Cape Town - He may have lost in the ATP Tour Citi Open final, but South Africa’s Kevin Anderson can take positives from his week in Washington.
Anderson attempted to win his first ATP Tour title in two years on Sunday, but was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by world No 8, Alexander Zverev of Germany.
The South African No 1, in his first ATP Tour final since winning the 2015 Winston-Salem title, fell to 0-3 lifetime against the 20-year-old Zverev, having lost a 2015 Washington second round match and a first round meeting in May on clay in Rome.
Anderson, ranked 45th, will jump to 32nd in this week's ATP rankings, his best mark since he was 25th last August.
The lanky 31-year-old from Johannesburg missed out on his fourth career title after Winston-Salem, Delray Beach in 2012 and his hometown in 2011.
He can also take solace from his $174 265 - about R2.3 million - runners-up cheque.
“I think I can take a ton of positives from this week, and I've been able to do that for the past few tournaments. That's definitely a big encouragement for me,” Anderson was quoted as saying by the ATP’s official website.
“I played some of my best tennis here. I feel like some of the stuff I've been working on is really starting to shine through more and more on the match court.”