Marin Cilic won his first title in three years Sunday as he upset Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (2), 6-3 to win the Stuttgart Open, the ATP Tour's first grass event of the year.
The former U.S. Open champion hit seven aces as he won his first title since the Queen's Club Championships in the run-up to Wimbledon in 2018.
Cilic extended Auger-Aliassime's losing run in tour finals. The 20-year-old Canadian has lost all eight of the tour title matches he has played in straight sets in a streak that also includes losing the 2019 Stuttgart final to Matteo Berrettini.
Marin Cilic of Croatia returns the ball during his final match to Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada at the ATP tennis tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (Marijan Muratdpa via AP)
It was Cilic's second win over a promising Canadian this week in Stuttgart after seeing off top-seeded Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals. The Croatian improved to 19-14 in career finals and has the sixth most grass-court wins among active players with 73.
More AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Marin Cilic of Croatia reacts during his final match against Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada at the ATP tennis tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (Marijan Muratdpa via AP)
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada returns the ball to Marin Cilic of Croatia during their final match at the ATP tennis tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (Marijan Muratdpa via AP)
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada returns the ball to Marin Cilic of Croatia during their final match at the ATP tennis tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (Marijan Muratdpa via AP)