Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Danill Medvedev to win the Chennai Open on Sunday.
The World number 14 subdued the young Russian 6-3, 6–4 to capture his fifth ATP singles title.
"I cannot be more happy than now. I played a great tournament," Spaniard Bautista Agut, said during the presentation ceremony.
"I know it is very difficult to be a top-10 player but my goal is to be a better player every day."
Agut remained solid from the baseline while Medvedev paid the price for little mistakes against a superior opponent, who kept the strokes and emotions under control.
Medvedev's serve was always under pressure and in contrast the Spaniard served out his games comfortably, losing only eight points in the 1 hour 11 minute contest. The Russian managed to engage Agut in long rallies, especially in the second set, but the Spaniard mostly found the way to finish the points.
Nevertheless, the 20-year-old Medvedev, playing in his maiden ATP final, made a good impression with his all-round game and will move up the rankings table from his current 99th rank.
It was the second time that Agut was playing a final at the Chennai Open, having ended runner-up to Janko Tipsarevic in 2013 at the Nungambakkam stadium.
Last year, Agut had won two of his four titles in Auckland and Sofia. He had claimed two victories (Stuttgart and s-Hetrogenbosch) in 2014.
Medvedev had started well, serving at love his first service game but lost the next after a few unforced errors put him down by three breakpoints. He netted a backhand after a double fault in the fourth game.
He saved the first two but netted a return on the third with Agut setting it up nicely by attacking the net.
The Spaniard held his own for a commanding 4-1 lead against the Russian. There was no break of serve after that and Agut served out the set in the ninth.
Medvedev played better in the second set but still was unable to put pressure on Agut's service games. The only time the Russian pushed Agut a bit was in the fourth game when the Spaniard saved the game from deuce point.
Medvedev also received a medical timeout after the seventh game due to an issue with his right hamstring.
Serving at 4-4, the Russian began with a double fault, sent a forehand long and again sent down a double fault to be down by a breakpoint, which Agut converted with a backhand winner.
The Spaniard was now serving for the championship and he did it with ease with Medvedev sending a return long on first match point.
"I just had some soreness on my muscles (today). You're never happy unless you have won a tournament but I am really happy I made it to the final," said world number 99 Medvedev, who was playing in his first ATP tour final.
"If someone asked me before the tournament 'Will I be happy reaching the final?', I would said yes."
Bopanna- Nedunchezhiyan crowned champions at Aircel Chennai Open
Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan became the first Indian pair since 2011 to win the Aircel Chennai Open doubles title here at the SDAT Stadium on Sunday.
They beat fellow countrymen Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 6-3, 6-4 to emulate Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, who achieved the feat as many as five times. Paes won the title one more time in 2012 but that was with a Serbian player, Janko Tipsaveric.
Some sort of doubles history was created even before the first ball was hit, as it was the time in Aircel Chennai Open’s 22-year existence that four Indians featured in the finals.
“It was a big step for tennis to have four Indians playing in the finals,” Bopanna said.
“If this inspires even or two kids to take up tennis, I will be such a happy person,” he added.
Bopanna and Nedun made it look easy but Raja and Sharan put up a game fight, even going ahead in the second set. They just couldn’t maintain the momentum, with a booming Bopanna being the critical difference. The 14-time ATP winner forged into an unstoppable force in the company of a delectable Nedun.
Bopanna and Nedun surged ahead in the second game itself, with Sharan unable to hold his serve. Nedun held his own in style for 3-0 and they could have added one more game to their tally. But they failed to convert two break points against Raja to give him and Sharan a look in.
Against the run of play, Bopanna however suffered a break and Sharan held serve to make it 3-all. The two pairs fought valiantly for the upper hand but Bopanna came up with another winner to regain ground 5-4. He produced two aces to seal the game and set.
In the second set too, Bopanna was the first to be broken to give Sharan-Raja a 2-0 lead. But Raja and Sharan were broken in their respective games to put Bopanna-Nedun 4-2 firmly on their way to the title.
All four players held their serves thereafter but by then the match had been won and lost.
