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ATP Finals

29K views 359 replies 3 participants last post by  Chirag 
#1 ·
I wanted to make a thread featuring articles about every final of the ATP world tour from 2010 onwards.All articles belong to www.atpworldtour.com and no copyright intended.






If you dont like the thread please dont comment on it :):).This is my first thread on MTF :eek::eek:
 
#27 ·
Munich 2010

On his third appearance in the Munich final, Mikhail Youzhny finally laid his hands on the BMW Open by FWU RETAKAFUL trophy with a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over top seed Marin Cilic Sunday.

By virtue of winning the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament, World No. 15 Mikhail Youzhny received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points, €68,450 and also a new BMW 325i convertible from the title sponsor; while runner-up Cilic collected 150 ranking points and €35,980 in prize money.

The Russian, who had finished runner-up in the Munich final in 2007 (l. to Kohlschreiber) and 2009 (l. to Berdych), won his first ATP World Tour clay-court title since capturing his maiden trophy at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart (d. Canas) eight years ago.

Reflecting on his success in Munich, Youzhny said: “It is a good tournament, there is a nice atmosphere. I have a lot of friends here. It is a well-organised tournament for the players, whenever you need something they try to help and that’s important for the players.”

Victory also halted a run of three successive final defeats for Youzhny. Since winning his fifth ATP World Tour title in Moscow (d. Tipsarevic) last October, the Muscovite had finished runner-up in Valencia (l. to Murray) in November and this season in Rotterdam (l. to Soderling) and Dubai (l. to Djokovic).

The 27-year-old Youzhny went into the final with the confidence of a 3-0 career lead over Cilic and made a dream start to the match as he raced to a 3-0 advantage before going on to close out the first set.

The No. 11-ranked Cilic was quick to respond, breaking serve at the first opportunity in the second set and, despite being pegged back by Youzhny, was able to break again in the 10th game to level the match at one set apiece.

In a close deciding set, Youzhny saved one break point in the fourth game before breaking Cilic’s serve to love in the seventh game. The Russian then held his nerve to serve out victory in two hours and 51 minutes.

“It was a really tough match," assessed Youzhny. "There were some tough moments for me. At the beginning of the third set I think two or three of my games were going from deuce to advantage and back to deuce, so it was really tough."

“The momentum swung in different ways in the first, second and third sets," said Cilic. "I think I missed my chances at the beginning of the third set when I had a break point and after that he was trying to get back into it. I think my fatigue made a slight difference in the end when I missed a couple of easy balls on my serve. He served pretty good all through the match and didn’t miss too many easy balls, so it was really tough. But I was fighting very well and I’m pleased with that."

The 21-year-old Cilic was bidding to become the first three-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, having already defended his titles in Chennai (d. Wawrinka) and Zagreb (d. Berrer). The Croatian, also a semi-finalist at the Australian Open (l. to Murray) in January, has compiled a 25-7 mark on the season.
 
#28 ·
Belgrade 2010

Sam Querrey became the first American since 2003 to win a European clay-court title Sunday when he saved one match point to defeat countryman John Isner 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in the final of the Serbia Open 2010, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Belgrade.

Querrey’s triumph earned him 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €67,430, while Isner received 150 ranking points and €35,400. The last American to win a clay-court title on European soil was Andy Roddick at St. Poelten in 2003, while Mardy Fish was the last American to win a clay-court title when he lifted the 2006 Houston trophy.

The 22-year-old Querrey has made great strides on clay in 2010. He reached his first ATP World Tour clay-court final last month in Houston (l. to Chela) and, together with Isner, advanced to the doubles final in Rome (l. to Bryan-Bryan).

“I hope I can continue to play well and my next step is to go deep in an [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 event, hopefully try to win one of those,” said Querrey, who will play at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open next week.

The second-seeded Isner had the chance to win his first ATP World Tour clay-court title when he led 6-3, 5-4 and had advantage on his own serve as he attempted to close out the match. However, Querrey denied his good friend and went on to level the match in the tie-break.

The match was to be decided in an epic ninth game of the third set, which saw Isner surrender a 40/0 lead and fight off four break points before Querrey clinched a 5-4 lead. The younger of the two Americans then confidently served out victory to 15 in one hour and 55 minutes.

“I feel great. It would feel better if I didn’t have to beat my buddy out there and it was someone else. But it’s still exciting,” said Querrey. “[The key today] was just hanging in there. He’s got the biggest serve in the game so it can be frustrating at times. But you just have to not let it bother you when you get aced and just walk to the other side to be ready for the next point. It’s a game of inches, as they say, and on match point he missed that forehand by a couple of inches.”

It is the second time this season that Querrey has defeated his Davis Cup teammate in an ATP World Tour final, having also prevailed when the two clashed in the Memphis title match in February.

The 25-year-old Isner was also contesting his third ATP World Tour final of the season and was bidding for his second title, having captured his maiden trophy in Auckland (d. Clement) in January.

“I’m playing well on the clay,” said Isner. “Today was unfortunate. It’s the second time this year that’s happened; I’ve got to put it behind me.”
 
#29 ·
Estorial 2010

Spaniard Albert Montanes once again mastered the testing conditions at the Estadio Nacional, venue of the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament, to defend his Estoril Open title on Sunday.

Under overcast skies, on a slow-paced Central Court, the fourth-seed ended the fairytale run of Portuguese No. 2 Frederico Gil with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-5 victory in two hour and 34 minutes. Montanes recovered from a 0-3 deficit in the deciding set to record his 10th straight win at the tournament.

The 29-year-old Montanes is the first man to win back-to-back Estoril titles in 14 years, when former World No. 1 Thomas Muster lifted the 1996 trophy.

"It feels great to defend the title, my fourth career title," said Montanes. "This is a special place for me and I’m happy to have won it again.

"I am definitely playing the best tennis of my career and if I keep playing like that I think I can break into the Top 20."

The World No. 34 has now won four ATP World Tour titles in eight clay-court finals and takes home €72,150 in prize money and earns 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points.

Montanes got his first service break in the fifth game of the first set when Gil, serving at 15/40, hit a backhand under pressure into the net. He went on to hit a clever low forehand, which Gil netted, in the seventh game for a 5-2 lead.

Minutes later, Montanes won his 16th of 23 service points with a crosscourt forehand winner to take the 28-minute opening set. He hit 10 aces and committed 14 unforced errors overall.

Gil, who lives with his family in nearby Sintra, saved two break points in a tense opening game of the second set, but was broken to 15 in the third game when Montanes hit an unanswered backhand crosscourt pass.

Montanes maintained a two-game cushion until the 10th game, when he squandered two match point opportunities by hitting a forehand long and a backhand crosscourt out.

"I had the match under control for the most part at 6-2, 5-3 and two match points," said Montanes. "Then the crowd got on his back and sparked him into life. He started playing a lot better."

Much to the delight of 5,000 spectators, Gil levelled the scoreline at 5-5 but was immediately broken. The World No. 134 once again responded by breaking Montanes’ serve to love, taking the second set to a tie-break with a smash winner.

Gil, going for broke on his strokes so not to get tight, took a 4-1 lead in the tie-break courtesy of a smash winner. Serving at 6-3, he put a backhand volley wide, but clinched the 66-minute set on his third point when Montanes hit a forehand approach into the net. Both players had hit 31 winners.

Buoyed by the crowds support, Gil put Montanes under pressure in the first set of the deciding set. Gil was unable to convert two break point opportunities through forehand errors, but at the third time of asking he hit a forehand winner down the line off a slow-paced mid-court ball.

He confirmed the break with a hold to 30 and made it 3-0 with a terrific reaction volley off a powerful Montanes backhand. Undaunted in the face of two break points in the fourth game, Gil fired backhand winners but over-hit a backhand long of the baseline on Montanes third break point opportunity.

“In the third set I was double-break down and I don’t know how I turned the match around," admitted Montanes. "I just kept fighting."

The tide began to turn in Montanes’ favour and by the eighth game the Barcelona resident converted the first of three break point opportunities, on the Gil serve at 0/40, when the Portuguese hit a backhand crosscourt into the net.

The set looked destined for a tie-break, but Montanes’ big-match experience came to the fore when he led 6-5. A backhand winner down the line and a deft backhand slice crosscourt to the net-rushing Gil, put the Portuguese under pressure. Gil saved his third match point at 15/40 with a forehand volley winner, but could not deny Montanes again.

Gil had been attempting to become the third first-time ATP World Tour titlist this year, following in the footsteps of American John Isner at the Heineken Open in Auckland and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.

"This was my best result so far,” said Gil. “I’m really happy to have reached the final at home in Estoril. It was a great match, I was leading 3-0 in the third set but I couldn’t maintain the level to the end. He is a very experienced player and he got the title.

"I was trying to play my best tennis and to maintain the level I wanted [in the third set]. But I want to compliment Montanes, who stayed there all the time and forced me to play my best tennis. He never stopped running and that is why he is ranked in the 30s and I’m at No. 134.

The 25 year old will rise approximately 30 places to No. 104 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings on Monday. He attained a career-high World No. 66 in May last year.

"For me, I am very happy to be Portugal’s first [ATP World Tour] finalist. I haven’t realised yet what I have done, because it is so soon after the match. I’d like to thank my family, my coaches and everyone who supported me. I’ll continue to work hard and do my best in future."

Gil got the biggest cheque of his career by taking home €37,900 and he earned 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points. He dropped to a 7-4 mark on clay courts this year and 7-8 overall.

Montanes pulled off the biggest win of his 11-year professional career on Saturday, when he rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the second set tie-break to beat World No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-2, 7-6(5). He has a 17-11 season record.
 
#30 ·
Madrid 2010


At the age of 23 years and 11 months, Rafael Nadal won a record-breaking 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title as he defeated rival Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6(5), in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 final Sunday at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.

