Bergs comes from behind to win a maiden title in Eastbourne

Belgian Zizou Bergs claimed the first title of his career on Sunday, recovering from a set down to beat French sixth seed Ugo Humbert 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Lexus Eastbourne Open.

The 27-year-old had arrived on the south coast in poor form, on a six-match losing streak, but turned his season on its head over the course of the week. The final was played across two days, begun on Saturday and completed on Sunday after an overnight suspension.

Humbert had taken the opening set and looked the more assured of the two when play resumed, only for Bergs to seize control on the second day, racing through the second set for the loss of a single game and edging a tight decider to seal the most significant win of his career.

It was, by one measure, a piece of history: Bergs became the first Belgian in the Open era to win a grass-court title.

Now, same match at Wimbledon

The breakthrough capped a run built on resilience. Bergs had come through a three-set opener against Englishman Toby Samuel (4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2), beaten compatriot’s-conqueror Jan Choinski (6-3, 6-3) and German Daniel Altmaier, who retired trailing (6-3, 3-2 ret.), before a composed win over Spanish seventh seed Jaume Munar (6-2, 6-4) carried him into the final.

For Humbert, ranked No 30, an eighth career title will have to wait. The Frenchman had reached the final in good touch, beating Quentin Halys (6-3, 6-4), American Jenson Brooksby (6-3, 6-2) and Italian Mattia Bellucci (7-6 (5), 6-7 (1), 6-4) along the way, but could not hold the advantage once Bergs found his range.

The two men will not have to wait long for a rematch. Bergs and Humbert have been drawn against each other in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday, a repeat of the Eastbourne final with the roles, and the stakes, freshly reset.