Goffin wins one-set shootout to retain Kooyong crown

[January 13, 2017]    MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Belgium's David Goffin retained his Kooyong Classic title in almost farcical circumstances on Friday when he beat Ivo Karlovic 7-2 in a tiebreaker after the final of the Australian warm-up was reduced to a one-set shootout.

 Goffin in action. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon

Goffin, who will be the 11th seed at Melbourne Park next week, wrapped up the title when his tall Croatian opponent went long with a service return after 32 minutes of a contest curtailed by wet weather.

Both players and the umpire appeared confused as to what to do next when the set reached 6-6 but after a brief negotiation, they proceeded to play the tiebreak with the Belgian quickly taking a 5-0 lead.

It was a rare half an hour without rain on Friday in the Melbourne suburb, which has hosted the exhibition event since the Australian Open moved from Kooyong to the center of the city in the late 1980s.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by John O'Brien)

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