Watched by Queen Sofia of Spain, Nadal also became the first player to win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court tournaments in the same year, having triumphed at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Verdasco) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Ferrer) last month.

"Well to be the first player to [win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments] is unbelievable," said Nadal. "I would never have dreamed that I would be able to do so. I’m very happy to have won here and it is especially important to have won in Madrid.

"Beating Roger is always a special occasion. It’s always a very difficult match. And of course winning at home is very special against anyone. So beating him at home is amazing; it’s a dream for me. For me it’s a dream to have won the three [tournaments] before Roland Garros. I want to enjoy that now and we’ll see what happens in two weeks."

As champion, the second-seeded Nadal received 1000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and was already assured of returning to the No. 2 ranking by reaching the final in Madrid. The Top 8 players at the end of the season will qualify for the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

Victory for Nadal avenged the defeat he suffered to Federer in the Madrid final last year, the first year the event was played on clay at the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital. The Spaniard improved to a 28-2 mark in tour-level clay-court finals, with his two defeats both coming to Federer; he also lost to the Swiss in the 2007 Hamburg title match.

With 28 tour-level clay-court titles, Nadal moved into a tie for fifth place with Ivan Lendl and Ilie Nastase in the Open Era clay-court title leaders list. Guillermo Vilas holds the record with 45 titles.

In their first clash for a year, Nadal and Federer, who had both come through three-set tussles in the semi-finals, struggled to find their form in the opening exchanges of their 21st meeting. Breaks were exchanged in the third and fourth games before Nadal broke decisively in the seventh game as Federer paid the price for a game littered with unforced errors. The second-seeded Nadal then saved four break points as he served out the set, finishing with a hooked forehand passing shot past the stranded Federer.

With a one-set advantage, Nadal looked to have taken a firm grip on the match as he broke Federer in the opening game of the second set, wearing the Swiss down with his relentless attack that forced errors from the World No. 1’s racquet.

Nadal was unable to shut out Federer out. The determined Swiss immediately levelled and when Nadal again broke to lead 3-2, Federer once again pegged him back with a delightful mix of rifling backhands and forehand drop shots.

In the subsequent tie-break, Federer twice squandered a mini-break lead and found himself two match points down as his backhand broke down under relentless pressure from Nadal. The Swiss was able to save the first with a courageous deep forehand into the corner, but could not deny Nadal on the second as he miss-fired to hand the Mallorcan victory after two hours and 10 minutes.

"Neither of us played a perfect match, we both made mistakes," reflected Nadal. "At times we did play well but I think we know each other so much that we are only focusing on how to make each other play worse. I go for his backhand and that makes the match more strategic and it's been quite an exciting match. It was a very exciting match, a very level match, as is usually the case, and playing against Roger is a very special experience and quite an honour.”

Nadal lifted the trophy in Madrid for the second time, having previously triumphed in a fifth-set tie-break against Ivan Ljubicic on indoor hard court in 2005. Federer is also a two-time winner in Madrid, lifting the trophy in 2006 (d. Gonzalez) and 2009.

The 28-year-old Federer was looking to draw level with Nadal and Andre Agassi by winning a 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. He was also bidding to capture his first title since clinching his 16th Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open (d. Murray) at the start of the year.

The right-hander slipped to a 19-6 record on the season and to a 62-25 mark in tour-level finals. He will hope to rejoin the winners’ circle by defending his title at Roland Garros, which begins in one week’s time in Paris.

"Considering where I was last week (when he lost to Albert Montanes in the Estoril semi-finals) this has been a major improvement for me," said Federer. "The fact is I hardly ever play a lefty on clay and nobody as tough as Rafa. So it’s obviously not easy to make that transition and I thought I did it very well today.

"He came in with tons of confidence having done so well on clay this season, I knew it was going to be tough; but I really believed in my chance. I was maybe a couple points away here and there, but just got broken one too many times today. But I’m pretty happy with the way I played. I’ve played great this week so I definitely come out of this tournament with tons of confidence."
 
#31 ·
World Team Cup 2010

World No. 49 Horacio Zeballos captured Argentina’s fourth title at the ARAG ATP World Team Championship as he beat American Robby Ginepri 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-5 Sunday in Dusseldorf to give the South Americans an unassailable 2-0 lead.

In the first singles rubber, Juan Monaco had got Argentina off to a winning start in its sixth final appearance at the Rochusclub by coming from behind to defeat American Sam Querrey 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes.

Argentina is now tied with Germany, Spain, Sweden and the United States, all of whom have won a record four ARAG ATP World Team Championships.

“I think my match was difficult, but also his (Zeballos’) match was incredible," said Monaco. "He was fighting like an animal for, like, three hours. We are very happy because when we came here the goal was to win here for Argentina and we did it."

DEUCE: On The Rise...Zeballos

The 25-year-old Zeballos, named the ATP Newcomer of the Year last year, broke serve in the first game of the match, which ultimately made the difference in the first set as he faced no break points in closing out a one-set lead.

The Argentine, who has posted his best results this season on clay, could have closed out the match in two sets, but squandered a 3-1 lead and later missed a match point at 6-5 in the tie-break as the No. 98-ranked Ginepri kept American hopes alive by forcing a deciding set.

Neither player was able to break through, or indeed even conjure a break point opportunity, until the 12th game of the third set, when Zeballos made no mistake at the second time of asking. He opened up a 40/0 lead on Ginepri’s serve as the American served at 5-6 and converted his third match point after two hours and 19 minutes.

“It was a tough match," reflected Zeballos. "The final is not like other matches, you have more pressure. But I think I was cool and played with confidence. It was important for me. It’s not just for us; it’s also for the country so we are really happy to be the champion of this tournament.”

"It was a tough fight," agreed Ginepri. "The first set, I got off to a shaky start. I was a little nervous when I realised that I had to get through the match for the U.S. to have a chance to win it. But hats off to him, he played well. I fought hard to win that second set after saving a match point and had some momentum going into the third set, but just wasn’t able to put as many balls into the court as I needed to.”

World No. 30 Monaco, overcame a slow start to defeat Querrey for the second time in three meetings. The American, who won his first ATP World Tour clay-court title recently at the Serbia Open 2010 (d. Isner), broke serve three times as he raced to a one-set lead.

Monaco responded quickly, though, breaking serve twice as he established a 4-0 lead in the second set. Querrey was able to recoup one of the breaks, but could not build on his comeback as Monaco broke serve again in the seventh game before levelling the match with a service hold to 15.

Breaks were exchanged in the early stages of the third set before Monaco opened up a 4-3 lead with a fifth break of 6’6’’ Querrey’s serve. The Tandil native then saved five break points to seal a 5-3 lead and secured victory by breaking serve once more in front of the Centre Court crowd at the Rochusclub.

The 26-year-old Monaco was also part of the Argentina team that won the team trophy in 2007. He has had a strong clay-court season, reaching the final at the Movistar Open in Santiago (l. to Bellucci) and advancing to the semi-finals in Buenos Aires and Acapulco (l. to Ferrero both times) during the Latin American swing in February.

Reigning ATP World Tour Doubles Champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan avoided a whitewash for the United States as they crushed Argentine duo Diego Veronelli and Eduardo Schwank 6-1, 6-2 for their third victory of the week. In a devastating display, the 32-year-old twins surrendered just three points on serve and capitalised on four of 10 break points to seal victory in 43 minutes.
 
#32 ·
Nice 2010

Former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet has snapped a six-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents to capture his sixth ATP World Tour singles title.

The unseeded Frenchman, who is currently No. 68 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, defeated World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5) in two hours and 38 minutes at the Open de Nice Cote d'Azur on Saturday.

"It was an incredible match," admitted Gasquet. "I didn't see myself coming back when I was in the third set. I saw myself really far from victory. I was a little tense while serving, which also happened to me in the second set.

"I couldn't have been more tired at the end and I really gave everything to the match. It is a title, my sixth, and it has been a long time since I won my last ATP World Tour title. I'll remember the match for the rest of my life, that's for sure. It was hard and it's a great victory against a great player."

Gasquet won 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings points and earned €72,150 in prize money for lifting his first ATP World Tour title since 30 September 2007 at Mumbai. Verdasco picked up 150 points in his quest to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in November and received a cheque for €37,900.

Gasquet converted his first break point opportunity in the sixth game, with second seed Verdasco serving at 30/40. He went on to take a 5-2 lead with a service hold to love.

In the eighth game, Verdasco recovered from 0/40 and saved four set points overall. Gasquet won 23 of 31 service points to clinch the first set in 43 minutes.

Verdasco took a 3-1 lead in the second set, but then lost four of the next five games. Serving for the match at 5-4, Gasquet dropped his serve to love.

Verdasco grew in confidence, levelling the scoreline at one-set apiece in a run of six straight games to a 3-0 lead in the third set. He came within one point of taking a 5-1 lead, but could not convert a break point opportunity on Gasquet’s serve.

Verdasco served for the match at 5-3, but was broken to 15. There were five breaks of serve in the third set, which was decided on a tie-break. Gasquet, who suffered from leg cramping in the third set, converted his first match point at 6-5 in the tie-break when Verdasco hit a forehand wide.

"I was close to losing and then I was so close to winning," said Verdasco. "I was 4-1 up and a few break points to be 5-1 [in the third set], but then he started hitting winners everywhere. Every break point was a good serve or a crazy forehand, every time a winner.

"I was not able to play in those circumstances. He got lucky in the 4-1 game and grew in confidence to break me and to come back. He started to play and run for everything again."

It snapped a five-match losing streak against Verdasco and was Gasquet’s first Top 10 win since beating compatriot and World No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome in May 2009. He now has a 12-35 lifetime record against Top 10 opponents.

Earlier this year, Gasquet reached the Medibank International Sydney final (l. to Baghdatis). Last week he captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title in over five years at Bordeaux (d. Llodra).

