But the world number 29 prevailed in the final set tiebreak, clinching the win with a forehand groundstroke down the line for his second ATP victory.
Johnson said he was simply worn down after flying back from a Davis Cup tie in Australia earlier in the week.
“My body has just physically run out of gas after this week,” he said on the ATP website.
“Coming in from Australia kind of put me behind the eight ball and then the nerves of trying to close out the final, a lot of factors go into cramping. I was very fortunate to get out of that.”
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(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Gene Cherry)
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