Dimitrov smashes three rackets to concede Istanbul to Schwartzman

ISTANBUL — Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov lost the Istanbul claycourt final Sunday after a series of violent racket-smashing tantrums resulted in a championship-ending game penalty. Second seed Dimitrov was leading Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman by a set and 5-2 before he completely lost control of himself and eventually the match. Schwartzman, the world No. 87, went on to claim a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 win for his first title. But it was 24-year-old Dimitrov’s antics that grabbed the headlines as he lost 11 of the last 12 games. Bidding for a fifth career crown and playing in his eighth final, the Bulgarian became increasingly frustrated with his inability to close out the match, smashing racquet after racquet into the Istanbul clay. Once he went into a third meltdown courtside at 0-5, 40-40 in the decider, it resulted in a game penalty and forfeit of the match. “I let myself down, I let my team down, I let my family down with that behavior,” said Dimitrov, the world No. 29 told reporters. “I started cramping at 5-2 in the second set. It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t close out the match. I have to give credit to Diego.” Radwanska falls in Madrid Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska crashed out of the Madrid Open in the first round Sunday in major setback ahead of Roland Garros. Poland’s Radwanska, the number one seed in the absence of Serena Williams, lost 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 to the rejuvenated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. Radwanska, a semifinalist in 2012 and 2014 in the Spanish capital, already knew the dangers posed by Cibulkova after her opponent came within a point of victory in their last meeting at Indian Wells in March. Cibulkova, a former world No. 10 and Australian Open runner-up, was always going to be a dangerous floater having won her fifth career title last time out in Katowice three weeks ago. Losses for Radwanska and Angelique Kerber mean Garbine Muguruza is the highest seed left at the key clay-court event and the fourth-ranked Spaniard sealed her place in round two with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Anna Schmiedlova. Ana Ivanovic also had to go the distance to see off Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 while 2014 French Open runner-up Simona Halep, the sixth-seeded Romanian, swept past Japan’s Misaki Doi 6-0, 6-3. — Agencies