Alexander Zverev defeated Dominc Thiem 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes on Sunday to win the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open.
The second-seeded German won his first title in Madrid against fifth seed Thiem, who on Friday beat Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals with a break in each set. Although he had to fight back from two game points down in the last game of the first set, once he had broken Thiem's serve in the first game of the second, he clearly looked like he would take the win.
Alexander Zverev of Germany in action during his match against Dominic Thiem of Austria during day nine of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magica. /Getty Images/VCG Photo
Alexander Zverev of Germany in action during his match against Dominic Thiem of Austria during day nine of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magica. /Getty Images/VCG Photo
The result typified Zverev's progress to the title in Madrid as he went all the way through the competition without losing a single set.
Saturday saw Petra Kvitova go down in the history of the Madrid Open when she lifted her third title in the Caja Magica after a marathon three-set 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 victory over the Netherlands' Kiki Bertens.
The number 10 seed becomes the first woman to win the Madrid crown on three separate occasions, although she needed almost three hours to beat the unseeded Bertens, who is battling her way back up the rankings following a recent cancer scare.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency