Alexander Zverev, Roman Safiulin, Boris Becker: Boris Becker congratulates Alexander Zverev for his title run at the Chengdu Open

Former World No. 1 Boris Becker has congratulated Russian tennis player Alexander Zverev for his victory at the 2023 Chengdu Open.

In a post on his Instagram stories, Becker shared a photo of the World No. 10 after he defeated Roman Safiullin in the finals 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-3 on Tuesday, 26th September. Becker captioned the photo "Glückwunsch Sascha," which translates to "Congratulations Sascha" in English.

In Russian, the name "Sascha" is often used as a nickname for the name "Alexander."

Zverev had another title victory earlier this season, when he defeated Laslo Djere in the final of the German Open in Hamburg. The win at Chengdu has improved his prospects of qualifying for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Alexander Zverev is presently in Beijing, gearing up for the 2023 China Open, where he's set to face Diego Schwartzman in the first round. He holds a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head matchups.

Notably, the German last defeated the Argentinian at the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals.

"He’s playing the best tennis of his life" - Alexander Zverev commends Roman Safiullin on his runner-up finish at Chengdu Open

Alexander Zverev completed a hard-earned title run on Tuesday evening in China as he defeated fellow Russia's Roman Safiullin in the finals of the ATP 250 tournament.

During his post-match press conference, the 26-year-old expressed his admiration for Safiullin and said that he is currently at the peak of his career. Zverev also claimed that the way Safiullin secured victories during the week made it clear that he was in excellent form.

"He’s playing the best tennis of his life for sure, the way he was winning this week, I think he beat a lot of great players quite easily, so I knew that he was playing well. Obviously, I’m happy to be able to come back and to win this title,” Alexander Zverev said.

Safiullin showcased brilliant tennis throughout the Chengdu tournament. He continued in the same vein in the final, striking 33 winners against his opponent's 25.

Roman Safiullin is currently ranked No. 41 on the ATP rankings. After finishing as the runner-up, he seemed on the verge of tears but expressed his gratitude for the collective support of his wife, family, and team.

"Of course, I want to thank my team, my wife especially. We made a really long way from the futures to the final of the ATP and top 50 players," Roman Safiullin said.

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Edited by Kanav Seth