South African tennis star Kevin Anderson secured his seventh career ATP title following a nail-biting clash against 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby in straight sets to win the Hall of Fame Open in Newport‚ Rhode Island.

It has been a tough year for Anderson‚ who jumped 39 places to No74 in the FedEx ATP Rankings following his sixth ATP Tour title‚ after beating Brooksby on Sunday.

The former World No. 5 is battling back from injuries and bounced back in impressive fashion to defeat #NextGenATP American Brooksby 7-6(8)‚ 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours and 11 minutes.

"It’s been a pretty tough run with some injuries. But to be back here at the International Tennis Hall of Fame with such history‚ this couldn’t be a better week for me to start‚ hopefully‚ my comeback‚" Anderson said.

"I’m very motivated to get back. But it all starts with each match‚ and I was able to really grind it out."

The 35 year old Anderson‚ a wild card‚ made his only previous appearance on the Newport grass in 2008‚ when he was a 22-year-old ranked World No. 115. Since then‚ he has reached two major finals and competed at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2018.

"Thanks to the tournament for giving me a wild card. It definitely worked out for me‚" he said.

"The last time I was here was in 2008. It’s significant in a way. I was just starting my career‚ and I guess I’m towards the end‚ but definitely [am] very motivated to keep going."

This is the Anderson's first tour-level triumph since Pune in 2019‚ he is the first South African to triumph in Newport since Neville Godwin in 2001.