NEW YORK: Marcos Giron captured his first ATP title on Sunday, defeating fellow American Alex Michelsen 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 7-5 to win the Hall of Fame Open final.
Paris Olympics-bound Giron, who turns 31 on Wednesday, saved a match point in the third set before becoming the ninth player to win his first ATP title this year, the first to do it on grass.
"Yeah I turn 31 but I feel young, I feel good and I'm hungry for more," Giron said. "Hopefully we can go to the Olympics and bring back a title and make deep runs."
Giron fired 13 aces, the 12th to save a match point in the 10th game of the final set and the last to capture the match after two hours and 37 minutes at Newport, Rhode Island.
"You know where I pulled that out of. That was insane," Giron told pal Michelsen after the match. "You've got a great career in front of you. I'm sorry I had to win today."
By outlasting 19-year-old Michelsen, a Newport runner-up for the second consecutive year, Giron will advance from 46th to 38th in the new world rankings on Monday.
Giron broke in the opening game of their first ATP meeting, but Michelsen broke back in the sixth game to pull level at 3-3. Giron saved three break points in the eighth game to reach 4-4.
Michelsen, ranked 61st, saved two break points in the 11th game for a 6-5 edge on the way to a tie-breaker, in which Michelsen seized a 5-1 edge and cruised home, taking the set after 59 minutes on a forehand winner.
Giron broke in the fourth game of the second set and held from there to force a third.
Giron saved a match point in the 10th game with an ace, then reversed the script by holding, then breaking in the 11th game when Michelsen netted a backhand volley and holding a final time for the title.
"Super happy for you to get this one," Michelsen told Giron. "Can't believe you got it with an ace on match point."
Giron lost his only prior ATP finals in 2022 in San Diego and this past February in Dallas.
Michelsen lost to France's Adrian Mannarino in last year's Newport final, his only prior ATP championship match. — AFP
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