Breakthrough title for Ram

Lucky loser Rajeev Ram claimed his first ATP title with victory over third seed Sam Querrey in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

World number 181 triumphs in all-American final in Newport

Lucky loser Rajeev Ram claimed his first ATP title with victory over third seed Sam Querrey in the Hall of Fame Championships on Sunday. The 25-year-old American only qualified for the tournament by virtue of Mardy Fish's withdrawal to replace Andy Roddick on the United States Davis Cup team. But he was not overawed by the occasion - despite playing in his first ATP final - as he came from behind to became the lowest ranked player to win an event this year with a 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-3 triumph. "These days don't come around very often unless you're Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal," Ram said. "There was definitely pressure. I tried to play tennis instead of thinking about what the moment was. "Winning tournaments is not normal on the tour for 99 per cent of us." Querrey, 21, had looked on course for his second career title after claiming the first set tiebreaker, but Ram then decided to change his approach. By attacking his opponent's the second serve more, Ram broke in the 12th game of the second set to level the tie. He then broke in the eighth game of the last set to go 5-3 up and served out successfully for the match when Querrey hit a forehand long in what was Newport's first all-American final in seven years.