Cilic, Pavlyuchenkova claim Kremlin Cup titles
MOSCOW - U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic has won the Kremlin Cup, beating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday's final.
The big-serving Croat, seeded second, broke his Spanish opponent once in each set at Moscow's Olimpiisky arena to take his 13th career title and fourth of the season.
Cilic, the world No. 8, becomes the first Croatian man to win the Moscow ATP 250 tournament since his coach Goran Ivanisevic beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1996.
In Bautista Agut, Cilic faced a close friend but one he had not played competitively since an under-14 tournament 12 years ago. The 16th-ranked Spaniard is now 2-2 in career finals.
Earlier Sunday, sixth-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia defeated Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 to win the women's event.