Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili earned his first ATP title in Hamburg yesterday with a 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 victory over defending champion Leonardo Mayer in the final. The 26-year-old Basilashvili, ranked 81st, was competing in his third final, having finished runner-up at Kitzbuehel in 2016 and in Memphis last year.
“It means everything (to me),” Basilashvili said. “To be the first player (from Georgia) to win an ATP title also means something unbelievably special. But in general, to win an ATP title, it takes a lot of effort, especially to win at the 500 level, and I’m extremely happy about this.”
He will climb to a career high of 35th in the world, eclipsing the previous Georgian record of 42nd held by Irakli Labadze. Argentina’s Mayer was denied in his bid for a third Hamburg crown in five years.

Teen Danilovic wins maiden title in Moscow
Olga Danilovic clinched her first WTA title with a 7-5, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4 win over Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in a battle of 17-year-olds in the Moscow final. Serbian Danilovic, the world number 187, is the first lucky loser to win a WTA tournament having initially lost in the final round of qualifying. At 17 years and seven months, she is the youngest champion since Ana Konjuh of Croatia won the Nottingham event in 2015, and becomes the first player born in the 2000s to win a WTA trophy.
It was the first final featuring two players under the age of 18 since Nicole Vaidisova, 16, beat Tatiana Golovin, 17, to win the Japan Open in 2005.

Isner outlasts Ebden
to reach final
Top seed John Isner booked his spot in his eighth Atlanta Open final, defeating Aussie Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1 in the semi-finals on Saturday. The hard-serving Isner avenged his only loss to Ebden in five career ATP Tour meetings when the Aussie beat him earlier this year at the Australian Open.
In the final the 33-year-old Isner will face fellow American Ryan Harrison, who beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Isner has won eight of his nine semi-finals in Atlanta, and will look to improve his record of 13-12 in finals.

Wang lifts first WTA title in Nanchang
China’s second seed Wang Qiang claimed her first WTA title after her compatriot Zheng Saisai was forced to retire injured trailing 7-5 4-0 in the Jiangxi Open final. Wang struggled to find her rhythm in the opening exchanges, allowing Zheng to seize her opportunities by mixing up baseline drives and deft drop shots.
But the match turned, with Zheng leading 5-3 and two points away from clinching the opening set, when Wang backed her incredible defensive skills to respond with a break and draw level at 5-5. The 26-year-old Wang found another gear as she roared through eight of the last 10 points to close out the set in splendid fashion.
Wang became the eighth Chinese champion in WTA history, and a third consecutive winner in Nanchang from the home nation after Duan Yingying and Peng Shuai.