Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis battled back from a set down to win the fourth title of his career in beating Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the Saint Petersburg ATP final on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Gulbis, who was seeded sixth, won 3-6 6-4 6-0 to record his second win over Garcia-Lopez in their third meeting.
Spanish veteran Garcia-Lopez, 30, got the better of a raft of breaks in the first set and broke early in the second before racing into a 4-1 lead.
But he failed to win another game as world number 36 Gulbis found another gear and reeled off 11 straight games to storm to victory as Garcia-Lopez ran out of steam.
Gulbis pocketed a $US78,000 ($A83,000) winner’s purse, while Garcia-Lopez earned $US41,000 ($A43,670).
Gulbis promised to return next year to defend his title.
“I wanted to win this event very much and it was the reason I battled for every single point in today’s final,” Gulbis said.
“I’m really happy to win this event as Saint Petersburg is one of my most beloved cities and I’ll be happy to come here next year to defend my title.”