"After Bordeaux, I didn’t think about winning here," said Gasquet. "So I am very happy to have won and to have added a sixth title. Mostly, because it was a match of enormous intensity and being able to comeback was special."

The 23-year-old Swiss resident has an 18-11 match record on the season. He has been drawn to meet fourth seed Andy Murray of Great Britain in the Roland Garros first round.

Verdasco, 26, was attempting to join compatriot Rafael Nadal as a three-time ATP World Tour titlist this year. He has a 5-8 lifetime record in ATP World Tour finals, having won the SAP Open (d. Roddick) and Barcelona Open BancSabadell (d. Soderling) titles this year. He dropped to a 30-9 season record.

“It is always easier to play when people are supporting you," said Verdasco. "Of course, I think it helped him a lot. He was close to winning at 5-4 in the second set, but if he wasn’t playing in France, then it would have been difficult in the third set.

"I am happy because I played a final, but I am unhappy that I came so close to winning and couldn't do so."
 
#33 ·
French Open 2010

In a remarkable Sunday for Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard won his fifth Roland Garros title, returned to No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and became the first player to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, after defeating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the final in Paris.

At the age of 24 years and four days, Nadal became just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles. Bjorn Borg finished his esteemed career with six titles on the Parisian clay. The Spaniard will subsequently return to the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since 22 June, 2009.

"[It was a] very important victory for me. I think one of the most important victories in my career," said Nadal. "It was a difficult year for me the last year. I worked a lot to be here. I was very nervous during all the tournament, because I know before that I was ready to try to win another time, and I saw the chances there. But the very positive thing is today I was ready to play. I was ready to play with calm and to try my best and to enjoy the match. I did, and it was a very special day.

"For me I was 11 months without winning a title, so a lot of tournaments going back to home without a victory. A lot of difficult moments, because in a few of these tournaments I had to retire for the problems. So is difficult moments to accept. It was personal goal to be back at my best. So I did. And for me, sure, the important thing is Roland Garros. But for me the biggest thing is the personal satisfaction to be here, to be here another time and to be at the top level."

DEUCE: The Rafa Renaissance

Victory for Nadal secured his seventh major singles title. Together with his five victories at Roland Garros in 2005-2008 and 2010, the left-hander also lifted the Wimbledon trophy in a dramatic finale in 2008 and won the Australian Open last year.

Nadal First To Qualify For London

Nadal has been in devastating form throughout the fortnight, racing to the title without the loss of a set despite coming across opponents such as Lleyton Hewitt, Thomaz Bellucci, Nicolas Almagro and Jurgen Melzer on his route through. It is the second time that the left-hander has won a Grand Slam championship without losing a set, having also achieved the feat at Roland Garros in 2008. In the Open Era, only two other players have won the title at Roland Garros without dropping a set - Ilie Nastase in 1973 and Bjorn Borg in 1978 and 1980.

Nadal closed the European clay-court circuit with an unbeaten 22-0 record, which began with victory at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The Manacor native went on to become the first player in history to win all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in the same year and then achieved a historic “Clay Slam” with his triumph at Roland Garros.

Post Tributes To Nadal On Facebook

The records do not stop there for Nadal, though. His victories in Monte-Carlo (d. Verdasco), Rome (d. Ferrer) and Madrid (d. Federer) saw him overtake Andre Agassi by winning an Open Era record 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies. He also recorded his 200th clay-court win with victory over Bellucci in the fourth round at Roland Garros, becoming the quickest male player (losing fewest matches) in the Open Era to reach the milestone.

Despite the staggering records Nadal has achieved at such a young age, the modest Spaniard declined to say he is the best clay-court player ever. "For me, that's more than a dream. When I see these titles and these numbers, for me is amazing. I don't know how I did it. But first of all, you are going to be very arrogant if I say for myself I am the best of the history. Second thing, I don't believe I am the best of the history. I try my best every day, and we will see when I finish my career. I not gonna be the one who decides if I am the best or not.

"I'm very lucky, and I am very fortunate in life to have had the opportunity of experiencing all this at the age of 24. Never in my wildest dream would I have dreamt of such beautiful presents. Life is very kind to me."

It was not to be a repeat of the fourth-round victory over Nadal that Soderling recorded en route to his first major final appearance at Roland Garros last year. On that occasion, Soderling lost out to Roger Federer, whom he then defeated in the quarter-finals this year.

After his victory over top seed Federer, Soderling was hoping to become the eighth different player – and the third at Roland Garros - in the Open Era to defeat the top two seeds en route to a Grand Slam title.

“I have to congratulate Rafa for his fifth victory here, it’s really impressive and if he continues to play like this he will have a chance to win many more,” said Soderling, who was bidding to become the first Swedish champion at Roland Garros since Mats Wilander in 1988. “I will come back next year and hope it will be third time lucky.

DEUCE: Sweden’s Lone Wolf

"Losing a final in a Grand Slam is not great. It's not a great feeling. But I wasn't close in any one of them. I lost straight sets last year and the same this year. It's always tougher if you lose a really, really close match."

The 25-year-old Soderling, a winner in Rotterdam earlier in the season, will now rise to a career-high No. 6 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings on Monday.
 
#34 ·
Halle 2010

In a final between the two most accomplished active grass-court players, Lleyton Hewitt snapped a 15-match winless streak against World No. 2 Roger Federer with a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory to win the Gerry Weber Open title on his debut in Halle.

“It’s fantastic,” declared Hewitt. “Roger’s a hell of an opponent; his grass-court record speaks for itself. Any time you play Roger on a grass court you know you’re in for a hell of a battle and I was lucky to get out of today’s match.

“It’s fantastic for me; I’m getting towards the end of my career and had couple of surgeries, to know I can still compete at this level. I’m thrilled to be here and to have won another title. The tournament’s been fantastic; Roger’s obviously come here all of his career, it’s a fantastic atmosphere. I’ll be back next year.”

As winner of the ATP World Tour 250 grass-court tennis tournament, Hewitt received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €113,600. Federer, who surrendered his No. 1 ranking on Monday, earned 150 ranking points and €59,900 in prize money.

Watch Highlights

It is Hewitt’s first victory over Federer since September 2003, when he defeated the Basel native in five sets in Australia’s Davis Cup World Group semi-final tie against Switzerland. He reduced the deficit in their career-series to 8-17.

The Australian improved his perfect record in ATP World Tour grass-court finals to 7-0. He won Wimbledon in 2002 (d. Nalbandian), triumphed at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2001 (d. Canas) and is a four-time former champion at The Queen’s Club (2000-2003, 2006). He has won the most grass-court matches among active players, compiling a 98-23 lifetime mark.

The 29-year-old Adelaide native won his first ATP World Tour title since victory on clay in Houston (d. Odesnik) last year and clinched his 28th tour-level title overall – the fourth best tally among active players.

Federer looked set to record his 16th straight victory over Hewitt after breaking serve once in the sixth game to secure the first set and creating a 0/40 opportunity on the Australian’s serve in the ninth game of the second set. It proved to be the turning point in the match, though, as the eighth-seeded Hewitt rallied to hold serve and later force a tie-break, which he won 7-4 as Federer netted a backhand on the Australian’s fourth set point.

Hewitt capitalised on the swing in momentum by breaking serve in the first game of the deciding set as Federer’s unforced error count continued to grow. Hewitt had chances to extend his lead in the third and seventh games but was unable to convert as Federer forced his long-standing rival to serve for victory in the 10th game. Hewitt nearly faltered, surrendering a 30/0 lead and double faulting to give Federer a break point chance, but the right-hander held his nerve and painted the line with a forehand to deny Federer before sealing victory on his first match point after two hours and 21 minutes.

"I had to go out there and execute my game plan extremely well and I was able to do that for most of the match today," assessed Hewitt. "You still got to back yourself in the tight moments though and there were a lot of tight moments out there in the match in all three sets. In the third set I felt like I played some of my best tennis of the tournament."

“He started to play much better as the match went on," complimented Federer. "He got into a good rhythm, good zone, hardly made any errors. He had to push me there. So, it was a tough match.”

The 28-year-old Federer had been looking for his 30th straight match win in Halle and his sixth title in his past six appearances. He had not lost a match in Halle since a semi-final defeat to Nicolas Kiefer in 2002 (he did not play in 2007, 2009) and had won 76 of his past 77 grass-court matches, with the only blemish being a five-set defeat to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final.

Federer began the year by winning his 16th Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open (d. Murray) in January, but is yet to add to his tally of 62 tour-level titles since then, also finishing runner-up to Nadal in Madrid. It is the first time since 2001 that Federer goes into Wimbledon having won only one tour-level title in the first six months of the year.

“I’m happy with the way I’m playing. It’s unfortunate not coming through today, but I think my level of play is fine," said Federer. "This loss here doesn’t worry me in any way. So, I’m excited about next week. And I thought it was a good tournament.”
 
#35 ·
Queens 2010

World No. 23 Sam Querrey prevailed in an all-American final at The Queen’s Club on Sunday as he defeated Mardy Fish 7-6(3), 7-5 to win his third ATP World Tour title of the season.

It was the first all-American final at the tournament since 1994, when Todd Martin defeated Pete Sampras.

"It's an honour (to win at The Queen's Club)," said Querrey. "All the greatest players in the world are on this trophy. It's nice to be added to that list with them.

"The conditions were pretty tough out there, the windiest day of the week so far. I just tried to stay level headed and keep my composure, and fortunately I got through it."

"I know this is a great tournament and I would have loved to have added my name on there," said Fish. "I felt like I was playing well enough throughout the week that not many of the guys could beat me here. I just didn't do it today."

The 22-year-old Querrey is the first player this season to win titles on three different surfaces, having also triumphed on hard court in Memphis and on clay in Belgrade. He is only the second player after Rafael Nadal, with four tour-level titles, to win at least three titles this year.

It is the third all-American final that Querrey has won this season, having defeated Davis Cup teammate John Isner in the Memphis and Belgrade finals. He also finished runner-up on clay in Houston, where he lost out to Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela.

