Džumhur wins title in Zagreb, moves up in ATP rankings

(Patria) - The highest-ranked player at the ATP Challenger Zagreb Open, 32-year-old Bosnian-Herzegovinian tennis player Damir Džumhur (ATP - 123rd), justified that status with a final victory of 7:5, 6:0 against 20-year-old Split native Luka Mikrut (ATP - 509th) to become the winner of the 17th edition of this revived tournament, which concluded on Sunday on the central court of the tennis complex at Šalata.

The match lasted 87 minutes, and Džumhur, in his 21st Challenger Tour final, secured his 11th title and his third of the year, maintaining a perfect record in matches for trophies.

In a close first set, Mikrut had two break opportunities to lead 2:0, but failed to convert. Unlike the Split native, the top seed converted his first break opportunity in the seventh game. However, in the very next game, the Croatian tennis player broke back in the longest game of the match. Another marathon game gave Mikrut a 5:4 lead, in a game where he saved two break points.

Just when it seemed Mikrut had found a way to effectively counter the 12-year-older Sarajevan, the opposite happened. Džumhur easily held serve for 5:5, then capitalized on Mikrut's increasing errors for another break and closed out the set with another confident service game.

During the break between sets, the top seed requested assistance from a physiotherapist, who massaged his core muscles above his left hip. However, if he felt any pain, it was not evident in Džumhur's play. He moved excellently, successfully neutralized Mikrut's attacking attempts, and waited for his opportunity for a counter-attack or for his opponent's mistakes, which became more frequent as the match progressed. After the first set, which lasted an hour, the second set concluded in 27 minutes, with Mikrut winning only five points.

Damir Džumhur earned 75 points and a prize of 10,200 euros for the victory. The Sarajevan is expected to move up 18 places in the ATP rankings and will likely be the 110th player in the world from Monday.

The final was watched by around 500 spectators, and the trophy was presented to the winner by the Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević.