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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:
 
#178 ·
WIMBLEDON 2012
Roger Federer will return to World No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on Monday after winning a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon crown with victory over Great Britain’s Andy Murray.

Watched by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, the 30-year-old Swiss defeated the fourth-ranked Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday in the final of The Championships, which lasted three hours and 24 minutes.

“Today was unique because of playing Andy,” said Federer. “Obviously, being able to play or finish a match under the roof, I don't think that's ever been done before here for a final. So that's been different, as well. I'm happy I got a victory today, but obviously it was very, very special."

Federer joined William Renshaw and Pete Sampras as the only seven-time winners at the All England Club, adding to his triumphs in 2003-2007 and 2009. He has a 66-7 record at the grass-court Grand Slam and was contesting his eighth final, with his only defeat coming to Rafael Nadal in 2008.

Federer also extended his own record by winning a 17th major singles title. It was his first Grand Slam crown since defeating Murray in the Australian Open final in 2010. He won his first major trophy at Wimbledon in 2003 (d. Philippoussis).

When Federer returns to World No. 1 he will tie Sampras’ all-time record of 286 weeks in the top spot. At 30 years and 335 days, he is the second-oldest man to hold the No. 1 ranking, behind Andre Agassi who was 33 years and 131 days old. He was dethroned from the top spot by Nadal on 7 June 2010.

"This year, I guess, I decided in the bigger matches, to take it more to my opponent instead of waiting a bit more for the mistakes," said Federer. "This is, I guess, how you want to win Wimbledon, by going after your shots, believing you can do it, and that's what I was able to do today. It's special.

"This one hasn't quite sunk in yet for some reason. I guess I was trying to be so focused in the moment itself that when it all happened I was just so happy that it was all over and that the pressure was gone basically."

Federer has a 46-4 match record on the season and has won four ATP World Tour titles. Only David Ferrer has won more matches this season with 47 victories. The Basel native was victorious in Rotterdam (d. del Potro), Dubai (d. Murray) and at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells (d. Isner) and Madrid (d. Berdych).

The 25-year-old Murray was bidding to end Great Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion; since Fred Perry triumphed at the 1936 US championships. The Scot tasted defeat in a Grand Slam final for the fourth time, having finished runner-up to Federer at the 2008 US Open and the 2010 Australian Open, and to Novak Djokovic at the 2011 Australian Open.

“I thought I played a pretty good match,” said Murray. “[There was] a lot of close shots, a lot of close games, a lot of break points here and there. He played very, very well the last two sets especially. When the roof closed, he played unbelievable tennis.”

Murray dropped to a 32-10 record in 2012, highlighted by winning the title in Brisbane (d. Dolgopolov) and reaching the finals in Dubai and Miami (l. to Djokovic). He was also a semi-finalist at the Australian Open, falling to Djokovic in five sets.
 
#179 ·
NEWPORT 2012
Top-seeded American John Isner successfully defended his grass-court title at the Campbell’s Hall Of Fame Tennis Championships with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt on Sunday in Newport.

Isner takes home $68,220 and 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points as the champion, while Hewitt earns $35,920 and 150 points.

“It feels very good,” said Isner. “It’s never easy coming to a tournament where in a previous year you won it. There’s a lot of pressure on you. You don’t do well, your ranking’s going to drop… I did well, I defended those points and I kept my ranking where it’s at. More importantly than that, I gained a lot of confidence from this week just as I did last year. I had a great, great summer last year. I hope to have much of the same this year.”

After both players failed to capitalise on their one break point chance in the opening set, Isner built a 4-0 lead in the tie-break and closed it out on his first of five set points.

He broke Hewitt in the third game of the second set, and after the Australian saved one match point on serve in the ninth game, Isner clinched the victory with his 16th ace after one hour and 32 minutes.

“I’m always very confident going into a tie-break,” stated Isner. “I kept my head this whole week very well. I honestly could’ve lost in the first round, I was down break points in the third set against a really big server. That’s how tennis is sometimes. I kept my head and I was able to persevere.”

Isner extended the American title streak at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament to four straight years. In 2011, he had broken the “Casino Curse” in Newport by becoming the first top seed to win the title since the inaugural edition in 1976.