Querrey became the eighth American champion at the AEGON Championships in the Open Era and received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €79,260, while runner-up Fish earned 150 ranking points and €45,130 in prize money.

In a strong serving display from Querrey, he did not face a single break point in the first set. However, as a result of not converting any of the three break point chances he created on Fish’s serve, the younger American needed a tie-break to seal a one-set lead.

Fish made the first breakthrough of the match in the fifth game of the second set as Querrey over hit a forehand after a lengthy baseline exchange. However, a nervous and error-strewn game from Fish as he served for the set at 5-4 allowed Querrey back into the set and the Californian went on to win the final four games of the match to seal victory in 84 minutes.

Querrey fired 15 aces in the pair’s second meeting, including a love service game featuring four aces to open the second set. He levelled their career series at 1-1 after avenging the defeat he suffered to Fish in Los Angeles three years ago.

The 6’6’’ Querrey won his first ATP World Tour grass-court title, having finished runner-up in Newport (l. to Ram) last year, and became the 16th active player to win a grass-court title. The Las Vegas resident named Wimbledon, which begins a week on Monday, as a target for the future.

"It's one of the four most important tournaments in the world. The Wimbledon trophy has these same names on it, and all the greats have won Wimbledon. It's an honour just to step on the grounds of Wimbledon.

"I'd love to win Wimbledon. I'm kind of going with baby steps here and try and make the third round this year, because the second round is the best I've ever done there. It's possible, but I think I've still got some work to do, and there are still some great competitors out there you have to beat to win a Wimbledon title."

The 28-year-old Fish was contesting his 14th ATP World Tour final and slipped to a 3-11 record. The Tampa resident was looking to win his first title in more than a year since lifting the trophy in Delray Beach (d. Korolev) last February. The right-hander is now 0-3 in grass-court finals, having also lost out in Nottingham (l. to Rusedski) in 2003 and in Halle (l. to Federer) a year later.

"I mean, it's inexcusable at that part of the tournament and that part of the match," lamented Fish, reflecting on his missed opportunity to win the second set. "Maybe nerves got to me, or the moment. I mean, I just wanted to play well at this tournament ever since I've been coming here, and if you want something so badly, sometimes it's not a good thing.

"Sam's pretty free flowing out there. Sometimes his attitude of sort of happy go lucky is a great thing. I certainly know the history of this tournament and the names on the trophy, and that definitely caught up to me."
 
#36 ·
Unicef Open 2010

Sergiy Stakhovsky out-served seventh-seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic to win the third ATP World Tour title of his career on Saturday at the UNICEF Open. Both players dined out together in 's-Hertogenbosch on Thursday and Friday nights.

The Ukrainian, who also beat Tipsarevic en route to his first title at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors in February 2008, triumphed 6-3, 6-0 in 56 minutes. Stakhovsky did not drop a set in five matches, winning 43 of 46 service games, at the ATP World Tour 250 grass-court tennis tournament.

Stakhovsky won 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and earned €72,500 in prize money, while Tipsarevic – who was also appearing in his first grass-court final – picked up 150 points and €37,900.

"I played really well today," said Stakhovsky, who donated the racquet he used to UNICEF. "By the score, I believe this would be the easiest match of the week, but it definitely wasn’t as there was a lot of tension.

"I can't really say I had easy matches [this week]; more or less all of them were close in some way. I think I was a bit better and a little more consistent."

World No. 71 Stakhovsky hit eight aces and dropped just seven points on serve in the final. He converted four of 12 break point opportunities to improve to a 16-12 match record on the season.

"I have played three finals in my career and before my previous semi-finals and finals I could not sleep," admitted Stakhovsky. "I seriously slept for only four hours each day. Today, I was nervous but I had slept okay. Sometimes I struggle with my emotions before matches. I know a big match is coming, but I am nervous."

In the first set, the 24 year old converted his third break point opportunity in the fourth game and confirmed the break when he hit his second ace to take a 4-1 lead. Stakhovsky won 21 of 25 service points to wrap up the 35-minute opener.

Tipsarevic won just nine points in the 20-minute second-set, with Stakhovsky hitting five aces and converting three of six break point opportunities.

"I'm very disappointed," said Tipsarevic. "But Sergiy played very well during the whole week. I somehow lost my spirit."

Prior to this week Tipsarevic had not won a tour-level match since February, when he reached the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships quarter-finals (l. to Youzhny). He dropped to a 10-11 season mark.

Tipsarevic, who turns 26 on Tuesday, also lost to Mikhail Youzhny in the Kremlin Cup final at Moscow in October last year.

Both players will now travel to Wimbledon.aspx">Wimbledon to compete at The Championships, which begins on Monday. Stakhovsky will meet No. 18 seed Sam Querrey of the United States in the first round while Tipsarevic, who reached the fourth round in 2007 and 2008, has been drawn to face France’s Arnaud Clement.

"I will play Sam Querrey on Tuesday," said Stakhovsky. "It will be a tough match. He is [at the] top of his game, having won titles on every surface this year. He is a complete player, with a big serve and a great forehand. I believe I am in good shape and have two days to rest and prepare."

Tipsarevic said: "I will play Arnaud Clement again [they played in the second round this week] but it will be a completely different match in Wimbledon." Tipsarevic won 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Wednesday.
 
#37 ·
Eastbourne 2010

World No. 46 Michael Llodra captured his second ATP World Tour grass-court title on Saturday as he lifted the trophy at the AEGON International with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over fifth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

As winner of the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament, Llodra received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €69,350, while runner-up Garcia-Lopez earned 150 points and €36,550 in prize money.

The 30-year-old Llodra won his first ATP World Tour title on the mowed lawns at ‘s-Hertogenbosch six years ago (d. Coria) and has since added to his tally with triumphs in Adelaide and Rotterdam in 2008 and victory on home soil at the Open 13 in Marseille (d. Benneteau) earlier this season.

In a tight first set, the Frenchman claimed the only service break in the 12th game to seal a one-set lead. Rain halted play in the third game of the second set, but players were not off court for long and Llodra returned with renewed purpose, breaking serve in the sixth game as Garcia-Lopez committed his third double fault. The Parisian then clinched victory with a third break of serve in the eighth game after 67 minutes.

"It's always a pleasure to win a title,” said Llodra. “It doesn't happen every week so you have to enjoy it when it happens. It's been a great week and I felt good from the beginning. I know I can play well on grass but you still have to do the job out there on the court. 6-5 in the first set was a great time to break. I knew if I stayed focussed I would get my chances and at 6-5 it came my way. Then it helped to serve first in the second set.”

A strong serving display from Llodra saw him fire 11 aces and surrender only seven points behind his delivery. Coming into the final, he led the field with 50 aces and 81 per cent of first serve points won. Throughout the week, he held 50 of 52 service games and saved 17 of 19 break points.

Llodra has been assisted during the grass-court season by former WTA player Amelie Mauresmo. “For the past two weeks, we've discussed a lot about my game. She's been a great help and she's helped me to prepare for my matches so that I feel more comfortable when I go out on the court. I have to thank Amelie, it’s a pleasure to work with her.”

The left-hander improved to a 16-11 match record on the season, also highlighted by a quarter-final showing on grass at The Queen’s Club (l. to Fish) last week. He will open his campaign at Wimbledon.aspx">The Championships, Wimbledon next week against American Jesse Witten, with a possible second-round clash against 2009 runner-up Andy Roddick.

The No. 41-ranked Garcia-Lopez was contesting his first ATP World Tour grass-court final and dropped to a 1-1 overall record. He won his maiden title in Kitzbuhel (d. Benneteau) in May last year. The Albacete native was bidding to become the seventh different Spaniard to win an ATP World Tour title this season.

“Of course it's disappointing to lose today,” said Garcia-Lopez. “Whenever you get to a final you want to win the title, but the positive is that I have had a really good week and got a lot of matches. Last year I got to the semi-finals here, this year the final. I really enjoy this tournament and look forward to coming back next year."
 
#38 ·
Wimbledon 2010

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal won his second Wimbledon title on Sunday as he mastered blustery conditions at the All England Club to defeat first-time Grand Slam finalist Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the final of The Championships.

The Spaniard has dominated the ATP World Tour since April, winning 31 of his past 32 matches, and came into Wimbledon having just won his seventh Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros (d. Soderling). He also achieved the Roland Garros – Wimbledon double in 2008, when he became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to accomplish the feat.

The Manacor resident is the first Spaniard in history to win two Wimbledon titles. The only other Spanish winner at the All England Club is Manuel Santana, who lifted the trophy in 1966 (d. Ralston).

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“It’s more than a dream for me,” said Nadal. “It was always my dream to play on this court and today, to play a fourth final for me was amazing. I couldn’t be here last year but this year I came back and to have this trophy in my hands is more than a dream.”

“It was a great two weeks for me, but he was very strong today,” conceded Berdych. “He’s showed in the last few months that he’s really the champion and he just deserved to win today.

The 24-year-old Nadal, who regained the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings from Roger Federer after his Roland Garros triumph last month, added a further 2000 points to his tally. He has already secured his place in the elite eight-man field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the year-end championships which will return to The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

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Nadal is one of six players to reach four successive Wimbledon finals, joining Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, Federer, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras. The Mallorcan finished runner-up to Federer in 2006 and 2007 before lifting the trophy for the first time in 2008 by defeating his Swiss rival in the longest Wimbledon final in history in four hours and 48 minutes. He was forced to miss last year’s Championships due to tendonitis in both knees.

"Every one is really special," said Nadal, comparing his two Wimbledon finals. "Is difficult to say this one is more special. The other one was more dramatic, the way to win. So first title is always very, very special.

"For sure after not easy year for me. Be back at my favourite tournament of the world here and play well another time, and not only play well, so finish with the trophy is amazing for me. Was very difficult for me to be back at my best. I did, so is very important and emotional moment for me. I want to enjoy that."

