ATP roundup: Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov lift titles in China
Zverev recorded 10 aces to dispatch Safiullin and win the match in two hours, and 56 minutes. The German thus captured his first hard-court title since the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2021.
Safiullin, who has surpassed expectations throughout the tournament, collected 33 winners but was undone, in part, by 15 unforced errors and four double faults.
Zhuhai Championships
Top seed Karen Khachanov (27) captured his fifth tour-level title and first since 2018 with a comfortable 7-6, 6-1 win over eighth-seeded Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in Zhuhai, China.
Khachanov recorded 34 winners and nine aces to win the match in just one hour, and 43 minutes. The 15th-ranked Russian was competing in just his second singles tournament since sustaining a stress fracture in his back during his run to the quarter-finals at the French Open in May.
Nishioka was bidding for his third tour-level title and first since Seoul last year.