Tommy Paul capped a dominant week by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to win the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm for a second time.
The fourth-seeded American, who hadn’t dropped a set this week, saw off Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 in 85 minutes to claim his third victory of the year – following on from successes at Dallas and Queen’s Club – and win the ATP 250 event he also lifted the trophy at in 2021.
It was also a critical win to Paul’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals for the second time in his career. The 27-year-old moved past Dimitrov in the race to qualify for the season-ending tournament for the year’s top eight players, which he has never previously featured in.
Paul didn’t drop a set throughout the tournament
It was expected to be a titanic tussle between the fourth and third seeds but Paul broke to love in the second game and swiftly raced into a 4-1 lead. Dimitrov then took two straight games as he threatened to draw level but Paul broke straight back and went on to take the opening set after another rapid exchange of breaks.
Paul then got the crucial break in the penultimate game of the second set and served out the match, which sees him join Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Matteo Berrettini as the only players to have at least three wins on tour 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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Highlights of the European Open final between Roberto Bautista Agut and Jiri Lehecka in Antwerp.
“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.
Kasatkina has lost four finals this year but breezed through the opening set against her teenage opponent, who looked nervous, but faltered in the second to allow her close friend to draw level and take the final to a deciding set.
Andreeva built a 3-0 lead in the third but allowed her opponent back into the contest with a series of unforced errors, as Kasatkina clawed her way back and claimed a victory that will move her back into the world’s top 10.
“It’s been a very tough week, honestly,” Kasatkina said after her victory. “All the matches were super tough. In the quarter-final I came back from two match points down, and today from 3-0, almost 4-0 [down] in the third set.
“This trophy means a lot because I worked on many challenges during this week, and I’m really proud of myself.”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
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