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His defeats to Federer in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals are his only two losses in 10 Grand Slam finals. In addition to his two Wimbledon trophies, he has also won five Roland Garros crowns and lifted the trophy at the 2009 Australian Open (d. Federer).

The left-hander has now won 14 matches in a row at Wimbledon, and improved to a 40-8 match record on grass, the eighth-best tally among active players. He won his first grass-court title at The Queen’s Club (d. Djokovic) in 2008.

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The 12th-seeded Berdych was contesting his first major singles title after embarking on a tremendous run through the top half of the 128-man singles draw. He stunned top seed and six-time champion Federer in the quarter-finals, before ousting World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in Friday’s semi-finals.

“I want to congratulate Tomas because he is having an amazing season and had a very good tournament for today,” said Nadal. “I’m sorry for today but I wish him best of luck for the rest of the season.”

The Czech player has built further on the strong results he had already compiled this season. He defeated Federer en route to his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Miami (l. to Roddick) and reached his first-ever major semi-final at Roland Garros, following victory over World No. 4 Andy Murray in the fourth round.

The 24 year old was the first Czech player to compete in the Wimbledon men’s singles final since Ivan Lendl in 1987 and was looking to become the first champion from his country since Jan Kodes triumphed in 1973.

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“I hope this gives me a lot of confidence and some extra power to be stronger for next time and who knows what’s going to happen in the next few years,” said Berdych.

"I think the biggest difference between us was that when he got a chance, he just took it. He gave me one in the second set, one in the third set, and none of them I can bring it to my side and just made a break. That just shows how strong he is. I think it was just really about the small difference.

"It's really tough to find out some special tactic [against Nadal]. So my strategy was just concentrate for myself, start well and wait for some little chances. But, as I said before, he took it."

Berdych is projected to rise to a career-high No. 8 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings when the new rankings are released on Monday.
 
#39 ·
Newport 2010

Mardy Fish lifted his fourth ATP World Tour trophy (4-11 final record) at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport on Sunday.

The fifth-seeded American hit 24 aces past No. 4 seed Olivier Rochus of Belgium for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory in two hours and four minutes. It was his first grass-court title after three runner-up finishes on the surface.

“It means a lot to win now on every surface in my career – indoor, outdoor, hard, clay and grass,” said Fish. “I’ve certainly lost a lot of heartbreak finals, and it feels good to win one.”

By capturing his first tour-level title since March 2009 at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Fish will jump around 30 spots to No. 49 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings on Monday.

The 28-year-old Florida resident picked up a cheque for $75,700 and earned 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points, while 29-year-old Rochus received $39,780 and 150 points.

The first set went with serve to 5-5 when Rochus broke and converted his second set point opportunity to clinch the 45-minute opener. Fish had hit seven aces and dropped nine service points.

At 1-2, Rochus fell to 15/40 and was broken by Fish, who maintained the advantage and hit his 15th ace to win the second set in 30 minutes.

Fish broke Rochus at 4-4 on his fourth break point opportunity of the third set with a forehand volley winner. The former World No. 17 was then forced to save two break points before closing out his 23rd victory of the season on his second championship point.

“I was feeling really good on the court,” said Rochus. “It was just one or two points. The last two games were so close. I had two break points [at 4-5], game points at 4-all. It’s just like this. When it’s that tight, one has to win. But Mardy was pushing hard at the end and his serve was really good, so maybe he deserved it a little more.”

Fish, who set up both of his championship points with aces, said: “I served great, and I needed to for sure. I served great when I needed to in that last game… If I didn’t come up with those [aces] he probably was going to break me eventually.”

Over the past 10 months, Fish has dropped 30 pounds in weight due to a strict diet and training regime with trainer Christian LoCascio. Last month he finished runner-up to Sam Querrey at the AEGON Championships, another ATP World Tour 250 grass-court tournament, in London.

“In that spot and that atmosphere, it was tough to swallow,” Fish said of the loss at the Queen’s Club. “I wanted to play this match on my own terms, figure out a way to win it or lose it on my racquet.”

World No. 65 Rochus, who did not drop a set en route to his eighth ATP World Tour final (2-6 lifetime), was the first Belgium in tournament history to contest the championship match.

Steve Darcis was the last Belgian titlist at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis in February 2008.
 
#40 ·
Stutgart 2010

World No. 30 Albert Montanes closed out an exceptional week for Spanish sport on Sunday. Following Spain’s victory in the FIFA World Cup final last weekend and Nicolas Almagro’s triumph in Bastad earlier in the day, the Barcelona resident won his second ATP World Tour title of the season at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart.

Montanes was crowned champion when third seed Gael Monfils was forced to retire with a right ankle injury; Montanes had been leading 6-2, 1-2 in the pair’s second meeting. He received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €72,150 in prize money, plus a brand new white Mercedes-Benz E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY convertible.

"I played very well. In the first set I played good in the rallies and my confidence was good," reflected Montanes. "I am very happy with the win today. It is unbelievable for me. All week I played unbelievably. I’m very happy about this week. The Mercedes [I won] is very nice."

The 29-year-old Montanes became the sixth different Spanish winner at the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament in Stuttgart, joining David Ferrer (2006), Rafael Nadal (2005, 2007), Alex Corretja (1997), Alberto Berasategui (1994), and Jose Higueras (1983).

The right-hander improved to a 5-4 record in ATP World Tour finals. All nine of his ATP World Tour final appearances have come on outdoor clay, including his victory at the Estoril Open (d. Federer, Gil) in May. It is the second straight year that the Spaniard has won two ATP World Tour titles in the same season, having won in Estoril (d. Blake) and Bucharest (d. Monaco) in 2009.

Montanes went into Sunday’s final with the confidence of having beaten No. 2 seed Jurgen Melzer and No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero back-to-back in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. He broke Monfils’ serve in the third and seventh games as he raced to a one-set lead in 33 minutes. The Frenchman was forced to retire just three games into the second set, though.

The No. 17-ranked Monfils dropped to a 2-8 record in ATP World Tour finals; his two titles came at Metz (d. Kohlschreiber) last year and at Sopot (d. F. Mayer) in 2005. He was contesting his first ATP World Tour final since finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic in Paris last November.

"I twisted my ankle on the court and it was impossible to finish the match," said Monfils. "The week was good. I played pretty good tennis, a lot of confidence came back. To reach a final again was pretty exciting. I had a bad experience (today) but hopefully it will be better soon and I can get back to my best level and try to reach some other finals."

Last weekend, the Parisian was part of the French Davis Cup team that dethroned two-time defending champion Spain in the World Group quarter-finals. Monfils won the first rubber for France with a dramatic five-set victory over David Ferrer, He has compiled a 24-12 mark on the season.
 
#41 ·
Swedan 2010

World No. 20 Nicolas Almagro captured his sixth ATP World Tour title Sunday as he defeated top seed and defending champion Robin Soderling 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the final of the SkiStar Swedish Open, an ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament in Bastad.

Almagro, who improved to a 6-2 record in ATP World Tour finals, earned 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €72,150, while runner-up Soderling received 150 points and €37,900 in prize money.

“It’s a great feeling to win here,” said Almagro. “It’s always amazing to win a final and I’m very happy with the week. I’m going to enjoy this moment and then prepare for next week in Hamburg.”

Victory gave Almagro his first ATP World Tour title since triumphing at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in 2009 with victory over Gael Monfils. All six of the Spaniard’s titles have come on outdoor clay, beginning with victory at the Valencia Open 500 in 2006 before it was moved to indoor hard court. The Murcia native is the seventh different Spaniard to win an ATP World Tour title this season and the sixth Spanish champion in the past 10 years in Bastad.

The fourth-seeded Almagro fell short in the 2007 Bastad final against David Ferrer but has impressed throughout the week with his smooth progress through the draw and carried his high-level into the final against Soderling, whom he defeated in their previous meeting on clay in Madrid.

After saving two break points in the second game of the match, Almagro took his fourth opportunity to break Soderling’s serve in the 12th game and seal a one-set lead. Soderling hit back strongly, though, racing to a 3-0 lead in the second set before going on to level the match, saving one break point as he served out the set in the ninth game.

With the match finely poised on serve in the third set, Almagro lifted his level to win the final four games from 2-2 to seal victory in just less than two hours. Victory saw him level his career series with Soderling at 3-3, avenging the defeat he suffered to the Swede in the 2009 Bastad quarter-finals.

“I didn’t play very well in the 2007 final here, but today I fought very hard and I’m really happy with the physical and mental sides to my game,” reflected Almagro. “It was a big match, a big fight and we were both battling like gladiators. Robin is a great player and I’m sure he will have many more chances to win this tournament in the future.”

The 24-year-old Almagro improved to a 33-17 mark for the season and 23-10 on clay. The right-hander’s strongest results this season have come on the crushed brick; he also reached the semi-finals in Madrid (l. to Nadal) and the quarter-finals at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal), Munich (l. to Cilic) and Acapulco (l. to Ferrero).

World No. 5 Soderling was bidding to become the second player in the past 17 years to successfully defend the Bastad title. He defeated Juan Monaco in the final last year to win his first and so far only ATP World Tour clay-court title.

The 25-year-old Soderling dropped to a 5-10 mark in tour-level finals, including a 1-3 record this season. The Tibro native won his fifth ATP World Tour title in Rotterdam (d. Youzhny) but has finished runner-up in three clay-court finals, also losing out at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal) for the second year in a row and Barcelona (l. to Verdasco).

"Too bad that I didn't get the break early in the first set. I played OK in the second set but I gave away a break in the decisive set, and that's why I lost the match," assessed Soderling. "I was very disappointed after having lost in the final."

"I have some very important tournaments coming up, and a stretch that suits my game really well," added the Swede.
 
