How does it feel to win your first ATP World Tour title in Metz?

“I’m very happy. It’s a big honour to win my first ATP World Tour title in France, in front of family and friends. It’s even more special to win when they are here, since I can share the happiness with all of them. Winning a title is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid watching tennis on television. I’ve played to win since I was young so this one means a lot.”

What did you do differently this time, compared to your first final in Bucharest?

“This time I knew what time the match was starting, since in Bucharest it was raining quite a bit and the match had to be postponed. Today I did all I could to play my game and to go for that first title.”

What did you do well during the week to win the title?

“I had some difficult moments, down break points or set points. But I never let up and that helped me win the title.”

You beat the top two seeds, No. 1 Dominic Thiem in the final and No. 2 David Goffin in the semi-finals. How were you able to put together those big wins?

“I’ve had wins in the past against those two players. I was feeling well physically and mentally so I knew that if I gave 100 per cent, I had a chance to win.”

Which players did you admire and pattern your game after?

“Growing up I admired Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I didn’t copy the way they played, but I tried to emulate their attitude on the court and their mental strength.”

Did you have a goal for the end of the season?

“I would love to end the year in the Top 16 [of the Emirates ATP Rankings], so that I can have a good seeding at the Australian Open.”

What have you improved this season to break into the Top 20?

“I’ve changed the way I worked off the court to be better prepared physically. All the little changes clicked for me in Miami, and since then I’ve been a different player.”

Who would you like to acknowledge for helping you to your first title?

“I wouldn’t be here today without the help of my coach Emmanuel Planque. He’s the person I would most like to thank for my career to date.”

#NextGen star Alexander Zverev claimed his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday, knocking off US Open champion Stan Wawrinka and ending the teenage title drought on the ATP World Tour.

The 19 year old Zverev withstood a late charge from Wawrinka to win the St. Petersburg Open final 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in two hours and 23 minutes. The Hamburg native had been 0-2 in his previous finals this season and in his career (l. to Mayer at Halle; l. to Thiem at Nice).

“This victory is something special,” Zverev said. “I played all the finals well. I lost to Dominic Thiem on clay and I could have won against Florian Mayer on the grass… Now I’m very happy with the win, especially over such a great player like Stan.”

The upset ends two winning streaks for Wawrinka: His finals streak, which ends at 11 and started in January 2014 with a victory against Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Chennai. The win also snaps Wawrinka’s overall win streak at 10, dating back to his first-round match at the US Open.

“We showed high-quality tennis,” Wawrinka said. “I was struggling in the third set. I had chances but I didn’t manage to convert them. He deserved the win.”

Zverev had lost his previous finals in three sets, and he looked out of it in the early goings of Sunday’s third set as well. Wawrinka was up a break at 3-0 and had grabbed control of the match by forcing the 6’6″ Zverev to chase balls all over the court – up, back and from side to side – by using a variety of slice and topspin.

But Zverev, the 2015 ATP Star Of Tomorrow presented by Emirates, crawled back into the final. The two were tied at 5-all and in the midst of a 21-shot baseline rally when Wawrinka blasted a forehand wide to give the German his fourth and final break. Heading into Sunday, Wawrinka had won 28 consecutive service games and erased all eight break points faced in St. Petersburg.

“In the third set, I had the initiative and played slice to his left more. I tried to neutralize his massive backhand,” Zverev said.

Serving for the match, Zverev stepped up to the line with confidence and sealed the title with a forehand winner. He’s the first teenage titlist on the ATP World Tour since 19 year old Marin Cilic won New Haven in 2008.

In beating World No. 3 Wawrinka in the final and World No. 9 Tomas Berdych in the semi-final, Zverev also becomes the first player to win his maiden ATP World Tour title by defeating back-to-back Top 10 opponents since Albert Portas won the 2001 Hamburg crown (d. No. 7 Hewitt in semi-final; d. No. 6 Ferrero in final).

Zverev will receive 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $163,485. He’ll also match a career high of No. 24 in the new Emirates ATP Rankings. Wawrinka will receive 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $86,100.

Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen saved a match point and captured their first ATP World Tour title together on Sunday at the St. Petersburg Open. The Brit and Fin improved to a perfect 4-0 together by prevailing against German Andre Begemann and Indian Leander Paes 4-6, 6-3, 12-10 to win the ATP World Tour 250 doubles crown.

