Beijing, Sept 30 (AFP) Controversial Australian Bernard Tomic won his first significant tournament in three years on Sunday -- and in the most dramatic of circumstances, saving four match points to triumph at the Chengdu Open.

The 25-year-old defeated top seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) in a thrilling three-setter in southwest China, where he was a qualifier.

Victory for Tomic -- his first ATP World Tour crown since Bogota in 2015 -- will propel the world-ranked 123 comfortably inside the top 100.

It was double disappointment for Fognini, who had been attempting to become the first Italian man to win four titles in a season.

For Tomic, it was a welcome change to be making headlines for the right reasons. Once seen as a rising star, he has had a number of run-ins with authorities over the years.

In January he faced a backlash after boasting "I just count my millions" in response to failing to negotiate qualifying for the Australian Open.

In 2017, as his once-promising career nosedived, Tomic admitted he was sometimes "bored" during matches and not always giving 100 percent. (AFP) ATK

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)