Grigor Dimitrov beat Holger Rune 7-6(5), 6-4 in a major upset at the Brisbane International final to end his six-year title drought on Sunday.
Dimitrov, ranked 14th globally and holding the second seed in Brisbane, secured his ninth career title and his first since the ATP finals in 2017.
“It’s been a while since I held one of these, it’s a bit emotional,” Dimitrov said as he lifted the trophy. "My love affair started here many years ago in Brisbane and it continues. I’m very thankful to lift the trophy again.”
"I'm fairly tired and I'll take a few days off but I'm really happy to be in Australia. I'll keep on going and yeah, onto the next one."
The closely contested third game of the initial set highlighted the intensity of the match. Rune successfully held serve in a game with nine deuces and seven-game points, ultimately staving off a break point at 2-1, 30-40 in a 33-shot rally.
In the second set, the 32-year-old Dimitrov finally broke Rune in the eighth game, taking a 4-3 lead. Rune, in the subsequent game, managed to save two match points, experiencing a time violation and delivering an ace at 30-40.
Dimitrov secured victory in the following game, serving his eighth ace of the match and concluding on his third match point. While Rune recorded nine aces, he also committed three double faults. The 20-year-old, ranked eighth, was aiming for his fifth career title.
Dimitrov, who claimed the title in Brisbane six years ago, successfully saved break points in the match, while Rune saved eight of nine.
The 32-year-old was the underdog but he peaked at the right time and overcame his powerful opponent with a dominant display.