Promising German 19-year-old Alexander Zverev has won his first tour title, beating US Open champion Stan Wawrinka in a tight battle in the St. Petersburg Open final.
Zverev took the first set on Sunday before Wawrinka responded to draw level.
The German was a break down in the decider, but fought back to win 6-2 3-6 7-5.
“This victory is something special… I played all the finals well. I lost to Dominic Thiem on clay and I could have won against Florian Mayer on the grass,” Zverev said.
“Now I’m very happy with the win, especially over such a great player like Stan.”
Zverev becomes the first man to beat Wawrinka in a tour final since 2013, snapping an 11-match win streak in finals for the Swiss star.
Wawrinka had been trying to win back-to-back titles in his first tournament since the US Open and was attempting to extend his 10-match winning streak.
Zverev becomes the youngest player since Marin Cilic in 2008 to win an ATP World Tour title.
“We showed high-quality tennis … I was struggling in the third set. I had chances but I didn’t manage to convert them. He deserved the win,” Wawrinka said.
“He is a good player right now. He scored a couple of big wins over top players. It means he is really strong.”
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