Dominic Thiem held his nerves to win his first ATP tour title on Saturday as he completed a tight 6-7 (8-10) 7-5 7-6 (7-2) victory over fourth-seeded Leonardo Mayer in the final of the Open de Nice.
The 21-year-old Thiem, who defeated second-seeded John Isner in the semi-finals, hit seven aces and fended off all six break points to come out on top of a nearly-three hour match at the French Open warmup tournament.
"The first title, I will remember it forever, so I will also remember forever Nice," said the 42nd-ranked Austrian.
It was Thiem's second tour final after losing to David Goffin last year in Kitzbuhel.
"The match today was a really, really good level," he added.
"Leonardo played outstanding and I was fighting until the end. I think it was one of the best matches I've ever played."
The Austrian became the eighth player born in the 1990s to win a title, joining the likes of Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov.
The French Open starts on Sunday at Roland Garros.
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