New Delhi, February 22 Greek player Stefanos Sakellaridis won his first singles title on the ATP Challenger circuit with a hard-fought three-set victory over fifth-seeded Briton Oliver Crawford at the Delhi Open here on Sunday.
The 21-year-old secured a 7-5, 5-6, 7-6(6) victory in the final that lasted three hours and nine minutes.
There were five breaks of serve in the opening set, which Sakellaridis won to take the lead. The Greek carried that momentum into the second set, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead.
However, Crawford responded strongly, drawing on his experience to turn the set around and level the match.
Sakellaridis broke in the opening game of the deciding set, but was unable to consolidate. Crawford then won six of the next seven games to take a 5-2 lead.
Just when the match appeared to be slipping away, the Greek staged a remarkable comeback, winning three consecutive games to level the set at 5-5.
The contest was eventually decided in a tense final-set tie-break, where Sakellaridis prevailed 8-6 on his second match point to seal the title.
With the win, Sakellaridis earned 75 ATP ranking points and USD 17,000 in prize money, while Crawford collected 44 ranking points and USD 9,600.
Sakellaridis is projected to rise to a career-high ranking inside the top 230, while Crawford is expected to return to the top 200 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
India's Siddhanth Banthia and Bulgaria's Alexander Donski had won the doubles trophy on Saturday after defeating India's Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Thailand's Pruchya Isaro.
