Historic tournament victory! Cilic writes tennis history

Marin Cilic celebrates a dream comeback on the ATP Tour.

The 35-year-old Croatian won the ATP 250 tournament in Hangzhou after not competing at the highest level for seven months. In the final, Cilic, who received a wildcard for the tournament in the Chinese metropolis, defeated local hero Zhizhen Zhang 7:6 (7:5) and 7:6 (7:5).

Cilic wins the tournament as world number 777.

The 2014 US Open winner has also made tennis history: Cilic started the tournament ranked 777th in the world – never before has a lower-ranked player won an ATP title.

With the victory in Hangzhou, the Croatian climbed to 212th place in the rankings. It is Cilic’s first final triumph since 2021.

Off to the history books 📖@cilic_marin is the lowest ranked ATP Tour winner in history, starting with the #HangzhouOpen Rank No. 777! pic.twitter.com/uHQZKVrJCq

— TennisTV (@TennisTV) 24 September 2024