Ram vs. Karlovic: Score, Reaction from 2015 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships

Rajeev Ram and Ivo Karlovic capped off the 2015 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in suitable three-set fashion during Sunday's singles final.

After Ram took the first set in a tiebreaker, Karlovic broke and served out the second before Ram ultimately prevailed in a dominant, concluding tiebreak 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (2) in Newport, Rhode Island.

Ram was the 2009 champion at this tournament, which was his only other ATP World Tour singles title, while Karlovic ran all the way to last year's final, falling short to former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt. It had to be frustrating for Karlovic to place second once more.

WTA senior writer Courtney Nguyen endowed Ram—whose usual nickname is "Rampras" in a nod to the legendary Pete Sampras—with a fitting moniker given his history at the event:

One heavy forehand pass winner Ram struck amid a tight first-set tiebreak helped swing the early momentum in his favor, courtesy of tennis reporter Jonathan Kelley:

Prior to Karlovic's break to go on serve 6-5 in the second, he missed out on three break chances as Ram held serve to go up 5-4, forcing his opponent to hold and keep the match going. That's how close Karlovic was to letting the match slip far earlier, but he dug deep and found a way to force three sets.

A massive serve is usually Karlovic's equalizer, but Ram smashes aces with regularity in his own right. It made for a highly entertaining showdown on the fast grass courts. Karlovic also revealed before Sunday's match that he's been dealing with a sore elbow from the French Open on.

"It could be difficult against Rajeev on these courts," said Karlovic on Saturday, per the Associated Press' Ken Powtak (via ABC News). "Hopefully my arm will be all right and I'll be able to produce those aces."

The arm was fit enough for Karlovic to carry on through three sets without being broken once in the process of delivering 19 aces to Ram's 17. Tiebreakers can truly go either way, and Ram happened to be on the proper side of them on Sunday.

Both players held with little resistance through the first 12 games of the decisive set, leaving the outcome to another tiebreaker. Even as much of the match was, Ram asserted his will and cruised to victory.

ATPWorldTour.com's Josh Meiseles provided further context for how rather unlikely Ram's triumph was—despite his past success in Newport:

Brad Gilbert of ESPN applauded Ram for his efforts and alluded to the significance of Sunday's title for the American:

The ATP World Tour 250 series continues on Monday, with two tournaments starting up in Bogota, Colombia, and Bastad, Sweden, respectively. Karlovic won the inaugural Colombia Open in 2013, and the Swedish Open has a long history stretching back to 1948.

Fine form preceded this tournament for the 36-year-old Karlovic when he pushed Andy Murray to four tough sets at Wimbledon and fell to Roger Federer in two tiebreakers during the semifinals in Halle. Karlovic's blend of power and talent ought to make him a dangerous foe at the U.S. Open, health permitting.     

Note: Stats and tournament information courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com.