The 27-year-old North Carolina native has now won four titles from 11 finals. He was contesting his third final on as many surfaces this season, following his runner-up finishes on hard court at the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Federer) and on clay in Houston (l. to Monaco).

Hewitt, 31, lost for the first time in a grass-court final (7-1). He was bidding to win his 29th singles title and first since 2010, when he defeated Roger Federer in Halle.

He had come to Newport at No. 233 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, after being sidelined nearly four months due to toe surgery. He was making his sixth main draw appearance of the season and first in Newport since his debut in 1998.

“It’s done a lot of good [for my confidence],” Hewitt reflected. “A lot of positives have come out of this week. Grass is a tough surface to come back on after any kind of surgery, and especially foot surgery, where my movement is such a big thing, because on grass you’re in the wrong positions a lot of the time. You’ve got to have that confidence in your footwork.

“Even at Wimbledon, I didn’t feel totally comfortable with my footwork and it’s taken matches and practice and a lot of time over the last week-and-a-half here in Newport and I feel like that’s starting to come, which is a good thing, not only for the Olympics in a couple week’s time, but obviously looking forward to the US Open and the rest of the year.”
 
#180 ·
STUTGART 2012
Top seed Janko Tipsarevic captured his first ATP World Tour clay-court title on Sunday with a hard-fought 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over second seed Juan Monaco of Argentina at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart.

Tipsarevic was presented a cheque for €64,700 and earned 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points, while Monaco took home €34,080 and 150 points. It was the pair’s fourth meeting (2-2 overall).

Tipsarevic also won a Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY in diamond white metallic. "I don’t want to call it a deal, but I have pretty solid car at home, so I don’t need it," said Tipsarevic. "But my wife [Biljana] and I had our anniversary a couple of days back. She also had her birthday. So I promised her the car, if I won the tournament. The points go to me."

Both players exchanged early service breaks, before Tipsarevic broke Monaco for a second time in the ninth game en route to wrapping up the first set in 51 minutes.

Tipsarevic looked set to win his third ATP World Tour title after he dropped only two of his service points to move into a 4-0 second-set lead. But Monaco won five straight games to rattle the 28-year-old Serbian. At 5-6, Tipsarevic fell to 0/30 but fought back to 30-all, only to see Monaco convert his first set point opportunity and ensure a tense finale.

The deciding set went with serve to 2-2, when Monaco hit his first double fault of the match on the second of Tipsarevic’s break point chances. After two hours and 21 minutes of play, with Tipsarevic serving at 3-2, 0/30, the final was suspended due to rain at 5:03 p.m. local time.

Upon the resumption, Monaco broke back for 3-3, but Tipsarevic ran through the next three games to record his 36th match win of the season with victory in two hours and 36 minutes.

“It wasn’t an easy match to play, considering the balls were flying everywhere," said Tipsarevic. "It wasn’t really easy to be aggressive, but I felt I was the better player in the third set. I had a huge chance at 4-0 up in the second set, but instead of being more aggressive, I became passive. Luckily, I managed to come back.”

It was the first time the top two seeds in Stuttgart had reached the final since 1996, when Thomas Muster beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

“I feel great," said Tipsarevic. "I honestly still don’t believe I won the title, considering that in almost every match I was hanging to lose. There were a lot of ups and downs. I think my mental attitude was the key for me, fighting from the first to the very last point. I think that is one of the reasons why I managed to win the title.

With victory, World No. 8 Tipsarevic became the last member of the Top 10 to win a title this year. He is now 3-6 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals. In January, he lost to Milos Raonic in the Aircel Chennai Open title match.

Monaco, who dropped to 5-9 in tour-level finals, picked up two titles earlier this year at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar (d. Berlocq) and the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston (d. Isner). He has a 26-10 season mark.

“I never gave up and kept fighting," said Monaco. "I had a few chances and got back into the match. In the final set, he played better than me and really deserved to win. I tried my best, but today wasn’t my day. He is a nice guy."
 
#181 ·
BASTAD 2012
Top seed David Ferrer won his fifth ATP World Tour title of the season on Sunday after he beat his Spanish compatriot and second seed Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 6-2 in 68 minutes at the SkiStar Swedish Open.

