Mischa Zverev completes a surprising week with Sarasota Open title

Mischa Zverev entered this week at the Joey Gratton Sarasota Open with few expectations placed on him.

The 28-year-old hadn't won a singles title since 2007. He hadn't reached a Challenger Tour singles final since Maui in Jan. 2013. And he entered this week unseeded.

Yet, Zverev was the one holding the trophy Sunday after dispatching Gerald Melzer, 6-4, 7-6 (2), at the Lakewood Ranch Athletic & Tennis Center.

Zverev, who has been plagued by injuries the past two years, last won in the Ukraine nine years ago. It was his fifth title in a span of 18 months. He earned his first win in Dublin in 2006.

Melzer entered Sunday's final on a much hotter streak. The Austrian has won three times on the Challenger Tour this year (in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico) and with 22 wins was the first on the circuit to reach 20 this season. He had vaulted up the rankings from No. 166 to No. 98 and would have cracked the top 100 with win in Sarasota.

However, Melzer never solved Zverev's patient, defensive-oriented game in their first meeting.

"I know him very well and he's been playing great tennis this year, so I just tried to be very consistent -- sometimes change it up a little bit, hit a few backhand down the line winners just to keep it entertaining, and it worked out well," Zverev said.

Zverev broke Melzer in the match's opening game and in the 10th game to win the first set 6-4. Although Melzer dictated play in the first half of the set, he had little to show for it as Zverev routinely kept points alive. That pace and style wore down Melzer, who showed signs of displeasure beginning early in the second set.

Zverev had a chance to win without the tiebreaker after breaking Melzer to go up 6-5. However, he betrayed the first sign of nerves, quickly dropping his service game. He righted himself in the tiebreaker, forging 3-1 and 5-2 leads. When Melzer dumped a forehand into the net, Zverev could celebrate his sixth career title. He is 6-7 in finals in his career.

In the doubles competition, Facundo Arguello and Nicholas Kicker defeated Marcelo Arevalo and Sergio Galdos, 4-6, 6-4, 10-6. With the victory, Arguello becomes the first back-to-back winner in doubles in the event. The title was the first on the Challenger Tour for Kicker.

Arguello and Kicker won six consecutive points to take a 7-2 lead in the tiebreaker. The let two championship points slip by before closing the match.

In the women's final, Katarina Kozarov of IMG Academy defeated Gia Cohen of the United Tennis Academy (and Lakewood Ranch High School) 1-6, 7-5, 10-3. Kozarov led 5-1 in the second set before Cohen rallied to force the tiebreaker.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 12:51 AM with the headline "Mischa Zverev completes a surprising week with Sarasota Open title ."