Kohlschreiber beats Cilic to lift Munich title

MUNICH, Germany: Fourth-seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany won Munich's ATP tournament with a 7-6 (10/8), 6-3 victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic in Sunday's final.

The 28-year-old Kohlschreiber, ranked 34th in the world but set to rise into the top 25 after his win, lifted the trophy for the second time having also won here in 2007 and needed just under two hours to claim victory.

It was the fourth ATP title of his career and his first since he won the grass-court tournament at Halle last June, which is traditionally one of the warm-up events before Wimbledon.

Kohlschreiber saved seven of the eight break points he faced, including four in the second set, to seal the final victory.

Having beaten Spain's Feliciano Lopez in Saturday's semi-final, this was Kohlschreiber's fifth win over the 23-year-old Cilic in their eight previous encounters.

Third-seed Cilic finished runner-up for the second time, having lost to Youzhny in the 2010 final and had been bidding to win his first clay-court crown in three finals. (AFP)