#42 ·
Hamburg 2010

World No. 82 Andrey Golubev capped a dream week on Sunday by becoming the first player from Kazakhstan to win an ATP World Tour title with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over third seed Jurgen Melzer in the final of the German Open Tennis Championships in Hamburg.

As champion of the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament, Golubev received 500 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €228,000, while runner-up Melzer earned 300 points and €104,000 in prize money.

The 23-year-old Golubev, who celebrated his birthday on Thursday by recording his first Top 10 win over No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko in the third round, is the third first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season. He joins John Isner (Auckland) and Ernests Gulbis (Delray Beach).

Golubev had won just eight tour-level matches this season coming into Hamburg but discovered his best form as he raced to the title without losing a set all week. He was contesting his second ATP World Tour final, having finished runner-up to Andy Murray in the 2008 St. Petersburg Open final.

“I’m very happy to win my first title, especially here in Hamburg on a clay-court. I never expected that my first title would be on clay," confessed Golubev. "I played very well, I believed in myself. It was very tough [today]. I served well; I played very well from the baseline. In the important points I played very good. I think the most important thing this week was that I believed in myself, I believed in my game, my forehand and backhand.”

A solid serving display from Golubev saw him surrender just five points behind his delivery in the first set of the final. He earned his first chance to break Melzer’s serve in the eighth game, after the Austrian had squandered a 30/15 lead, and capitalised before going on to serve out a one-set lead.

In a lengthy sixth game of the second set, Golubev escaped to level at 3-3 after saving five break points. He later made Melzer rue his missed opportunity as he broke the left-hander’s serve in the 11th game before coming from 0/30 down to serve out victory in 89 minutes.

“He played a really good match," conceded Melzer. "He started off unbelievable in the first set and I was a little unlucky to get broken at 4-3. In the second set I had my chances and couldn’t convert them. It is how it is. He really felt good out there and I wasn’t just playing well enough to get him struggling.”

World No. 15 Melzer, currently at a career-high position in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, slipped to a 2-7 record in ATP World Tour finals. The Austrian, who recently advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal), was bidding to win his first ATP World Tour title since triumphing at his hometown tournament in Vienna (d. Cilic) last year.
 
#43 ·
Atlanta 2010

American Mardy Fish continued his rejuvenated run on the ATP World Tour, showing off his career-best form in a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over countryman John Isner on Sunday at the Atlanta Tennis Championships.

Coupled with his triumph two weeks ago in Newport (d. O. Rochus), the 28-year-old Fish extended his winning streak to 10 straight matches. He was contesting his third final from his past four tournaments, beginning with a runner-up finish to Sam Querrey last month at The Queen’s Club.

"This is as top as I’ve ever been," said Fish. "I’ve never won two tournaments in one year, I’ve never won two tournaments in a row, and on the ATP [World] Tour, I’ve never won 10 matches in a row. It’s probably as good as it’s been. "

He collected $95,845 and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points as the winner of the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tournament, while Isner earned $50,500 and 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points.

The Atlanta champion also assumed the lead in the Olympus US Open Series standings following the first tournament of the North American hard-court swing.

Fish had made his way into final without dropping a set in four matches, including an upset over top seed Andy Roddick in the semi-finals, but was made to work hard for the victory in sweltering conditions Sunday after his opponent claimed the only service break of the opening set.

With Isner poised to close out a straight-sets win, Fish stepped up to break his opponent twice in the span of three games – allowing him to level the match at a set apiece and go up 3-1 in the decisive set. The lead proved short-lived, however, as Isner immediately broke back and forced Fish to fight off another break point chance in the ninth game.

Fish took control in the tie-break as he won the first four points, and though Isner countered by winning the next three, the No. 6 seed held on to clinch the two-hour, 45-minute win on his second match point.

"It was a little lucky to pull through," said Fish. "Today was an extremely physical match just with the heat. He’s no fun to play, that’s for sure. He gives a lot of people a lot of trouble."

The former World No. 17, who has shed 30 pounds over the past year, improved to a 5-11 mark in ATP World Tour finals. Since falling outside the Top 100 this past March, he has been climbing back up the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and entered Atlanta at No. 49.

He said: "It feels great, obviously putting in the work. This is what we wanted to do. This is where we wanted to be. These are the types of matches we targeting in October when we were rehabbing the knee. It feels like a long time ago. It feels great."

World No. 19 Isner fell to a 16-6 mark in matches decided in a final set tie-break. In his second-round opener – his first singles match since Wimbledon – he had saved two match points before edging Gilles Muller in a tie-break.

The 25 year old, a four-time All-American at the University of Georgia, was looking to win his second ATP World Tour title after opening 2010 with victory in Auckland. He also reached the finals this season at Memphis and Belgrade, both times falling to Querrey.

"This is the third final this year that arguably I could have won," said Isner. "I lost two finals earlier this year when I was up in both of them, one of them I was serving on match point. This one could’ve gone either way. It’s disappointing.

"I’ve made four finals this past year and I’ve lost my last three all in three sets. That’s hard to swallow, but it hasn’t stopped me from progressing. I know if I keep putting myself in this position it’s going to happen, and I know I will keep putting myself in this position."
 
#44 ·
Gstaad 2010

World No. 18 Nicolas Almagro continued to light up the post-Wimbledon clay-court swing as he won his second trophy in three weeks with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Richard Gasquet Sunday in the final of the Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad.

As champion of the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament, Almagro received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €68,450, while Gasquet earned 150 points and €35,980 in prize money.

Almagro’s victory in Gstaad follows hot on the heels of his triumph in Bastad two weeks ago, when he snapped a 17-month title drought with victory over home favourite Robin Soderling in the final. The Spaniard improved to a 7-2 mark in ATP World Tour finals, each one coming on clay. It is the second time he has won two ATP World Tour titles in the same year, having also done so in 2008 at Acapulco and Costa do Sauipe during the Latin American “Golden Swing”.

Following his recent surge of good form, the Spaniard stated his goal for the rest of the season "is to reach the Top 10 and stay there".

The Murcia native was making his debut in Gstaad this week and is the first Spanish winner since Alex Corretja in 2002. Spaniards had won the title nine of 11 years between 1992 and 2002. It is the 15th Spanish victory at an ATP World Tour event this year, with Juan Carlos Ferrero still to play in the ATP Studena Croatia Open final later on Sunday.

The second-seeded Almagro served for the first set at 5-4, but could not close it out as Gasquet converted his first break point of the match to level at 5-5. Almagro immediately regained his advantage, though, and served out the set at the second time of asking, closing with his 10th ace after 43 minutes.

Almagro capitalised on his momentum by breaking to lead 2-1 in the second set. A spate of unforced errors from an out-of-sorts Gasquet then proved costly for the Frenchman as Almagro prevailed in a lengthy fifth game to open up a 4-1 lead. He then broke serve once more in the seventh game to seal victory in 75 minutes, finishing with a trademark backhand winner.

"I played my best tennis today," said Almagro. "I returned well and served amazingly. The altitude doesn't make it easier here, but it's nice to face that challenge. I realised during the first set that Richard had trouble with his serve."

"It wasn't easy from the beginning of the week," said Gasquet. "I just started serving on the Friday before the tournament because I had problems with my shoulder. It became worse last night. Also Nicolas was playing well so it was very difficult today."

Seventh seed Gasquet had been looking to regain the Gstaad title he won in 2006, when he defeated Feliciano Lopez in the final. He dropped to an 11-2 event record. The Frenchman was contesting his third ATP World Tour final of the season and suffered his second defeat. He also finished runner-up in Sydney (l. to Baghdatis), but won his sixth ATP World Tour title on clay in Nice (d. Verdasco).

"I tried to fight and focus well all week and thanks to that I made it to another final here," said Gasquet. "It's still a good week for me. This is a very beautiful tournament and it's always a pleasure to come here.

"Now I will try to be back in form as soon as possible and get ready for the hardcourt swing in the US."
 
#45 ·
Los Angelas 2010

Second seed Sam Querrey won his fourth title of the year in Los Angeles Sunday after claiming his first win in five career meetings with Andy Murray at the Farmers Classic.

The defending champion saved one match point in the second set before clawing out a 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-3 win in 2 hrs., 22 mins. Querrey, who had never won a set in four prior meetings with Murray, wins $111,950 and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points.

With Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan earlier winning their sixth Farmers Classic title, it is the first time in the 84-year history of the tournament that both the singles and doubles champions have repeated their titles.

In avenging his recent fourth-round loss to Murray at Wimbledon, Querrey improved to 4-1 in finals this season, a vast improvement on his 1-4 record in his five finals appearances in 2009. Querrey added to his 2010 titles in Memphis (d. Isner), Belgrade (d. Isner) and Queen's Club (d. Fish). He finished runner-up in Houston to Juan Ignacio Chela.

Querrey, 22, is the first player since Spaniard Albert Montanes last year in Estoril to win two matches from match point down in the same tournament. Querrey saved one match point in the semi-finals against Janko Tipsarevic.

Querrey, who saved one match point in the final of Belgrade in May (d. Isner), is also the first player to win at least two ATP World Tour titles saving match point in the same season since Andy Roddick did it three times in 2003 (Queen's, Cincinnati, US Open).

"All four matches were really exciting this week," said Querrey after the win. "It was nice to get through them all and it feels great. This is the first time that I've actually tried to defend a title because the Vegas tournament went away.

"The last two sets today were great, Andy is one of those players who allows me to hit my shots."

Querrey now travels to Washington to play the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Murray said: "It was a good week. Disappointed to lose today but if you take the circumstances into consideration I have to be happy with getting to the final. I had a good week, I enjoyed it.

"Each match I felt better physically. I played reasonably well today, better than the other matches."
 
#46 ·
Umag 2010

A year after finishing runner-up to Nikolay Davydenko in the Umag final, fourth seed Juan Carlos Ferrero won the ATP Studena Croatia Open title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Italian Potito Starace on Sunday evening in the final of the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament.