“It has been the best season of my career, I have won five titles," said Ferrer. "I have never done this well and I am very happy for that. I work hard, I always fight every match and every year I try and improve on my game.

Ferrer now leads Almagro 11-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, after the third all-Spanish final in Bastad (1975, 2007).

Ferrer, who dropped one set in four matches en route to his 16th ATP World Tour title (16-15 overall), earned €64,700 in prize money and 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points. Almagro received a cheque for €34,080 and won 150 points.

In a battle between two former Bastad champions, 2007 titlist Ferrer took a 4-2 lead in the first set, then broke Almagro to 15 in the eighth game to clinch the opener after 31 minutes of play. Ferrer won 20 of his 29 service points against Almagro, the 2010 winner, in the second set. The World No. 5 improved to a 51-9 match record on the season.

World No. 10 Almagro, who also lost to Ferrer the Copa Claro final in February, dropped to a 12-6 record in ATP World Tour finals and to a 43-14 match record in 2012.

“Last year I played really good tennis," said Ferrer. "I am a better player than in 2007 when I won here. I work to improve my game. I don’t work to be in the Top 4. I work to be a better player and nothing else.

“I think the Top 4 are amazing players, and they are better than everyone else at this moment. I don’t think about the Top 4, I think about me and the Top 10.

“I got some good results on the grass courts and now I have won here in Bastad. Of course I have confidence [going into the London Olympics]. I will have two days of relaxing and then next week I will practice on grass.”
 
#182 ·
UMAG 2012
Second seed Marin Cilic captured his second crown of the season on Sunday at the ATP Vegeta Croatia Open Umag, dismissing No. 4 seed Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home winner in Umag since 1990. He did not drop a set during his title run.

“It’s a real privilege to be among these champions,” Cilic said. “It was really special this week. I played great tennis and I was enjoying every moment in my matches. I’m really glad I won for my supporters, my team and myself.”

Granollers led 4-2 in the first set before Cilic went on a torrid stretch, winning nine consecutive games. The World No. 15 capitalised on five of his seven break points and won 51 per cent of his return points to claim victory at the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court event in one hour and 32 minutes. With the win, Cilic has defeated the Spaniard in five of their six FedEx ATP Head 2 Head meetings.

“Marcel is a really dangerous player, so it was not easy in the beginning. He was playing really well and not giving me too much,” said Cilic. “After I found some solutions, I kept with him and played great tennis. It was maybe my best match of the week. I had a streak of winning nine games in a row, so that was amazing. It helped me to relax and know that I was on the right path.”

The 23-year-old Croat improved to an 8-7 final record. He celebrated his third triumph on home soil, adding to the back-to-back titles he claimed at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors in 2009 and 2010. In June, he lifted his first grass-court trophy at the AEGON Championships in London.

Granollers was bidding to win his first title of the year and dropped to 3-2 in ATP World Tour title matches.

“I think Marin was much better than me. He played a very good match,” said Granollers. “I was up 4-2 in the first set but I did not close out the set. Marin started to play better and better. The second set, I didn’t know how to win a point. I congratulate him on how he played.”
 
#183 ·
HAMBURG 2012
Argentina’s Juan Monaco will break the Top 10 on Monday after winning his third ATP World Tour title of the season on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over home favourite Tommy Haas in the final of the bet-at-home Open - German Tennis Championships 2012 in Hamburg.

Monaco will join fellow Tandil native Juan Martin del Potro in the elite Top 10 after earning 500 South African Airways ATP Rankings points. It is his first victory at an ATP World Tour 500 tournament. Runner-up Haas received 300 ranking points and €97,635 after suffering his first defeat in an ATP World Tour final since 2002.

"It's amazing [to break the Top 10], it's a dream come true," declared Monaco. "I will always remember this great week because it's very important for me and my team. It was a big goal we had pre-season when we were practising very hard."

The 28-year-old Monaco has compiled a 31-10 match record in 2012, with 24 of those wins coming on clay. He won two titles earlier in the season at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar (d. Berlocq) and the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston (d. Isner) and reached the final at last week’s MercedesCup in Stuttgart (l. to Tipsarevic).

In his fifth meeting with Haas, Monaco improved to a 4-1 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series as he clinched victory in two hours. The third seed lost serve three times, but countered by breaking Haas five times from nine opportunities. He is the first Argentine to win the Hamburg title since Guillermo Coria in 2003 (d. Calleri).

