Milan Open

Martin Verkerk took his first ATP tour title with a 6-4 5-7 7-5 win over Yevgeny Kafelnikov at the Milan Open.

The unseeded Dutchman, who has only been playing on the circuit for eight months, arrived in Milan with just one win this year.

But the world number 90 swept past the likes of Thomas Enqvist and defending champion Davide Sanguinetti on his way to the final.

And fifth seed Kafelnikov became Verkerk's biggest scalp to date as he went down in three sets in the final.

Verkerk served 30 aces, taking his total for the week to 109.

He broke Kafelnikov in the seventh game of the first set taking advantage of some unforced errors of his opponent.

Kafelnikov hit back to break Verkerk at 6-5 to win the second set, but Verkerk broke at the same crucial stage of the third set and served out to claim the title.

"This is a little bit of dream for me, winning a big event like Milan," he said.

"I beat good players this week, and a great player like Kafelnikov today.

"This win pays off for two years of hard work, and five hours of training a day.

"I was afraid of playing on quick courses. After today's win, I can't say any more clay is my favourite course."