Millman tops Mannarino for first career ATP title in Nur-Sultan

While Vienna got most of the attention this week, it wasn’t the only tournament: there was also an ATP 250-level event in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. John Millman triumphed on Sunday, following up back-to-back three-set wins in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Adrian Mannarino in the final.

The 31-year-old Australian came away with the first ATP title of his career in his third final appearance.

“It is incredible. I am so happy and relieved,” he told ATPTour.com afterwards. “I just feel very satisfied. It is just a pure moment of satisfaction. That was my third final—third time lucky I guess.”

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And having saved two match points in his 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) quarterfinal win over American Tommy Paul on Friday, Millman became the fifth player this year to save match point en route to an ATP title, after Jiri Vesely (Pune), Reilly Opelka (Delray Beach), Djokovic (Dubai) and Ugo Humbert (Antwerp). He's the first Australian to win a trophy in 2020.

Since 2008, Millman has won 12 ATP Challengers and seven ITF Futures titles. The ATP crown had eluded him until now.

"Something that I definitely wanted to do was to win an ATP Tour title," he said. "I have obviously won lots of Challengers and I have done well in Tour events and at Grand Slams, but it is a whole other thing to make that breakthrough and to win an ATP Tour title."