BERLIN: Italy’s Fabio Fognini bounced back to claim a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win in Sunday’s final of the Stuttgart ATP tournament as Philipp Kohlschreiber failed to break the 22-year-old German curse on the event.

Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich remains the only German to have won the Stuttgart tournament in 1991 after Fognini, 26, converted his first match point after two hours to beat Kohlschreiber and claim his first win on the ATP tour.

Germany had been a happy hunting ground for the 29-year-old Kohlschreiber, who has won three of his four ATP titles on home soil, but his serve failed him in the final, giving his opponent 15 break points during the match.

Berlocq captures Swedish title

In Bastad, Sweden, Carlos Berlocq of Argentina bagged his first ATP Tour title on Sunday in seeing off Spanish eighth seed Fernando Verdasco in straight sets at the Swedish Open.

The 30-year-old Berlocq won 7-5, 6-1 as he became the ninth over-30 title-winner on the men’s Tour this year after posting his success in 1hr 38min.

Halep claims third title in a month

In Budapest, Romanian third seed Simona Halep continued her hot run of form on Sunday as she won the Budapest Grand Prix with a hard fought 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-1 victory over Austria’s Yvonne Meusburger.

It was the 21-year-old’s third victory in a month and follows her maiden triumph on the WTA tour at the Nuremburg Open in June before winning at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, one week later.

Meusberger, who came into the tournament ranked 112 in the world, will see her stock rise after levelling the match at one set all with a 9/7 tie break win in the second set before running out of steam in the decider.

Halep broke her opponent’s serve nine times and has now lost just once in 17 matches as she threatens to break into the world top 20.