Marin Cilic of Croatia shows off the men's singles trophy after winning the final at the Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, September 24, 2024. /CFP
Marin Cilic of Croatia defeated Zhang Zhizhen of China 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the men's singles final at the Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday.
The straight-sets victory clinched Cilic's first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour title since the St. Petersburg Open in 2021, as well as the 21st Tour-level men's singles trophy of his career. He entered the tournament in Hangzhou via a wild card while sitting at No. 777 in the world rankings, the lowest position for a champion at any ATP Tour event since 1990.
"Thank you to my family, my boys, my wife. Everyone who has been with me in this difficult period. Working with me day by day, pushing me, and giving me strength and spirit. I am so happy and proud to make this victory not only for me but for them too." Cilic said after the final.
"It has been a difficult period for me in the past few months. I lost my ranking and I didn't play too much," the 35-year-old added. "So a big thank you to the organizing team for giving me the opportunity [with the wild card]."
Zhang Zhizhen of China hits a shot in the men's singles final against Marin Cilic (not pictured) at the Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, September 24, 2024. /CFP
The championship match marked Zhang's first final on the ATP Tour. He fought through two tiebreakers before dropping the close contest.
"First, I want to thank everyone for coming to support me in today's match," Zhang said. "Also, I want to congratulate Marin. It has been a great week. We hadn't met each other for a long time. We used to train a lot together in Croatia. The first question you asked me when we met was about my recovery from my knee injury. I want to thank you for that."
Zhang will next compete at the China Open in Beijing.