Basilashvili Beats Del Potro at China Open Final

Juan Martin Del Potro was beaten by Georgian player Nikoloz Basilashvili in the China Open final today.

Tournament top seed Del Potro lost 4-6 4-6 to the unseeded Basilashvili, who had eliminated Britain's Kyle Edmund during yesterday's semi-final.

Del Potro ceded a break quickly to fall 1-2 behind to the world's No 34.

Del Potro's defeat came as a shock for many, and was blamed for being a result of illness by the player, who had been suffering from a cold the past few days.

"I did everything that I could to be better for the final...my game today wasn't as good as it was in the last matches," the Times of India quoted him as saying.

This is the second title of the 26-year-old Georgian's career after he won his maiden ATP title in July.

"I could see Juan was sick today," Basilashvili said. "But he still made me work hard for the points."

Winning the title moved Basilashvili up to number 23 in the ATP rankings and made him the first Georgian to have won the trophy. 

“I was in a really good shape coming up to this tournament," Basilashvili  said. "Winning a title here in Beijing means a lot."

It was the second time he and Del Potro had played against each other. The first time was at the Rolex Shanghai Masters last year, where the Argentinian won in three sets.

Basilashvili received 500 ATP Ranking points and collected $733,320 in prize money for lifting the trophy today. Del Potro gains 300 ATP Ranking points and received $359,510. After Novak Djokovich, Andey Murray and Rafael Nadal, Nikoloz Basilashvili is now the champion of the China Open.