Marin Cilic, once a dominant force in men’s tennis, has made an extraordinary return to form by becoming the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP Tour title at the Hangzhou Open. Ranked 777th entering the event, the 35-year-old Croat defied the odds to claim his 21st career title, marking an inspiring comeback after a challenging 20-month period marked by injuries and poor form.
Despite a shaky start in the tournament, including dropping the first set of his opener to Zachary Svajda, Cilic found his rhythm and powered through the draw. In the final, he prevailed over Yasutaka Uchiyama with two tiebreak sets, securing a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) victory. This triumph elevated his ATP ranking to No. 212.
Reflecting on his journey, Cilic expressed gratitude to his team and fans: “It’s been a difficult period for me, in these last 20 months… I hope I made it worthwhile during the whole week.”
World No. 777 (image) Hangzhou Champion (image)
Wildcard Marin Cilic defeats Zhang Zhizhen to win his first title since 2021.#HangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/gLTtui1lsR
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) September 24, 2024
Cilic’s win is not only a personal achievement but also a testament to resilience in the face of adversity, making him the lowest-ranked player in ATP history to lift a tournament trophy since rankings began in 1990.
Marin Cilic in 2024
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Ranked world no.373, the Croatian played his last match on the 24th of September when he beat world no.43 Zhizhen Zhang 7-6(5) 7-6(5) in the final in Hangzhou to win his 21st career title.
Currently, during this year Marin achieved a composed 8-6 match record. Marin has won 1 title in Hangzhou.
Marin Cilic will square off with the world no.201 Pablo Carreno-Busta in the . Their record is 5-1 for Cilic.
The Croatian conquered 1 title in 2024 in Hangzhou.
The Croatian won 21 titles in his career: 7 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts, 9 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)