Yoshihito Nishioka stunned fourth seed Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to win the Korea Open on Sunday for his second ATP title.
The Japanese player is set to rise to a career-high 41 after adding the Seoul crown to his triumph at the 2018 Shenzhen Open in China.
Nishioka defeated world No 2 Casper Ruud on the way to the final and he was neck-and-neck in the first set against Canada’s Shapovalov, until he broke in the 10th game to take the first set.
Shapovalov, who was also chasing a second title, took the upper hand early in the second set.
But the 27-year-old Nishioka bounced back, levelling the set and then powering on to win the match and the title on the tie-break.
Nishioka also toppled fifth seed Dan Evans earlier in the tournament.
Japan’s top men’s player will next participate in the Japan Open in Tokyo this week.
Meanwhile, Kenyan Amos Kipruto won the men’s London Marathon on Sunday in his first appearance in the race.
A world bronze medallist in Doha in 2019, the 30-year-old Kipruto crossed the line in London in an unofficial time of two hours, four minutes and 39 seconds after breaking away from the field late on.
Ethiopian Leul Gebresilase finished second, with Bashir Abdi of Belgium in third.
