The XL Bermuda Open finally sprung to life last night thanks to Mariano Zabaleta’s richly entertaining three-set triumph over unseeded Austrian bad-boy Daniel Koellerer.

A tournament which has been undermined by this week’s terrible weather was crying out for a humdinger of a match which would inject some life into what has otherwise been a fairly bland affair at Coral Beach.

And this three-hour slug-fest was just what the doctor ordered, as the crowd of around 700 were treated to a feast of superlative winners, nervous drama and plenty of controversy.

The Argentinian Zabaleta has been in terrific form of late, reaching the final of the US Clay Court Championships in Houston last week and playing at the XL with the confidence of a man who has recently beaten players in the world’s top ten.

And in all honesty he certainly needed to be at his best last night during his 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win, as his hot-headed, racquet-throwing opponent did everything he could to know him off his rhythm with yet more childish behaviour that came frighteningly close at times to bare-faced cheating.

Much as he did while ousting number one seed Sam Querrey from the tournament on Thursday, Koellerer wasted little time picking fights with the umpire over even the most trivial matters, while his constant delaying tactics and running commentary between points riled up not just Zabaleta — who had plenty to say on the matter as well — but also the crowd.

“Why don’t you behave like a grown-up?” asked one spectator after the Austrian had dived for a volley in the third set and then began making rather more fuss over a supposedly jarred neck than he perhaps needed to.

But Koellerer’s puerile histrionics and frenzied screaming in many different languages should not obscure the fact that the world number 205 played brilliantly at times, and it was difficult for some in the stands to decide whether to loathe him for his behaviour or like him for his unstinting competitiveness, athleticism and refusal to give up on any point.

His aggressiveness from the baseline was certainly effective, and he surprised Zabaleta in the first with the quality of his play — taking it 6-4 thanks to one break of serve.

Quite predictably, however, the former world number 21 showed some real guts in a tightly-contested second, withstanding some intense pressure when up a break at 5-4 to bring the match level.

And while Koellerer refused to surrender meekly in the third and continued to put some real heat on Zabaleta’s usually robust serve, the Argentine showed his true class by going through the gears on the crucial points — using his massive forehand in particular to work an ever-willing Koelleher out of position and ultimately, out of the tournament.

The charismatic Buenos Aires native now moves on to play the number three-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Devilder in today’s semi-finals, and in this sort of form, he is certainly going to take some beating.