Young teenage standout Marin Cilic of Croatia clinched his first ever ATP title on Saturday after a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 triumph over Mardy Fish of the United States in New Haven. The 19-year-old Croat, seeded sixth, made a tough stand all week to emerge as a possible threat at the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, which starts next Monday in New York.
"I'm unbelievably excited," Cilic said. "I was a little bit nervous in the beginning of the third set. I got my rhythm back. I was really pumped up when I had to be. Really enjoyed the moment in the end."
The 6-foot-6 Croat has now compiled a 31-21 on the season (18-12 on hard courts). He is the second Croat after Ivo Karlovic to capture an ATP title this season. Cilic, ranked No 31 in the world, raced out of the box behind bullet first serves. He broke his opponent in the opening game to coast away with the first set.
The Zagreb resident looked surprisingly nervous in the later stages, conceding his delivery for a second time in the tenth game along with the set. Cilic regained the initiative with a break early in the decider and sealed victory in style with an ace, his eleventh.
Once again, Mardy Fish, seeded eight, fell at the last hurdle in New Haven after losing to fellow-American James Blake in last year's final. "Nine times losing. I've got a lot of runner-up trophies in my office in my house. These are the ones I need to get," Fish said.
In the women's final, Danish teen sensation Caroline Wozniacki overwhelmed top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to earn her second WTA title in a month.