The comeback in the final marked the third match of the tournament in which Inglot/Kontinen fought back from a set down. They cut their margins especially close against Begemann/Paes, who had not dropped a set before Sunday and were playing in their second ATP World Tour final of the season after falling at the Winston-Salem Open in August to Kontinen and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Begemann/Paes held a match point at 9-8 in the match tie-break and appeared to have won the final before Inglot/Kontinen challenged an out call. The call was overturned and the point was replayed. Defending a match point for a second time, Inglot/Kontinen took no chances as Kontinen smashed a forehand overhead that landed well inside the lines. A few minutes later, he delivered a service winner to give them their first team title.

Kontinen, who won the St. Petersburg Open title last season with Treat Huey, becomes the first player to win back-to-back doubles titles in St. Petersburg since Andrei Olhovskiy, who won titles in 1996 with Yevgeny Kafelnikov and in 1997 with Brett Steven. The 26-year-old Kontinen has now won five ATP World Tour doubles titles this season and 11 for his career.

Inglot claims his second ATP World Tour title of the season after winning in Nottingham with Canadian Daniel Nestor. The 30-year-old Brit now has six for his career. He and Kontinen will receive 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $49,660.

Paes/Begemann were going for their first ATP World Tour title together. Begemann falls to 4-5 in ATP World Tour doubles finals. Paes was trying to win an ATP World Tour doubles title for the 20^th consecutive year. The 43 year old, who is now 55-41 in doubles finals, has won at least one ATP World Tour doubles title since 1997. He and Begemann will receive 150 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $26,110.

Lucas Pouille is a man on a mission in 2016 and the 22-year-old will look to add a first ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Moselle Open.

Pouille is set to face top seed Dominic Thiem in the Metz final after dispatching 2014 champion David Goffin 7-6(6), 6-1 on Saturday. He punctuated the one-hour and 21-minute victory with an emphatic forehand pass at the net on his first match point. The third seed, who fired 32 winners, crashed the net often in claiming 12 of 14 points when coming forward.

Pouille enters his second ATP World Tour final in fine form following a quarter-final run at the US Open. Runner-up in Bucharest (l. to Verdasco) earlier this year, he is hoping to extend France’s dominance at the indoor hard-court event. A Frenchman has now reached the final in eight of the past nine years, claiming six of the past seven titles.

World No. 18 Pouille, who earned his sixth victory over a Top 15 opponent in beating Goffin, boosted his chances of qualifying for the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Currently at No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, he is looking to make his debut at The O2 in London.

“I had chances to go up two breaks and maybe win the first set 6-1 or 6-2, but he found a way to come back,” said Pouille. “I held strong in the tie-break, then started to really play freely in the second set. I’m feeling good physically on the court after my US Open run. Quicker than before.” 

Goffin, meanwhile, suffered his first defeat in Metz after reeling off seven straight victories in the French city. The Belgian had his chances to close out the first set, but was unable to take his lone set point at 6-5 in the tie-break. He remains in search of his first victory against Pouille, falling to 0-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Pouille and Thiem will face off for the second time on Sunday, with the Frenchman claiming their lone encounter at last year’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

Pavic/Venus Reach Seventh Final Of Season
Mate Pavic and Michael Venus advanced to their seventh ATP World Tour final of the 2016 season, downing Colin Fleming and Scott Lipsky 7-6(4), 6-1 on Saturday in Metz. The Croatian and the Kiwi are looking to claim their third title on French indoor hard courts this year, having won in Montpellier and Marseille. They also notched titles in Auckland and ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Pavic and Venus will face Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos in Sunday’s final, in a rematch of the Gstaad title match.

Stan Wawrinka will try to win a career-best fifth ATP World Tour title of the season on Sunday when he faces #NextGen player Alexander Zverev in the St. Petersburg Open final. The top seed advanced to his fifth final of the year and 25^th of his career by beating Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(8), 6-2 in one hour and 51 minutes on Saturday.

The Swiss saved two set points in the first set before claiming the 18-point tie-break. He broke to start the second set and again at 4-2 to take his 10^th victory in a row. Wawrinka also improved to a perfect 8-0 in sets in St. Petersburg.

Both players fought for every big point in the semi-final. Wawrinka saved all three break points; Bautista Agut erased seven of nine faced.

Last season, Wawrinka also won four titles but never earned the chance to go for a fifth. He’ll arrive confident on Sunday. He’s 11-0 in his past 11 finals, dating back to his 2014 title in Chennai (d. Roger-Vasselin). The last time Wawrinka lost in a final was more than three years ago: ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June 2013 against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

Zverev, however, also hasn’t lost a set in St. Petersburg. The 6’6”, 19 year old will be going for his first title and will be playing in the third final of his season and career. The two will be meeting for the first time.