Alexander Zverev fought back from a set down against Roman Safiullin to win the ATP 250 Chengdu Open title 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The top seed emerged victorious from a long and grueling battle with the World No. 55 to claim his 21st title on the ATP Tour. At the start of the first set, things looked as though they would easily go in Zverev's favor, with Safiullin's first service game going to a deuce. However, the Russian held his serve and the set stayed level.

The match began to get exciting when the German player secured three break and set points at 5-4. Many predicted that Safiullin, who was appearing in his first ever ATP final, would lose his nerve under such pressure but he kept his calm and sent Zverev running to save the first break point. He continued on to take the game to a deuce, where two unforced errors left Zverev frustrated as he lost his chance for a break.

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Safiullin takes opener before a nail-biting second set

After saving three break points, Safiullin certainly seemed to be feeling confident. He managed to get a break point of his own in the next game but Zverev held on to keep the set level. Eventually, it went to a tiebreak where brilliant ball-striking from Safiullin saw him take a 6-2 lead and four set points. He only needed one though, as Zverev hit the ball into the net to secure Safiullin the set.

Both players came out fighting in the second. Safiullin looked solid, winning the first break of the set, but Zverev broke back shortly after to level things once more. The duo then held their nerve until another tiebreak was required. This would prove to be crucial.

In a reversal of the previous tiebreak, Zverev got the first mini-break immediately. He then achieved another one after using impressive defensive skills against a well-angled shot from Safiullin. An incredible volley then occurred to level the tiebreak at 5-5 after Zverev sent Safiullin running only to hit the ball into the net himself. However, he soon retrieved the lead and a double fault from Safiullin saw Zverev take the second set and force a decider.

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Things were more clear-cut in the third and final set, with Safiullin playing his worst game of the match by far to allow Zverev to take the break at 3-1. The World No. 10 was relentless throughout the set, with his opponent appearing to have lost some of his nerve.

In the end, Zverev secured three championship points but only needed one after Safiullin hit the ball into the net. It has been a tournament of resilience for Zverev, coming back from a set down against several of his opponents, but ultimately he always managed to prevail.

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Sealed from a set down! 👏 Zverev wins the #ChengduOpen with a 6-7 7-6 6-3 victory over Safiullin!

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