalanta Open in July.
"Sometimes I'll have good days, sometimes I'll have bad days, but if I keep fighting until the end I'll be able to win a lot of matches, even if they're not my best days," De Minaur said.
The Aussie will compete in Tokyo next week and is looking forward to winning his fourth this year.
"I want to keep on pushing, hopefully I can have. I've got four more ATPs to go and I've got to push as hard as I can to keep putting myself in good positions," he said.