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Denis Istomin wins Chengdu Open with Marcos Baghdatis retiring

By Harry Floyd

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan returns a shot during his first round Men's Singles match against Albert Ramos Viñolas of Spain on Day One of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan returns a shot during his first round Men's Singles match against Albert Ramos Viñolas of Spain on Day One of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Denis Istomin wins in bizarre fashion at the 2017 Chengdu Open. His opponent, Marcos Baghdatis, is forced to retire in the first set.

Denis Istomin claims his second career ATP World Tour singles title this week.

The veteran Uzbek tennis star raises the trophy at the 2017 Chengdu Open. His win, however, comes with opponent Marcos Baghdatis retiring during the first set.

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Baghdatis was in clear pain during the first set and was forced to retire. Their finals match ends with Istomin leading 3-2. Istomin’s previous ATP singles title came in 2015 at Nottingham.

Denis Istomin topped several up and coming men’s singles stars at the Chengdu Open.

At 31-years-old, the Uzbek tennis star has significant experience on tour. His run at the 2017 Chengdu Open featured wins over Jan-Lennard Struff, Karen Khachanov, Jared Donaldson, and Yūichi Sugita.

The win at the Chengdu Open is a huge momentum booster for Istomin. Coming into play this week, his singles match record for 2017 was just 12-17. While he’s seen some success on the year, his play appears to be coming together now more than ever. In his previous tournament at Moselle, he reached quarterfinals action.

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While the finals did not go exactly as expected, it is a big win for Istomin.

Throughout his career, the Uzbek tennis player has made his home country proud. He is the only player from Uzbekistan to claim an ATP World Tour title. Now, if another is to follow him, they will have to match his two trophy count. There is no doubt that Denis Istomin will reflect on his win at the 2017 Chengdu Open for some time to come.

As the 2017 ATP World Tour looks ahead, focus turns toward the end of year finals. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have already qualified for the 2017 ATP Finals in London. The Race to London is heating up and several top players are vying to round out the rest of the field. With just a handful of tournaments remaining, action in men’s singles is critical in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to see who will qualify for the 2017 ATP Finals.

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