"I can't complain about the way I played today," said Monaco. "I was 4-1 down in the first set, but I never gave up. I was fighting every point, very focussed and very motivated to win this tournament. I think it was very important to win the first set. In the last two games of the match I think I played very well."

Monaco improved to a 6-9 mark in ATP World Tour finals. He won his first three titles in 2007, before ending a seven-match losing run in finals by triumphing in Vina del Mar in February. All six of his titles have come on clay. He now travels to London to represent Argentina in the Olympic Games, to be held on grass at Wimbledon.

"To change the courts is not going to be easy for me, but I have five days for practice to be with the guys there," said Monaco. "So, let’s see how it goes. This tournament will bring me big confidence and I’m feeling great, no injuries. So, I will try my best in London."

The 34-year-old Haas was bidding to win his second ATP World Tour title on home soil this season. Last month, the German topped Roger Federer in the final of the Gerry Weber Open to win his first trophy in three years.

The Hamburg native has mounted a resurgence in the South African Airways ATP Rankings this year, having started outside the Top 200 following hip and elbow surgery in 2010. Having started the week at World No. 49, he is projected to climb to around No. 35 on Monday.

"He played a tremendous match," said Haas. "All credit to him. He performed really well, especially when it came down to the big points. I tried to play my best; I thought I played really well throughout the match. Having the crowd support really lifted me to another gear, but it just wasn't enough today.

"I really didn't know if I was going to be able to get this feeling one more time, especially here in Hamburg. To have experienced another week like this with getting to the final is obviously another dream week for me."
 
#184 ·
GSTAAD 2012
World No. 60 Thomaz Bellucci won the Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad trophy for the second time on Sunday as he upset top seed Janko Tipsarevic 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

The Brazilian won his first ATP World Tour title as a qualifier in Gstaad in 2009 (d. Beck) and a year later added a second trophy to his tally with victory at the VTR Open (d. Monaco), then held in Santiago.

"Gstaad is very special for me because I won my first title here three years ago, which was a surprise and unexpected," said Bellucci. "For me to win one more time here is very special. I feel very comfortable here, like I’m playing at home."

The unseeded Bellucci received 250 South African Airways ATP Rankings points and €64,700, while Tipsarevic earned 150 rankings points and €34,080 in prize money.

The No. 8-ranked Tipsarevic was bidding to win his second ATP World Tour title in as many weeks, having won his first clay-court crown last week at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart (d. Monaco). He dropped to a 1-2 finals record in 2012, having also finished runner-up to Milos Raonic at the Aircel Chennai Open in January.

"I would like to congratulate Thomaz on a successful tournament and a great final," said Tipsarevic. "I felt the first two sets could have gone either way and he was just a better player than me in the third set. This was my first time in Gstaad and I honestly don’t know why; I should have come and played here more often. It’s an amazing event and a great tournament. Even though I lost in the final, I had an incredible two weeks with the win in Stuttgart and the final here."

In his third meeting with Tipsarevic, Bellucci avenged the defeat he suffered in last week’s Stuttgart semi-finals by rallying from a set down to clinch victory in two hours and 24 minutes. He converted five of his 11 break points and struck 10 aces, limiting Tipsarevic to just six points on his serve in the final set.

"It was very tough losing the tie-break, having led 6-1," reflected Bellucci. "I was playing very well, but on the set points I was too nervous. I miss-hit a lot of balls and I was very disappointed. I was very focussed after this, which was the key of the match, because if I had lost serve at the start of the second set it would have been very difficult to win. I’m very happy I got the focus to win two more sets."

The 24-year-old Bellucci recorded his fifth win over a Top 10 player, with all of those victories coming in clay-court contests. He improved to a 3-1 record in ATP World Tour finals.

Both Bellucci and Tipsarevic will now travel to London to compete in the Olympic Games, to be held on grass at Wimbledon.
 
#185 ·
ATLANTA 2012
Fourth seed Andy Roddick overcame a slow start to charge past World No. 63 Gilles Muller 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the BB&T Atlanta Open final on Sunday to win the first event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series. The 29-year-old American has won 11 of his past 12 matches.

