BEIJING (AP) — Tomas Berdych captured the China Open on Sunday, rallying to defeat Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 and win his first title since 2009 in Munich.
The victory lifted Berdych past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to No. 7 in the world standings and gave the Czech valuable points toward the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.
It was the third-seeded Berdych’s first finals appearance this season after losing in six semifinals.
Cilic served out the first set emphatically with an ace, but Berdych raced to a 3-0 lead in the second. While Cilic rallied to keep it close, Berdych broke him at 5-4 to win the set and turned the match for good in the third game of the third set.
In the women’s final, ninth-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany was to play 11th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
