By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) - Stefanos Tsitsipas crowned an incredible year as he battled back to beat Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-7(6) 6-2 7-6(4) to win the ATP Finals title at the O2 Arena on Sunday.
The 21-year-old debutant, the youngest of the eight qualifiers for the elite season-ender, displayed resilience and flair in equal measure to claim his biggest title to date.
Thiem edged an intense first set full of powerful baseline rallies but Tsitsipas, the first Greek player to play in the event, was undaunted and responded in style.
He surged into a 4-0 lead in the second set and Thiem appeared to be flagging when he then trailed 3-1 in the deciding set before rediscovering his early spark.
Thiem broke back to take the showpiece into a deciding tiebreak but it was Tsitsipas, the crowd favourite, who stayed strong, moving 6-4 ahead and clinching victory when Thiem fired a tired forehand wide.
Tsitsipas becomes the youngest winner of the tournament since Lleyton Hewitt, aged 20, won it in 2001.