“I know by now the score of a set is irrelevant. Whether it’s 7-6 or 6-1, it still counts the same,” said Roddick. “With most other sports, you get way up in the first quarter and it actually means something in regards to the rest of the game.

“In tennis, it’s not really the case too often, with the exception of momentum. You just try to start over and put some holds together. I was able to [slide] out the second set and I think he might have gotten a little tired in the third.”

Roddick is bidding to win his third Series, having finished atop the Bonus Challenge Standings in 2005 and 2006. He defeated Muller for the fourth time in five meetings and celebrates his second triumph this season, following victory at the AEGON International in Eastbourne over Andreas Seppi. The World No. 27 improved to a 32-20 final record.

“I’ve won 32 times now and every one of them, I’ve never assumed I was going to win again,” said Roddick. “I’ve always appreciated it... I go through the process of playing, work hard, and hope that I can put myself in position enough times to create some success.”

Muller blazed out of the gates in the first set, converting two of his three break points and winning 10 of 11 first serve points to clinch it in 33 minutes. Serving at 5-6 in the second set, Muller saved four set points to get into a tie-break, but Roddick snatched the momentum with a double mini-break to force a third set.

Yet to break Muller in the match, Roddick capitalised on both of his opportunities in the deciding set to take a 5-2 lead and served out the match to love to seal the win in two hours and 14 minutes.

“I played very well in the first two sets. At the end of the second set, I got very tight,” Muller said. “I felt like I was in a position to win that match. I was too nervous to close it and then Andy started to play better. He started to return my serves and put a lot of balls in the court. And I started to miss a lot. Maybe I lost the belief in myself to win that match too quickly.”

The left-handed Muller is the 10th different player this season to lose in a final when attempting to capture a first career ATP World Tour title. There were 10 first-time winners in 2011. He was appearing in his first tour-level final since the 2005 Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, dropping to a 0-3 record in title matches.
 
#186 ·
KITZBUHEL 2012
Dutchman Robin Haase retained his bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel title on Saturday in a rain-interrupted final against Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

Third seed Haase improved to 9-0 lifetime at the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament with a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2 victory over top seed Kohlschreiber in two hours and eight minutes.

"I didn't feel too much pressure even if I was the defending champion," said Haase. "I was a bit nervous in the first match against [Philipp] Oswald. From the quarter-finals on, I started a bit nervously before calming down and winning.

"I'm happy I won here again. I don't think many players have won here twice. It doesn't happen too often nowadays. I'm very proud of that."

By capturing his second ATP World Tour title, Haase won €64,700 in prize money and 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points. Kohlschreiber, who is now 4-3 lifetime in title matches, received €34,080 and 150 points. On Monday, Kohlschreiber will make his debut in the Top 20 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings.

Kohlschreiber was the dominant player in the first set, but could not convert any of his six break point opportunities. He held his nerve in the tie-break, before a heavy rain shower suspended play for more than one hour.

Upon the resumption, World No. 42 Haase dropped eight points on his serve in the second set, before taking an early lead in the decider. Kohlschreiber fought hard, saving five of seven break points, but Haase’s greater firepower helped him to his 18th match win of the season. Last year, the 25 year old beat Albert Montanes for the title.

Both players will now travel to London for the Olympic Games Tennis Event, which is underway at the All England Club, Wimbledon. Haase will play No. 16 seed Richard Gasquet of France, while Kohlschreiber is set to face Slovenian Blaz Kavcic.

"I will fly to London tonight at 9 p.m.," said Haase. "Against Gasquet, I have to play with confidence and serve well."

Kohlschreiber dropped to a 36-17 match record on the season, which includes one ATP World Tour title at the BMW Open in Munich (d. Cilic).

"The last two days were very intense,” said Kohlschreiber. “It was a great tournament and [I have had] a great season so far.

"It's a bit tough right now, but I'm still happy since I reached the Top 20 with my performance this week and I played very well here."
 
#187 ·
LOS ANGELAS 2012
Second-seeded American Sam Querrey captured his third title at the Farmers Classic, defeating first-time finalist Ricardas Berankis 6-0, 6-2 on Sunday in Los Angeles. He has now won 13 straight matches at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament.

