Tennis roundup: Alexander Zverev wins 3rd ATP title; Marin Cilic downs Milos Raonic in Istanbul final

Berlin: Germany’s rising star Alexander Zverev earned his third ATP title, his first on home soil, with a straight-sets win in the final of the Munich tournament on Sunday.

The 20-year-old third seed needed just 72 minutes to seal a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Argentinian qualifier Guido Pella, ranked 158th in the world.

Hamburg-born Zverev converted his first match point to take the title after also winning in St Petersburg last September and Montpellier in February.

He dedicated his triumph in Munich to his father, also called Alexander.

“All these titles have a great meaning for him as well, without him none of this would be possible,” said an emotional Zverev.

Rain in Munich delayed the start by nearly three hours and Zverev made a slow start, dropping serve in the first game, but rallied by claiming the last three games of the first set.

He walks away with a brand new sports car and winner’s cheque of 85,945 euros ($94,518) – plus a luxury pair of Bavarian lederhosen.

The victory is expected to bump Zverev up to a career high of 17th in the ATP rankings on Monday.

Cilic downs Raonic for Istanbul title

Istanbul: Croatia’s Marin Cilic outdueled top seed Milos Raonic 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 to claim the Istanbul Open title on Sunday.

World number eight Cilic defeated Raonic in a battle of big hitters to secure his 17th career title – just his second on clay – in little over two hours.

For last year’s Wimbledon runner-up Raonic it was a fifth straight loss in a final, with his last title coming in Brisbane at the start of 2016.

Carreno Busta beats Muller to win Estoril Open title

Estoril: Top-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain defeated Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-2, 7-6 (5) Sunday to win the Estoril Open.

Carreno Busta, who lost last year’s final to fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, dominated the decisive points in the tiebreaker to win his third career title.

It was the second final this year for the 21st-ranked Carreno Busta, who lost the Rio de Janeiro title to Dominic Thiem. His other two titles were won last year in Moscow and Winston-Salem.

The 25-year-old Carreno Busta didn’t drop a set all week, with victories over Almagro, fifth-seeded Tommy Robredo and fourth-seeded David Ferrer.

The 33-year-old Muller, who was seeded third in Estoril, was chasing his second title.

Muller and Carreno Busta will now play in the Madrid Open, which is already underway.

With inputs from AFP and AP