Nicolas Almagro stormed back from a set down to win the final of the Millennium Estoril Open 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-3 against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. Almagro earned his first tour-level title since Nice 2012. It was the 30 year old’s 13^th ATP World Tour title.

Almagro overcame plenty of adversity on Sunday. He twice failed to serve out the opening set and led the tie-break 6-2 before dropping six points in a row to fall behind. In the second set, he let slip a 5-4 lead before recovering in another tie-break to push the match to a deciding set.

In securing the win on his third match point after almost three hours, Almagro improved to 13-10 in tour-level finals, all on clay. He struck 12 aces and finished with a tournament-best 45 in five matches.

Almagro earned 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and €82,450. Carreno Busta, who was aiming for his maiden ATP World Tour title, took home 150 points and €43,430.

Diego Schwartzman rallied from the brink of elimination in the final of the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. The Argentine found himself down a set and a break against Grigor Dimitrov, before storming back, claiming 11 of the last 12 games to clinch his maiden ATP World Tour title 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-0.

Schwartzman is the second first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this year, joining Nick Kyrgios (Marseille), and the third different Argentine to triumph along with Federico Delbonis and Juan Monaco. The 23 year old battled all week in the Turkish capital, upsetting top seed Bernard Tomic in the second round and saving one match point in edging Damir Dzumhur on Friday.

Read: In The Gym With Diego

Service holds came at a premium in a marathon 70-minute first set on Sunday. Eight of the 12 service games resulted in breaks, including seven in a row. A tie-break would decide the opener, with Dimitrov converting his second opportunity as Schwartzman netted a volley.

Dimitrov looked to be in control as the second set got underway at the Garanti Koza Arena, consolidating an immediate break for 3-0. The second seed arrived at the doorstep of capturing the title in straight sets, leading 5-2, but the 5’7″ Argentine would not go down without a fight. With his back against the wall, Schwartzman denied Dimitrov serving for the match on his fourth break chance and would break again two games later.

The agile Schwartzman pounced in the ensuing tie-break, rallying from a mini-break deficit to force a decider. He would go on to take the third set 6-0, lifting his first ATP World Tour trophy after two hours and 47 minutes. The match ended in unusual circumstances when Dimitrov received a game penalty trailing at 0-5 in the final set after being penalised for a third time in the match for breaking his racquet.

Schwartzman will look to pull double duty on Sunday, also contesting the doubles final alongside countryman Andres Molteni. They face the Italian-Israeli duo of Flavio Cipolla and Dudi Sela. The World No. 87 is the second-lowest ranked player to lift a tour-level crown this year, behind only Monaco (No. 148) in Houston. He takes home 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and €75,880 in prize money.

“I started cramping at 5-2 in the second set,” said Dimitrov, who was bidding for his fifth ATP World Tour title. “It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t close out the match. I have to give credit to Diego.

“I have two big events coming up and hope that I can face one of the top guys there. There will be some altitude in Madrid and I won’t have much time to get ready, but I like it there.” 

Philipp Kohlschreiber overcame a dogged Dominic Thiem to win his third title in Munich on Sunday at the BMW Open by FWU AG 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(4).

Thiem erased two match points at 4-5 in the third set, but in the tie-break, a backhand volley to the open court gave the German his seventh career ATP World Tour title and his first of the season.

The 32 year old had not dropped a set in his three prior matches in Munich before Sunday’s final, which featured Thiem consistently making the German work for every point.

Henri Kontinen and John Peers clinched their second title of 2016 at the BMW Open by FWU AG on Sunday in Munich. The third seeds survived a tight championship match over second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.

Very little separated the two teams in the opening set, with Kontinen and Peers winning 25 points compared to 23 for Cabal and Farah. A lone break of serve was all Kontinen and Peers needed to take the set. In the second set, the Colombians saved all four break points against them and utilized their only break point opportunity to bring the championship to a Match Tie-break.

The Finnish-Australian duo saved their best tennis for the final stages of the match. Landing 89 per cent of their first serves in play, they continued to put pressure on their opponents and eventually clinched the title.

“We played them two weeks ago in Monte-Carlo and we knew it was going to be a tough match. They’re a very tough team, especially on clay courts, and they never let you off easy,” said Kontinen. “We came into the match knowing we were going to have to work hard and that it was going to be a tough battle, but we played well when it mattered most.

Peers added, “This week tested us mentally and it was great to be able to put on a good performance. We’ve been starting to play some good tennis over the last few weeks and putting together a really good partnership. If we can carry this form through, it could be a fun couple of weeks leading into the French. 

This is Kontinen’s first title in Munich, while Peers previously won this event in 2014 with Colin Fleming. Kontinen is 8-3 in ATP World Tour finals, while Peers improves to 8-10. They took home €25,070 and 250 points.

Cabal and Farah were looking for their third ATP World Tour title of 2016, having won this February in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Farah is 6-10 in finals, while Cabal dropped to 6-12. The pair leave Munich with €13,170 and 150 points.