“I feel like I always play well here,” said Querrey. “I grew up kind of playing around this area and I’m really comfortable out there on the courts. It’s fun to play in front of my friends and family. It all came together this week, and especially today.”

By titling at the second event of the 2012 Emirates Airline US Open Series, the 24 year old moves into a first place tie with countryman and last week's Atlanta champion Andy Roddick atop this summer's Bonus Challenge standings. Querrey won the US Open Series in 2009.

The Southern California native joins four-time champions Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors as the only players in the Open Era to have won three or more Los Angeles titles. Querrey claimed back-to-back titles in 2009-10, but missed last year's event after undergoing wrist surgery in June.

In his first final appearance since winning the Farmers Classic two years ago, Querrey needed a mere 18 minutes to wrap up the first set. He won the first nine games of the match, facing down double break point at 2-0 in the second set, before Berankis managed to get on the scoreboard.

Querrey saved one more break point in the seventh game with an ace and broke his 141st-ranked opponent for a fifth time to clinch the victory. At 14 games and 51 minutes in duration, it was the shortest ATP World Tour final this season.

The American is projected to move 20 spots in the South African Airways ATP Rankings to No. 37 with his victory. He improves to a 7-5 mark in ATP World Tour finals and to an 18-15 season record.

“I’m hoping I can just keep this up and play well the entire summer and keep going,” he said. “I’ve got Washington D.C. next week, so I’m just trying to continue to ride the train and hopefully play well all the way through the US Open.

“I’d love to be seeded at the Open, that’s one of my goals. I’m going to be pretty close after this week so hopefully with a few more good weeks I can make it into the Top 32 and be seeded there. And I’d love to get back into the Top 20, where I was a year-and-a-half ago, so that’s my big goal right now.”

Berankis, the first Lithuanian-born player to reach an ATP World Tour final, became the 11th different first-time title hopeful to lose in a title match this season.

“My nerves were playing me in the first set, that’s for sure,” admitted Berankis. “I didn’t play as I would like to play. But in the second set, a couple games here and there, I loosened up a little bit. The crowd helped me very much to relax because of the support I got here; I really wasn't thinking [there would be] this kind of big support for me. Even though I was nervous, I enjoyed my first ATP final, and I’m looking very much forward to another tournament.”

Prior to qualifying for the BB&T Atlanta Open last week, the 22 year old had not played a tour-level match in nearly a year. He had been sidelined with a pelvis stress fracture for four months before coming back on the Challenge circuit.

Including his qualifying matches in Los Angeles, the former junior World No. 1 had played 13 matches over two weeks. Though he admitted that fatigue had set in a bit, Berankis added, “But the thing that I’m happy with is my body – no pains, feeling good. Of course, tired a little bit mentally and in the whole, but on the whole I feel great.”
 
#188 ·
OLYMPICS 2012
Andy Murray became the first British man to win a singles gold medal in 104 years on Sunday at the London 2012 Olympics Tennis Event.

The third-seeded Scot defeated top seed Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 56 minutes on Centre Court at Wimbledon, just four weeks after he lost The Championships final to the same player.

Murray admitted it was "the biggest win of my life. This week's been absolutely incredible, I've had a lot of fun. I felt so fresh on the court today. I didn't feel nervous really at all, apart from at the beginning of the match. The support's been unbelievable."

The 25-year-old Murray follows in the footsteps of John Pius Boland (1900), Laurence Doherty (1904), Josiah Ritchie (1908 outdoors) and Arthur Gore (1908 indoors) as male Olympic singles gold medallists representing Great Britain.

"It's definitely different," he said. "I've won an Olympic gold medal. I haven't won a Grand Slam. I know how this feels and it feels great. I've lost some tough matches in some tough finals and that's hurt me a lot. I think tennis in the Olympics is getting better each time it's played, because all the top players are playing now. For me it's the biggest win of my life.

"I'll never forget it. I'm able to deal with the situations better now. I felt much more comfortable on the court. They (the crowd) helped me get a few extra miles an hour the last couple of serves. I went for some big serves and I got them."

Switzerland’s Rene Fasel, a member of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and International Tennis Federation (ITF) President Ricci Bitti presented the medals in an on-court ceremony.

