St. Petersburg, Russia - Croat Marin Cilic denied Serb Janko Tipsarevic a third title this month, earning a three-set victory in Sunday's final at the St. Petersburg Open.

The second-seeded Tipsarevic had won in Kuala Lumpur early this month, then was the big winner at the Kremlin Cup last week in Moscow.

But on Sunday, the fourth-seeded Cilic stormed through the third set to earn a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory. Cilic controlled Tipsarevic's serve in the final set, forcing the Serb into seven break points and converting two.

Cilic also saved both break points he faced in the third set, and 4-of-5 overall, to finally break through for a title this year.

He was 0-3 in finals this season, and had dropped his last four title matches overall. Cilic hadn't won a final since February 2010, when he beat Michael Berrer for the title in Zagreb. He holds a 6-6 career mark in finals.

Tipsarevic fell to 2-5 in finals for his career, and 1-6 against Cilic, who earned $114,750 for the victory.