Both teams are competing next at the Mutua Madrid Open. Kontinen and Peers play Alexandr Dolgopolov and Bernard Tomic in the first round, while Cabal and Farah take on Thomaz Bellucci and Leonardo Mayer in their opening match.

Grigor Dimitrov and Diego Schwartzman will square off for the first time on Sunday, with the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open title on the line.

In his second straight semi-final appearance in Istanbul, second seed Dimitrov advanced one step further, downing Karlovic 7-6(0), 7-6(2) in one hour and 41 minutes. The Bulgarian reached his eighth ATP World Tour final and will vie for his fifth title and first since prevailing on the grass of London/Queen’s Club in 2014.

“The result speaks for itself against a tricky opponent,” said Dimitrov. “I was patient and took my chances. I think I did well today. In the tie-breaks it was important to be focused and composed and put the ball in play. Today, I made good returns when I had to and once you have a mini-break things are just brighter.”

Dimitrov had the upper hand from the start in both tie-breaks, maintaining an ultra-aggressive stance against Karlovic’s mammoth serve. A double fault would give Dimitrov the opening tie-break 7-0 and he would not disappoint in the second, rifling a return winner down the line to seal the victory.

Dimitrov was unflappable on serve, firing 10 aces and winning 90 per cent (46/51) of first serve points. He saved the lone break point of the match, in the fifth game of the first set.

In the second semi-final, Schwartzman battled deep into the night to down countryman Federico Delbonis under the lights at the Garanti Koza Arena. He triumphed over the fourth seed 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 after two hours and 16 minutes.

“It’s been a great week for me,” said Schwartzman, who stunned top seed Bernard Tomic in the second round and saved one match point in beating Damir Dzumhur on Friday. “It’s a dream week. I tried to be focused from the baseline and play more aggressive today. When I broke his serve in the second set, that was the key for the match.

“Tomorrow it’s going to be a tough match. Grigor is an amazing player. I need to recover fast now.”

Schwartzman rebounded nicely after being broken while serving for the first set at 5-4. He would relinquish the opener in a tie-break, but kept his focus, dropping just five games the rest of match. A drop volley winner would secure the decisive break for 3-1 in the third set and a forehand long from Delbonis clinched the victory on his first match point.

It was the 23-year-old’s first win in three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. He will look to pull double duty on Sunday, seeking his maiden ATP World Tour singles final against Dimitrov, while battling for the doubles crown alongside countryman Andres Molteni.

The year’s #NextGen final at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Tallahassee, Florida, which saw Quentin Halys prevail over Frances Tiafoe, could eventually lead to him continuing the trend of future Top 10 players who made their breakthrough at this tournament.

Over its 17-year history, the tournament has helped launch or re-launch the careers of some of the most recognizable names in tennis. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, John Isner and Mardy Fish all eventually moved into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings after lifting the winner’s trophy in Tallahassee.

“We have a pretty illustrious list of champions,” said Tournament Director Karen Vogter. “Fish reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final (2007 Australian Open) after he came here and won our tournament in 2006. When Tsonga got to the Australian Open final (in 2008) after winning our tournament in 2007, I think that’s when people here understood that this was the place to see the future champions of the game. We’d love to see the next young champion come out of here.”

The consistently strong field isn’t the only reason why some players competing this week have returned to Tallahassee for several years. The packed crowds that can be seen for each night session and the helpfulness of the local community, which includes more than 300 volunteers for the tournament each year, have also proven to be an appealing draw.

“We try to take care of everyone that comes here,” said Vogter. “I think that Southern hospitality is something the players appreciate. Moving to Forest Meadows (in 2005) also had a huge impact on our tournament because it’s the heart of tennis in Tallahassee. We’ve seen a marked increase in our crowds and support since then.”

The Challenger has also provided a meaningful impact on Tallahassee beyond the tennis court. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Vogter Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at Tallahassee Memoiral HealthCare, named in honor of her late husband. More than $625,000 has been raised over the last 16 years as a result. In 2010, all ticket sale money began to be donated to the Maria Yealdhall Challenger Tennis Fund, which is used to help build and improve tennis projects and programs throughout the city.

“The money for the endowment is used for educational purposes and to make sure they have the most highly trained staff possible. It’s a high-stress environment, so we hope to improve healthcare by providing additional education that the staff can then share with others,” explained Vogter. “For the tennis fund, we’ve improved different areas of the facilities at Forest Meadows by doing things like resurfacing courts and putting up shade structures on several of them.”

Although 2016 marks yet another successful year in the books for the tournament, Vogter already has plans in place to make things bigger and better. Prize money will increase next year from $50,000 to $75,000 and money has already been allocated to build more Har-Tru courts for the tournament.

“There are definitely improvements that we want to make,” said Vogter.  “We’re all committed to having this tournament return year after year and making it the best event we possibly can.”