Local hero fails at the last

The third-seed Marin Cilic beats the Indian wildcard Somdev Devvarman 6-4, 7-6 to win the Chennai Open and claim the second title of his career.

Somdev Devvarman lost the final of his hometown event in Chennai to Marin Cilic.

CHENNAI // The third-seed Croatian Marin Cilic beat the Indian wildcard Somdev Devvarman 6-4, 7-6 to win the Chennai Open on Sunday and claim the second title of his career. Cilic took exactly two hours to see off Devvarman's resolute challenge, clinching victory as he took the second set tie-break 7-3. "We played a really good match," Cilic said. "It wasn't the best in a tennis way, but in a fighting way it was a good one, especially because of the crowd and their support to Somdev in the second set helping him to come back."

Cilic saved four break points in the fifth game and two in the seventh before he broke Devvarman in the 10th to win the opening set. Devvarman was playing in his first ATP final after being handed a walkover in the semi-finals by the injured German Rainer Schuettler. Devvarman, who grew up in Chennai, recovered from 5-2 down to take the second set into the tie-break as Cilic committed a series of unforced errors and the Indian curbed his own.

"The guy played like a complete champion today," Devvarman said. "I was completely getting killed in the second set, found a way to claw back and at least gave myself a good shot in the second set. "Coming out and fighting as hard as I could, having these guys (in the crowd) behind me every single point was electrifying." *Reuters