Chengdu, October 2, 2016

YOUNG RUSSIAN KHACHANOV WINS FIRST CAREER TITLE IN
THRILLING COMEBACK VICTORY

 

Top seeded pairing Klaasen/Ram defeat Carreno Busta/Fyrstenberg
to lift doubles crown

 

ATP ‘Next Generation’ star Karen Khachanov of Russia  completed his dream run in the inaugural Chengdu Open 2016 with an incredible 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 comeback victory over fifth seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas to claim his first ever ATP World Tour title and $148,860 in prize money.

 

Khachanov continued his fine serving form with 14 aces and although he made a number of unforced errors that allowed his opponent to take the first set, the 20-year-old rallied with a strong second set tie-break to force a decider.

 

Buoyed by a raucous crowd that cheered every point he won, Khachanov took advantage of his tiring 28-year-old opponent to break him twice in the third set and complete his historic win here in China.

 

The Russian youngster beat four of the tournament’s top seven seeds en route to the title, after victories over seventh seed Joao Sousa in the first round, fourth seed Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals and sixth seed Viktor Troicki in yesterday’s semifinal. 

 

“It hasn’t really sunk it yet, that I’ve won my first title. Maybe I will realise it tomorrow! This is something that I have been trying to achieve and I’m very happy to have done it. Today is my Mum’s birthday, and also her sister’s birthday, so to win my first title here is like a birthday present for her! All of my opponents have been of higher ranking and have a lot of experience so all of my matches were tough. The court speed here is good for me and I think I had a very good performance in Chengdu,” said Khachanov, who came into the tournament ranked at No.101 but is set to eclipse his career best of No.81 achieved earlier this month with the 250 points picked up in Chengdu.

 

“I don’t know why the crowd here likes me so much but it gave me more energy and I got more pumped to play. This win here gives me great motivation and I can hopefully continue to play more high level tournaments in future,” added the 20-year-old, who heads off to Shanghai tomorrow.

 

After picking up his maiden career title in Bastad, making the Roland Garros quarterfinals and now reaching the final in Chengdu, Ramos-Vinolas can look forward to further improving on his current career best ranking of No.31.

 

“I think I didn't play bad, I can play better but he played so well so what can I say? I am happy (with my ranking) because I was fighting a lot and practicing a lot. It’s a very good ranking. Never expected it at the beginning of the year,” said the Spaniard, who travels to Beijing for the China Open that starts tomorrow.

 

Top seeded doubles pair Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram picked up their second title of the year here in the Chengdu Open with a confident 7-6(2), 7-5 victory over fourth seeded first time doubles pairing Pablo Carreno Busta and Mariusz Fyrstenberg in a gripping one hour and 29 minute long final.

 

In a match that was too close to call for much of its duration, it was the South African-American duo who held their nerve in the important points to capture their second crown as a duo this year, and third overall in six career final appearances.

 

Klaasen/Ram saved two of the three break points they faced while converting six of the eight break opportunities they created against their Spanish-Polish opponents, most importantly in the eleventh game of the second set to take a 6-5 lead before taking the next four points on the trot to complete the win.

 

“This week we kind of came with a goal in mind, which was to improve our performance after the US Open. We felt like we didn't play as well as we could have there. This is a really good direction for us to finish of the season,” said 32-year-old Ram, who is at a career high doubles ranking of No.20.

 

“It’s their first time together but we know them pretty well individually. It was tough to get the win, so we’re pretty pleased with the performance,” said 33-year-old Klaasen, who reached a career high doubles rank of No.9 in July.

 

The duo, who will play at Tokyo and then Shanghai in the next two weeks, also paid tribute to the very vocal crowd that was present today at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre.

 

“I thought they made the match very exciting. It’s great to see so many people come out and be involved in the match. They're quite vocal out there and made the atmosphere a lot of fun,” added Ram.

 

Carreno Busta/Fyrstenberg can take heart from an unexpectedly deep run into the doubles tournament.

 

“We are happy with our performance. Obviously, we want more every match, but that’s okay, it was a good week for us,” said 36-year-old doubles specialist Fyrstenberg.

 

“It is for sure a positive week. Lost in the first round in singles but arrived to the final in doubles. I want to focus on singles but I do enjoy playing with Mariusz and hopefully we can partner again in future,” added 25-year-old Carreno Busta.

 

ATP officials, the players, the CTA, the on-site supervisor, the city of Chengdu and the fans that attended wholeheartedly gave the inaugural Chengdu Open a rousing endorsement for its facilities and organisation, which bodes very well for the bright future of this tournament.

 

The tournament is owned by IMG and is organized by the Chinese Tennis Association and Chengdu Municipal Government, is co-organized by Chengdu Sports Bureau, Shuangliu District Government and Chengdu Culture Tourism Group and is promoted by Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd., CCTV IMG (Beijing) Sports Management Co. Ltd. and IMG Sports Development (Shanghai) Limited.

 

The tournament is proud to have the distinguished support from ATP World Tour’s Premier Partner  Emirates, St. Regis Chengdu, Erke, Sichuan Tennis International Hotel, Yonex, Shouqi Limousine & Chauffeur, Srixon, West China Metropolis, Chengdu Radio and TV Station, Shenzhen Hundred-Meter Life Shares Co., Ltd., Ice Age, Sichuan Mengding Tea Co.Ltd. and GuoHao 1573.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Ms. Robecta Yeung, ph: +852-28940204 or +86-13760373443 or by email Robecta.Yeung@img.com.

 

 


 

About the 2016 Chengdu Open
Please visit: www.ChengduOpenTennis.com

 

About Chinese Tennis Association
Please visit: www.tennis.org.cn

 

About Chengdu City
Please visit: www.chengdu.gov.cn

 

About Chengdu Sports Bureau
Please visit: www.cdsport.gov.cn

 

About Shuangliu District
Please visit: www.shuangliu.gov.cn

 

About Chengdu Culture Tourism Group
Please visit: www.cdctg.com

 

About Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd.
Please visit: sichuantennisinternationalhotel.com

 

About CCTV-IMG Sports Management Company
Please visit: www.cctv-img.com

 

About IMG
Please visit: www.img.com

 

About the ATP World Tour
Please visit: www.atpworldtour.com

 

 

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