Frenchman Alexandre Muller on Sunday earned a major confidence boost as he lifted his first-career ATP Tour finals crown after downing Japan's Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 to win the Hong Kong Tennis Open final.

Muller, 27, fell behind early as Nishikori claimed the opening set.

But he refused to go down quietly, dominating the second and third to deny the 35-year-old Japanese of his 13th tour-level championship in an intense showdown lasting one hour and 43 minutes.

"I'm very happy to get a title here in Hong Kong," Muller told reporters in a post-match interview. "It's been a long and tough week for me, losing the first set in all the matches – so I'm just very happy about my first title."

The victory caps off a stellar week of play for Muller, who is now projected to rise eleven places in the world rankings to a career-high 56th as he gears up to face Czech Jakub Mensik in the ASB Classic in Auckland on Tuesday.

Asked how he would celebrate his maiden trophy, Muller kept it light-hearted.

"I'm not the kind of guy who would go to nightclubs and stuff like this," he joked.

"Maybe just a light dinner with my team, as I got my flight to Auckland tomorrow. That's tennis life – enjoying your title for a few hours before we go again."

Nishikori was competing in first final in six years. Speaking to reporters after the match, the world number 106 cited tiredness as one of the main reasons for the way he played in the second and third sets, but remained pleased in his overall performance nonetheless ahead of the Australian Open come January 12.

"Very disappointed in how I played in the second and third," Nishikori said. "I think there are more chances to win a few matches in Australia, but I am still on the way."

"I can play good in some moments, but I still got ups-and-downs so I got to keep working on it," he added.

Earlier in the day, Dutchman Sander Arends and Briton Luke Johnson won the men's doubles.

They dispatched world number eight Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov from Russia, 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 in an hour and 33 minutes.
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Last updated: 2025-01-05 HKT 20:39