Tennis star Pablo Cuevas uses underarm serve on match point

Uruguayan tennis player Pablo Cuevas pulled out a rare underarm serve to help him claim a third ATP title at the Brazil Open.

In the rain-delayed clay-court tournament, Cuevas finally wrapped up the title with a 6-7 (7-3) 6-4 6-4 victory against Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain.

But it was the cheeky manner in which the 31-year-old won the match that caused the biggest headlines.

Cuevas celebrates his third straight Brazil Open title. Pic: ATP

Cuevas was on his second serve and fourth match point when he decided to break with convention and lob the ball over the net underhanded.

Ramos-Vinolas managed to return the serve, and Cuevas had a lot of work still to do before taking out the baseline rally and the match.

But the audacity of the seldom used, but completely legal approach, had to be commended.

"I was making a lot of double faults (12 in total)," said Cuevas after the match.

What to do when your second serve isn't working. Pic: ATP

"When I prepared to hit that second serve, there was a big chance that I would hit a double fault. So I thought about the possibility of the underarm serve and that it was something I probably shouldn't do.

"But I also should not do another double fault. So I just stopped thinking and I did it."

Cuevas is by no means the first or most famous example of a player using an underarm serve in a professional tournament.

Arguably the most extraordinary use of the bizarre tactic happened in 1989 when Michael Chang defeated the great Ivan Lendl in the fourth round of the French Open.

Trailing 15-30 in the fifth and deciding set, the then-17-year-old delivered an underhand serve that would go down in folklore.

Chang eventually won the point, then the match against Lendl, before going on to become the youngest ever winner of a men's Grand Slam trophy.

Chang will forever be remembered for his serve against Lendl. Pic: Roland Garros