Tommy Paul concluded a remarkable week by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to claim victory in the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm for the second time.
The fourth-seeded American, who had not lost a set all week, beat Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 in 85 minutes to secure his third title of the year – adding to his wins at Dallas and Queen’s Club – and clinch the ATP 250 event he also won in 2021.
This win was crucial for Paul’s chances of making it to the ATP Finals for the second time in his career. By surpassing Dimitrov in the race to qualify for the year-end tournament featuring the top eight players, Paul achieved a milestone he had never reached before.
This was anticipated to be a highly competitive match between the fourth and third seeds. However, Paul took control early, breaking Dimitrov to love in the second game and quickly establishing a 4-1 lead. Although Dimitrov managed to win two consecutive games, Paul responded by breaking back and eventually winning the opening set after another quick exchange of breaks.
In the second set, Paul secured the crucial break in the penultimate game and served out the match, joining Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Matteo Berrettini as the only players with at least three tour wins this season.
“It’s a very special place for me,” Paul said. “This is where I got my first title a few years ago and to come out and play the level of tennis I did this week, it’s been a dream. I feel like every match I played a little bit better and better. Today, I came out playing amazing, so I was definitely happy with the performance.”
Bautista Agut stars to take Antwerp title
Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut won his 12th career title and his first since 2022 by completing a dominant victory over Jiri Lehecka in the final of the European Open in Antwerp.
The world No 60 had seen off Luca Van Assche, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hugo Gaston on his way to the final, where he thrashed Lehecka 7-5 6-1 to become the second-oldest winner on the ATP Tour – behind Novak Djokovic – this season.
Lehecka got a masterclass from the Spaniard in the 75-minute match, as Bautista Agut hit 17 winners against five unforced errors. Bautista Agut claimed his fourth consecutive win against the Czech player and will now move back inside the top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
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“This one is very special,” Bautista Agut said. “I broke my foot last year and I had to fight so hard this year. I went back to 120 in the world, but I was still going to practice with a smile on my face, trying to be a better player, to fight until the end of my career. I think I deserved a week like this.”
Elsewhere, Russia’s Karen Khachanov won his first indoor hard-court title since 2018 after defeating Gabriel Diallo 6-2 5-7 6-3 to secure the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan.
The third seed took Diallo deep into a number of games, amassing 19 break-point chances and capitalizing on six of them, with his victory in just over two hours and 20 minutes adding to the title he captured in February in Doha.
Kasatkina comes through title tussle to win China title
Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina overcame Russian compatriot Mirra Andreeva 6-0 4-6 6-4 to win the Ningbo Open final in China on Sunday and capture her second victory of the season.