The Spaniard won his third ATP World Tour title of the year and the 15th tour-level trophy of his career. The 2003 Roland Garros champion dominated the Latin American “Golden Swing” in February, winning two titles in Costa do Sauipe (d. Kubot) and Buenos Aires (d. Ferrer) and finishing runner-up in Acapulco (l. to Ferrer).

"I'm very happy about this tournament. It gives me a lot of confidence to go and practice on hard now," said Ferrero. "It was an amazing week. I had a bit of pain in my knee but I kept motivated and it was great to come through. It was the fourth final I've played this year and I've won three tournaments so it's a great feeling."

It is the first time since 2003 that the 30-year-old Ferrero has won at least three ATP World Tour titles in the same season; he won four titles apiece in 2003 and 2001. The former World No. 1 improved to a 15-18 record in tour-level finals and to a 29-7 match record on clay this season.

As champion, Ferrero earned 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €72,150, while runner-up Starace received 150 points and €37,900 in prize money.

World No. 22 Ferrero began well in his seventh clash with Starace, breaking serve in the third game for a 2-1 advantage and he did not relinquish his lead as he went on to close out a one-set lead. One more break of the Starace serve in the second set sufficed for Ferrero to seal victory in 80 minutes. He did not face a break point in the match and only lost three points on serve in the second set, 10 points on serve overall.

"Since the beginning of the week I played very consistent and aggressive," assessed Ferrero. "Today I didn't let Potito dominate the points. I know he can be dangerous with his forehand so I tried to move him around and play to his backhand."

The No. 64-ranked Starace was contesting his third ATP World Tour final and first since reaching the Valencia (l. to Almagro) and Kitzbuhel (l. to Monaco) finals in 2007. The 29 year old, also a semi-finalist in Casablanca (l. to Wawrinka) and Nice (l. to Gasquet) earlier this year, dropped to a 21-18 mark on the season.

"Today was a tough match. He played very well especially on his serve. I was a bit tired but he played a perfect game," reflected Starace.

"I will try next time. I'm playing good tennis so I want to carry on and do something special. I am very close to playing my best tennis. I lost today but he played a great match. I want to try and improve my ranking in the next two-three months and try and get back to the Top 30."
 
#47 ·
Washington 2010

David Nalbandian ensured that the Legg Mason Tennis Classic trophy stayed in Argentine hands for the third straight year after defeating eighth-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 7-6(4) in Sunday’s final in Washington D.C.

Nalbandian’s victory follows Tandil native Juan Martin del Potro’s brace of victories in 2008 and 2009. The Cordoba resident was contesting his first ATP World Tour final since winning his 10th trophy in Sydney (d. Nieminen) in January 2009.

Currently down at No. 117 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, Nalbandian is projected to rise back into the Top 50 at around No. 45 next week after receiving 500 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points. He is the first player this year ranked outside the Top 100 to win an ATP World Tour title.

"It’s really important because we were working very hard," said the Argentine. "It has been a year and a half fighting with the surgery and the recovery; we are so happy and this victory made me feel very good again...not only with the rankings, with my game, with everything. It was a good win."

The 28-year-old Nalbandian was contesting just his fifth ATP World Tour tournament of the season after making his return to action in February following ninth months on the sidelines after undergoing hip surgery. He also missed over two months between April and July with a hamstring injury.

Despite his lengthy spell on the sidelines, Nalbandian looked to be nearly back to his best this week in Washington where, as a wild card entrant, he lost just one set en route to his first ATP World Tour title on American soil.

"I didn’t expect to win the first tournament when I came," said Nalbandian. "When I started hitting the ball and I hit good after the first match and the second one, I really feel good. But in the beginning, if I had to bet, I would bet on myself, of course."

The right-hander had been in blistering form as he crushed fourth seed Marin Cilic in the semi-finals on Saturday night and carried that same form into the final as he broke serve twice in the first and seventh games to race to a 5-2 lead against Baghdatis in the first set.

After closing out the first set 6-2, Nalbandian was denied the opportunity to break serve immediately in the second set as Baghdatis followed a double fault with a timely ace before holding serve. Baghdatis was then gifted his first service break of the match courtesy of successive double faults from Nalbandian in a rare loose service game from the Argentine.

Neither player was able to hold on to a lead in the second set, though. No sooner had Baghdatis broken did Nalbandian immediately hit back with more devastating groundstrokes, before then breaking the Baghdatis serve again to lead 3-2. With the Argentine beginning to fatigue in the searing afternoon heat, though, Baghdatis benefitted from a spate of unforced errors to draw level at 3-3.

Baghdatis held a set point chance in the 12th game after rifling an inside-out backhand return winner, but was denied as Nalbandian once again produced more potent groundstrokes, particularly off the backhand side, to alleviate the danger.

In the ensuing tie-break, Nalbandian rediscovered his form from the first set as he powered into a 5-0 lead. Baghdatis rallied to win the next three points, but could not prevent Nalbandian from securing victory on his second match point in just under two hours.

"I think I played very good throughout the week here," said Nalbandian. "I had a few moments in some matches where I did not play too good. In the rest, I had great moments, great matches. And then the win and I’m so happy for it."

World No. 25 Baghdatis slipped to a 4-5 record in tour-level finals, 1-1 this season. In January he won his fourth ATP World Tour title in Sydney with victory over Richard Gasquet. The 25-year-old Limassol native continued his return to form this week after going winless in three tournaments during the grass-court season before winning one match last week to reach the Los Angeles quarter-finals (l. to Tipsarevic).

"I will never forget where I come from," said Baghdatis. "I was ranked 150 last year and now I maybe touched Top 20 this year. I am looking forward to the future and playing better."
 
#48 ·
Toronto 2010

World No. 4 Andy Murray won his first ATP World Tour title of the season and defended his Rogers Cup crown Sunday with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Roger Federer in Toronto. In a final frequently interrupted by rain, Murray proved to have the winning edge with his concentration as he ended a title drought dating back to Valencia in November 2009.

Watch Highlights

By virtue of winning his fifth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy, Murray earned 1000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points, boosting his chances of qualifying for the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

En route to regaining the Rogers Cup trophy, Murray became the fifth different player to defeat Federer and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the same tournament. Murray defeated Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Nadal in straight sets in the semi-finals on Saturday to record his fifth career win over a World No. 1 opponent.

"Winning a tournament is always great, but it's the first time I beat Roger and Rafa in the same tournament, which is probably the most pleasing thing, and then didn't drop a set against either of them," he said. "So it's good for the confidence for the next few weeks."

The 23-year-old Murray is the first player to win back-to-back Canadian titles since Andre Agassi in 1994-95. The Scot defeated eventual US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in last year’s final and has an 18-3 event record.

Post-Match Interviews: Murray | Federer

Taking advantage of a cagey start by Federer, who was playing his first tournament since a quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon, Murray quickly established a 3-0 double-break lead. The No. 3-ranked Federer slipped into gear in the fourth game, though, and recouped one of the service breaks to slow the Scot’s momentum. A drop in level later proved costly for Murray as he served for the set in the 10th game and a double fault from the Dunblane native saw Federer drew level at 5-5.

In what proved to be a very up-and-down match, though, both players struggled to build on momentum and Federer immediately gifted the advantage back to Murray with key forehand unforced errors. Murray did not waste his opportunity at the second time of asking, and served out the one-set lead.

The warm up to the match had been interrupted by rain and the showers returned again to frustrate the plays and watching fans just three games into the second set. At the resumption, Murray held serve for 2-2 before another smattering of rain delayed proceedings. While the rain was not heavy enough to force the players from court, it was enough to disrupt Federer’s rhythm and he dropped his serve in the fifth game with three unforced errors playing a part.

Play was interrupted again just minutes later with Murray at 30/30 on serve in the sixth game and, after a lengthier delay, it was the Scot who could not regain his concentration in time and Federer took advantage with potent, aggressive hitting to level at 3-3. Murray, who has impressed with his attacking style all week, though, produced the same effective tennis in the latter stages of the set to break and lead 6-5. He served out victory in just over two hours, saving a break point with an ace in the final game.

Watch Sunday's Hot Shot

"Just felt pretty calm on the court all week, and that's if you can put sort of the emotions and how you're feeling into I guess the way you're playing rather than sort of showing it after every point, sort of saving up and putting into the points and the rallies," said Murray. "I felt like it worked well. It was one of the best weeks I've had. It was just kind of expressing myself with the way I was playing. I played pretty free flowing tennis and didn't get too nervous."

Victory for Murray, his seventh in 12 meetings with Federer, went some way to avenging the crushing defeat he suffered when the pair met in the Australian Open final in January, when Federer won his 16th Grand Slam championship. It is the first time he has defeated Federer in a tour-level final, having also been denied by the Swiss in the 2008 US Open final and 2005 Bangkok title match.

The 29-year-old Federer was bidding for his 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown and his second title of the year. He has also finished runner-up this season in Madrid (l. to Nadal) and Halle (l. to Hewitt).

“Today was another tough match physically with the breaks, coming back, the breaks, coming back, and with all the physical strain I had to go through this week,” said Federer, who came through two very close matches against Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic to reach the final. “Honestly I'm feeling actually pretty good, considering. That's definitely a good sign for what's to come.

“It was particularly hard being down 0-3, running behind the score, and still losing the first set. Not coming through there obviously was a bit of a blow, and then the rain delays completely shut it down for me to get any kind of rhythm. It was played on a couple points here and there, and it didn't even feel like the end of the match. Just all of a sudden it was all over. So it was just a touch disappointing. I thought he played well. He was aggressive. He was taking the ball early. He wasn't giving me much, and he clutch served at the very end when he had to, and he deserved the victory.”
 
#49 ·
Cincinnati 2010

ATP World Tour No. 2 Roger Federer ended a seven-month title drought on Sunday as he battled past the in-form Mardy Fish 6-7(5), 7-6(1), 6-4 to win the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters for a fourth time.

