GENEVA (AP) – Unseeded Nicolás Jarry raced previous Grigor Dimitrov to win the Geneva Open last 7-6 (1), 6-1 on Saturday and is poised to rise to his greatest rating in a profession that was stalled by a doping case.
The former No. 3-ranked Dimitrov was looking for his first title because the 2017 ATP Tour Finals, which lifted him to that career-best rating.
Instead, the 54th-ranked Jarry eased to his second title this season, changing his first match level when Dimitrov couldn’t return a strong serve to his backhand.
Jarry celebrated by crossing the court docket to the place his household was watching and handed his racket as much as his toddler son.
In Jarry’s standout week in Geneva, he beat present or former top-10 gamers on three straight days – two-time defending champion Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Dimitrov.
It was the 27-year-old Chilean’s third profession title, all of them coming at clay-court occasions within the lowest 250-level.
Jarry is now set to rise above the career-high No. 38-ranking he reached in 2019 earlier than a failed doping check interrupted his profession.
He accomplished serving an 11-month ban in 2020 that was imposed after he examined constructive for 2 banned substances, together with an anabolic steroid, on the Davis Cup finals. The International Tennis Federation accepted that Jarry was not at vital fault for ingesting a tainted vitamin complement made in Brazil.
“It’s been a great year after a very tough couple of years. I’m very happy for that,” Jarry stated in a courtside interview. He returned to the highest 100 solely in February.
Dimitrov was enjoying in his first last since February 2018 when he misplaced to Roger Federer at Rotterdam.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done one of those,” the Thirty third-ranked Dimitrov stated when accumulating his runner-up trophy. “It’s been a bumpy road but I’m very grateful to be back here and to be part of the final.”
Jarry earned an early 2-1 lead Saturday with a backhand passing winner down the road to transform the one break level he had within the first set.
Dimitrov broke again within the eighth recreation when Jarry double-faulted.
Jarry dominated the tiebreaker and clinched the set when he charged the web and pressed Dimitrov into netting a backhand half-volley.
Dimitrov dropped his first two service video games within the second set, first when he compelled a forehand extensive then when he put a low, backhand sliced volley into the web.
The Geneva Open is the final warmup occasion on clay earlier than the French Open begins Sunday.
At Roland Garros, Jarry will face One hundred and sixtieth-ranked Hugo Dellien of Bolivia within the first spherical. The winner might then face Sixteenth-seeded American Tommy Paul.
Dimitrov is seeded No. 28 in Paris and can first play 147th-ranked Timofey Skatov of Kazakhstan.
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