NEW HAVEN, Connecticut: Marin Cilic of Croatia won his first ATP Tour event by beating Mardy Fish of the United States 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the Pilot Pen on Saturday.
Unseeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark won the women’s title, her second tournament victory this month, beating top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Despite having the crowd against him, the 19-year-old Cilic broke the hard-serving Fish five times, three times in the final set, to secure the win in his first career final.
After hitting a 123 mph ace on match point, he threw his hands in the air, then paused, unsure of what to do next. Eventually, he dropped to his knees.
“My mind was rolling so much,” he said. “But it’s fine.
“Probably I’ll get to know next time how to celebrate.” With the crowd using its favorite cheer, “Anybody got an ace? Go Fish!,” the 26-year-old American was consistently hitting first serves between 125 and 130 mph.
But Cilic’s serve was in the same neighborhood. He continued to return well, holding Fish to just five aces, while getting 11 of his own.
“When I lost my serve, I just lost the advantage,” he said. “But I stayed calm and I knew that I’m going to eventually get another chance.” Fish, who lost to James Blake in the men’s final a year ago, was trying for his third career win, and first since 2006.
“I would have liked to have played better,” Fish said.
“This is my 11th final and I’ve only won twice. It’s starting to really sting, you know, nine times losing. I’ve got a lot of runner-up trophies in my office in my house.”
In the women’s final, Wozniacki earned her second career victory. The 18-year-old Dane hadn’t even been in a WTA final before August. She won her first title in Stockholm, then reached the third round at the Olympics, where she lost to eventual gold-medalist Elena Dementieva. “Stockholm was ... my first tournament and it was smaller than this,” she said. “Here, it’s the tournament before the US Open, and it’s a really big tournament. You know, I have beaten some really great players on my way to win this tournament.” Her run included wins over eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, third-seeded Marion Bartoli, and seventh-seeded Alize Cornet.
It didn’t look good for Wozniacki early in the final. She was broken three times in the first set, and was in trouble in the second after Chakvetadze broke her again in the first game. But Wozniacki broke back and won the set when Chakvetadze double-faulted on the final point.
Wozniacki dominated the third set, breaking Chakvetadze in the fourth and sixth games before serving out the match.
“I just didn’t have power, especially in the third set,” Chakvetadze said. “If you are not able to run and fight on the court, then you’re going to lose the match.” The loss was the 21-year-old Russian’s first in a WTA final. She had been 7-0 during her short career, including a win this season indoors at Paris. Despite her loss, Chakvetadze expected to move up in the rankings, to No. 9 from No. 11 next week.
“I’m actually pleased with my game,” she said. “Not today. But if I compare it to one month ago, it’s much better. So I look forward to play the US Open, the most important tournament obviously is coming in two days. I hope I will stay fresh for each match.” Wozniacki has moved up from No. 64 in January to No. 22, and is expected to break into the top 20 for the first time.
The teenager still has a year of high school left, and said until recently, she considered her biggest tennis achievement beating her older brother.
“I am having fun,” Wozniacki said. “I enjoy playing. I enjoy playing for a big crowd. You know, when you’re in the finals, you don’t have anything to lose. You can just win.”
