Top seed Marin Cilic saved a match point before edging past Novak Djokovic 5-7 7-6 6-3 to win his second Queen's Club Championship in London.
Marin Cilic Photo: Photosport
Cilic, who last won the title in 2012, controlled the early exchanges from the baseline but missed six break point chances in the opening set, allowing Djokovic to battle back.
A rampant Djokovic conceded just one point on his first serve during the second set and looked favourite to close out the contest in the ninth game but Cilic responded with a booming serve out wide to save match point.
A rare double fault from Djokovic at 4-4 in the tiebreak gave Cilic a way back into the match and the Croat took charge by winning the next three points to force a decider.
With momentum back on his side, Cilic looked comfortable in the west London sunshine as he grabbed the only break in the final set to claim his first title of the year.
In Germany, Borna Coric ended Roger Federer's 20-match winning streak on grass, beating him in three sets 7-6 3-6 6-2 in the Halle Open final, also bringing to a halt the Swiss maestro's reign as world number one.
Federer was denied a 10th title in the grasscourt tournament as 34th-ranked Croatian Coric handed the 36-year-old his first setback on an otherwise serene road towards defending his Wimbledon title.
The defeat means Rafa Nadal will return to the top of the world rankings on Monday.
And Petra Kvitova displayed her credentials for a third Wimbledon title after beating Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova 4-6 6-1 6-2 at the Birmingham WTA tournament.
Kvitova will be joined by the top two players in the world - Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki - and defending champion Karolina Pliskova in Eastbourne, the final tune-up event ahead of Wimbledon, which begins on July 2.
-Reuters
