Aslan Karatsev claimed claimed his second ATP Tour title of the season at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow after his 6-2 6-4 win over 2014 and 2015 Moscow Kremlin Cup champion Marin Cilic in the final after 77 minutes.
Karatsev has kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The Russian player is currently 13th in the ATP Race to Turin with 2280 points, 675 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz, who holds the last qualifying spot for Turin. Karatsev reached the semifinals at the Australian Open as a qualifier and won his first title in Dubai last March.
Karatsev earned an early break in the opening game of the first set. He did not face a break point and dropped just one point on his first serve.
Karatsev converted his second break point in the seventh game of the second set. He saved a break point before serving out the second set 6-4 in the 10th game. He had never advanced to the third round in his previous appearances at the Kremlin Cup.
“It is a dream come true. It is a tournament where I have played in qualifying at and now I am winning the tournament. Thank you for all your support. It was a nervous final game. I hit a double and then on break point there was that long rally, but I managed to win it in the end. First of all, I would like to dedicate the win to my parents, my mother and my father, all my relatives and my friends”, said Karatsev.
