Cecchinato wins Croatia Open for 2nd title

UMAG, Croatia (AP) – Third-seeded Marco Cecchinato further elevated his breakthrough year by winning the Croatia Open final on Sunday, beating Guido Pella of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (4) in their first meeting.

The 25-year-old Italian recovered from 4-2 down in the second set on outdoor red clay.

Cecchinato won his first ATP title in April in Budapest, as a lucky loser, then knocked out Novak Djokovic en route to the French Open semifinals. He was the first Italian male Grand Slam semifinalist in 40 years.

Cecchinato is at a career-high ranking of 27, and will rise to No. 22 on Monday.

The unseeded Pella was playing in his first career final.