Damir Dzumhur Wins First-Career Title at St. Petersburg
(September 24, 2017) Unseeded Damir Dzumhur became the first player from Bosnia-Herzegovina to win an ATP World Tour singles title, defeating Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Sunday in the final of the St. Petersburg Open.
This was the 25-year-old Dzumhur’s first career title. He reached the final of Winston-Salem in August.
“I was very nervous today, even though it was my second final,” Dzumhur admitted. “I was very nervous at the start. I couldn’t find my best rhythm, couldn’t find my best game. But the experience of playing one final already helped me a lot and in the end I won. In the end I found my game and played good. It was the best day of my life.
“In the second set I started to serve better. After one break (at 2-2 in the second set), he broke me back. But I knew that I could break him again and I was returning better. That first break was very important for the whole match.”
After Peter Gojowczyk’s win earlier in the day at the Moselle Open in Metz, Dzumhur is the seventh first-time champion on the ATP World Tour this season.
The 25-year-old Dzumhur has gone 15-3 in tour-level matches since the end of July in a career-best run that will see him move to around No. 40 in the ATP rankings on Monday, making him the first player from Bosnia and Herzegovina to break the Top 50.