Anderson walks tall at Maharashtra Open

Posted January 05, 2019 6:00 am

The Associated Press

PUNE, India (AP) - Top-seeded Kevin Anderson won his sixth ATP title when he recovered from 5-2 down in the decisive tiebreaker to beat Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (4), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5) in the Maharashtra Open final on Saturday.

It was Anderson's fourth victory in five meetings against Karlovic.

Anderson, of South Africa, lost last year's final against Gilles Simon but defeated the Frenchman in straight sets on Friday in the semifinals.

Karlovic became the oldest player at 39 to play a tour-level final since 1977 when 43-year-old Ken Rosewall won at Hong Kong.

In another record, Anderson at 6-foot-8 (2.03 meters), and Karlovic at 6-foot-11 (2.11 meters), combined to make it the tallest final in the Open era, according to the ATP website. It beat Anderson versus John Isner at the 2013 Atlanta Open.

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