Federer had gone title-less since capturing his 16th Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open (d. Murray) in January and was contesting his 90th tour-level final. In winning his 63rd tour-level title, the Swiss moved into joint-fifth position with Bjorn Borg in the list of Open Era (since 1968) title leaders.

The 29-year-old Federer also won the Cincinnati title in 2005 (d. Roddick), 2007 (d. Blake) and 2009 (d. Djokovic) and became only the second player to win the title four times, joining Swede Mats Wilander (1983-84, ’86, ’88). He is the first player to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati since Andre Agassi in 1995-96.

Watch Final Highlights | Watch Sunday's Hot Shot

By virtue of winning his 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy, Federer received 1000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, which will further boost his chances of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The top eight players at the end of the season qualify for the year-end championships at The O2 in London.

"I've been playing well the past couple weeks, and today was just another proof that I'm playing really well," said Federer. "I thought I played an excellent match today. I had huge belief that I was going to win today from the first point until the end. That sometimes can make a bit of a difference. Then I was positive all the way through because I felt I was playing well, even though I lost the first set. So I never got down on myself and doubted myself. I think that reflected in the game as well."

After the disappointment of losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals to Tomas Berdych, Federer said he had spent the following six weeks looking for areas to improve in his game, notably his aggressive stance on hard courts. The hard work paid dividends as he advanced to the Toronto final last week (l. to Murray) and impressed against Nikolay Davydenko and Marcos Baghdatis to reach another final this week.

Watch Post-Match Interviews: Federer | Fish

While he was not at the same high level throughout the whole of Sunday’s final, he employed his new tactics at the key moments by raising his intensity levels and aggression in the second-set tie-break and closing stages of the third set to record his sixth win in seventh meetings with Fish.

After failing to convert on four break point chances in the first set, courtesy of clutch serving from Fish, Federer then squandered a 5-4 mini-break advantage in the tie-break as Fish hit back to win the final three points and clinch a one-set lead.

An unusually subdued Federer still struggled to find his A-game in the second set and was made to fight off a break point chance for Fish in the fifth game, earning a reprieve as the attacking American went for too much on a forehand down the line. The danger served to fire up Federer and as the set went to another tie-break, he raised his game up a gear to dominate Fish from the outset. The Florida resident, who had gone 18-4 in tie-breaks throughout the season, was unable to find an answer as Federer went on the attack and sealed the tie-break 7-1 to force a deciding set.

Federer was unable to capitalise on his momentum in the early stages of the third set as Fish continued to keep the Swiss at bay with fine serving. However, a tight game from Fish at 4-4, coupled with purposeful aggression from Federer, yielded the decisive service break for the Basel native, who then confidently served out the match in two hours and 40 minutes.

"I thought I played well the whole match through," assessed Federer. "I don't think I played better in the second or third set. I thought the first set was the one I really should have won and ended up losing, so I think it was a close match. Could have gone either way. I had a tough moment staring at one set down and break point in the second set. You think you're playing a good match, but you might lose 6 and 4. I hung tough and made him work hard and was able to come across the finish line faster than him."

Reflecting on how the final played out, Fish commented: “If I were to change anything, I would have tried to play a little more aggressive on his serve games, maybe on some second serves. He must have served 65 per cent at least. That's not very many looks.”
 
#50 ·
New Haven 2010


Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky improved his perfect record in ATP World Tour finals to 4-0 after rallying to beat Denis Istomin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the Pilot Pen Tennis title Saturday in New Haven.

Stakhovsky, who won the 's-Hertogenbosch title earlier in the year, is the first Ukrainian to win two titles in a season since Andrei Medvedev in 1994. Stakhovsky has reached just four ATP World Tour semi-finals, but each time he has pushed on to take the title.

In the first all-European New Haven final since 1998 (Kucera d. Ivanisevic), ninth-seeded Stakhovsky converted the two break points he had in the match against Istomin, who decided at the last minute to play New Haven after suffering an ankle injury the previous week in Cincinnati.

Coached by his mother, Klaudiya, Istomin was aiming to become the first player from Uzbekistan to win an ATP World Tour title. He was appearing in his first final.

Stakhovsky collected $93,360 and 250 South African Airways ATP 2010 Rankings points; Istomin pocketed $51,300 and 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points.

“I have no idea [why I have a perfect record in finals]," Stakhovsky said. "I'm really happy to keep the score this way, to be able to be the winner of this match today. As I believe everybody saw, it was really more playing on nerves. There were a lot of unforced errors. There were really a lot of good rallies, and I hope it was really enjoyable tennis we played. I have to say it definitely wasn't our best tennis from both of us. But we were trying as hard as we could. Definitely we were fighting for everything."

Stakhovsky, who had to win four matches in three days – including two wins Thursday as organisers played catch-up after rain – said: “It was really an exhausting week for me. A lot of three sets. A lot of tie-breaks. Just a lot of time on court. Just now I have to get myself together and get ready for the US Open. I'm really glad to win this title. It pushed me to another level again. But I just need to think forward again and get ready.”

Istomin said: "I'm so happy to be in the final for the first time. I'm like little bit waiting for my first win. But also it's not [going to be] my last final. I hope soon in the future I can be the winner.

"For the US Open I feel like I'm in good form. I'll try do my best there. I don't have an easy draw... but I feel like I can play good, show the good tennis."
 
#51 ·
US Open 2010

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal became the seventh man to complete the career Grand Slam, and the youngest to accomplish the feat in the Open Era at 24 years of age, as he defeated World No. 2 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday to win his first US Open title.

Nadal, who achieved the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double this past summer, continued his stellar run of form at the majors as he became the first player to win three straight Grand Slam tournaments in the same season since Rod Laver won all four in 1969.

“I’m still 24. For me, it's a dream to have the career Grand Slam, but this is more a dream to have the US Open,” he said. “[It’s an] unbelievable feeling because I worked a lot all my life, in all difficult moments to be here, but I never imagined to have the four Grand Slams.”

The Manacor native, the third Spaniard to win the US Open (Manuel Orantes - 1975, Manuel Santana - 1965), collected his ninth Grand Slam crown, adding to his five on clay at Roland Garros (2005-08, 2010), two on grass at Wimbledon (2008, 2010), and one on hard court at the Australian Open (2009). He is the second player to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces at least twice, behind Mats Wilander.

“He has the capabilities already now to become the best player ever,” Djokovic said. “I think he's playing the best tennis that I ever seen him play on hard courts. He has improved his serve drastically. The speed, the accuracy, and of course his baseline is as good as ever. So he's a very complete player.”

After semi-final exits the past two years at Flushing Meadows, Nadal had made his way confidently through to the championship match – dropping serve just twice in 91 service games – and was looking to become the first player since Neale Fraser in 1960 to win the US Open title without losing a set.

Rafa Grand Slam Tribute Special | How The Final Was Won

Though Nadal’s date with destiny was delayed after rain pushed the men’s final to Monday for a third straight year, Nadal made a confident start to the championship match as he broke Djokovic. He dropped serve for just the third time during the US Open fortnight as the Serbian drew level at 2-2, but regained the lead as he converted on his sixth break point opportunity of the next game.

Nadal, who has a 106-1 win-loss record in Grand Slam play after winning the first set, played a loose service game early in the second set – broken at love to give Djokovic the 3-1 lead. The Serbian, who won a string of 11 points, looked poised to become the first player to force a set off of Nadal during the 2010 US Open but faltered as Nadal got back on serve in the seventh game.

The pair were locked at 4-4, 30/30, when rain suspended play shortly after 6pm. The match resumed at 7:59pm after a one-hour, 57-minute rain delay, and saw Djokovic come out the stronger of the two players. He broke the Spaniard for a third time to force a set off of Nadal for the first time during the 2010 US Open.

Djokovic was unable to maintain the momentum, however, with Nadal continually putting pressure on his serve. The top seed created 16 break point chances through the final two sets and converted on three of them (6 for 26 during the match). He claimed the victory in three hours and 43 minutes as his opponent’s return sailed wide on championship point.

Another historic feat occurred after rain interrupted a Monday men’s final 31 years ago. After a one-hour, 35-minute delay, with helicopters brought in to help dry the courts, Rod Laver donned spikes on the grass courts and clinched a four-set win over fellow Aussie Tony Roche – completing his calendar year Grand Slam.

Of the previous six to win all four majors, Laver was the only other left-hander to win all four and also the only other player to complete his set by winning the US Open.

Nadal has already secured his place in the elite eight-man field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will return to The O2 in London from 21-28 November, and has set his sights on winning the year-end championships.

“My goal remains for me that the [Barclays ATP World Tour Finals] is probably the last big tournament that I didn't win,” he said. “That's true it’s the most difficult title for me to win because we play it indoors, and when indoor, indoor very quick surface, so gonna be always very difficult if we don't change that. But at the same time is a challenge for me to keep improving to have the chance to play well there and to have the chance to win, so that's what I’m gonna try this year.

“For me right now the next goal is try to finish the season much better than what I did in other years. The last part of the season always was difficult for me. Well, today it started to be less difficult, that's true. But I want to finish the season if it's possible with a good feeling.”

Djokovic had earned his place in the final by saving two match points to defeat Roger Federer in Saturday’s semi-final, reclaiming the No. 2 spot in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings with the victory.

He said: “Maybe emotionally I was a little bit drained after the semifinal match, but I recovered. I had two days, and I was motivated to win this match, and this is one of the matches where the opponent plays better than you, and you just have to congratulate him and tell him, ‘You're better.’ That's it. I don't think I played a bad match overall. It was very good performance from my side. But whenever it was important, he was the one who was playing just too good.”

The 23-year-old Serbian, who finished runner-up to Federer in 2007 at the US Open, was attempting to collect his second Grand Slam title after winning the 2008 Australian Open.
 
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