Tim Henman, who won the 1996 Atlanta Olympics silver medal with Neil Broad in the doubles event, said, "There has been such confidence going through the British team in all sports.

"I watched the athletics last night - the rowers, the cyclists - and Andy wanted to be a part of that. He didn't want to be a silver medallist. He wanted to continue the gold rush, if you like. It's an amazing day and a huge stepping stone in his career."

Earlier in the day, eighth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro won the bronze medal with victory over second seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Court One at the All England Club.
 
#189 ·
WASHINGTON 2012
Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov handed 34-year-old Tommy Haas his first loss in nine finals contested on U.S. soil, rallying past the German 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

With victory at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament, the third event of the summer hard-court swing, Dolgopolov moves into a second-place tie with Atlanta champion Andy Roddick in the US Open Series Bonus Challenge Standings. Querrey, last week's Los Angeles champion and a semi-finalist in Washington, stands atop the leader board with 95 points.

"For sure, I’m very happy, and especially winning a match like that [which is] really tight, goes up and down, the rain breaks," said Dolgopolov. "I’m really happy with myself that I stayed concentrated and was in the match in all the three sets."

The fourth-seeded Haas was broken for just the second time this week with No. 2 seed Dolgopolov taking a 4-3 lead in the first set, but immediately got back on serve. Players briefly left the court due to a light shower after the ninth game, and returned to play two more games before heavy rainfall halted the match.

The final, which had begun at 4 p.m. local-time, resumed around 7:45 p.m. and Haas took the first set tie-break after capitalising on his fourth set point opportunity. He faced down four break points on serve in the second set, before Dolgopolov broke to draw level at one set apiece. The Ukrainian limited Haas to just one game in the decisive set, closing out the victory after two hours and 15 minutes.

"He was giving away more free points than he did in the first set and throughout the tournament when I watched him play," Dolgopolov said. "I think it was a part of him, a part of it being the final, a part of my game. Everything helped it to go wrong for him. He helped me a little bit in the last game of the second set. In the third set he was a bit frustrated, so it was really good I got an advantage at the start of the set."

Dolgopolov, 23, claimed his second ATP World Tour title (2-2 in finals), following last year's triumph in Umag. He is projected to move from No. 25 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings up to No. 16/17 with his first ATP World Tour 500 title.

Haas, who dropped to a 13-11 mark in title matches, was appearing in his third final in his past five tournaments. He won the grass-court title in Halle with victory over Roger Federer and finished runner-up to Juan Monaco on clay in Hamburg.

He is the fourth player this season to appear in finals on all three surfaces, joining Federer, David Ferrer and John Isner.

"Not only here, but I’ve proven [myself] a couple months ago winning a title in Halle and getting to a final in Hamburg two weeks ago and getting to a final here," said Haas. "It’s been unbelievable.

"Obviously I’m a little bit frustrated right now still. I thought I had some chances to win this title and I really wanted it. It’s always tough to lose, even when you had a great week, but you just have to let it sink in and overall, I’m really proud to get here to a final and play really solid tennis. I just hope I can stay injury-free and keep going and try to keep it moving."
 
#190 ·
TORONTO 2012
World No. 2 Novak Djokovic retained his Rogers Cup crown on Sunday in Toronto, dismissing No. 14 seed Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2. It marked the Serbian’s first title since he successfully defended his trophy at the Sony Open Tennis in Miami (d. Murray).

Though he matched his 2011 performance with victory, Djokovic cannot usurp Roger Federer for No. 1 when the South African Airways ATP Rankings are updated on Monday. The 25 year old was contesting his 48th tour-level final, improving to 31-17, while upping his record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals to 12-9.

“It's a big tournament, one of the biggest we have in tennis. I'm very happy to be in this position,” said Djokovic. “I truly did not expect myself to win this tournament after the emotional losses in the Olympic Games. I really took it hard. I tried to bounce back and recover; I've done great, I have to say.”

With his victory, the Serbian entered the 2012 Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge Standings at No. 2, trailing Los Angeles champion Sam Querrey, whom he defeated in the Toronto third round. Gasquet, meanwhile, moved into a third place tie with four other players at 70 points.

Djokovic became the third player in the Open Era to win at least three titles at the Rogers Cup, joining six-time former champion Ivan Lendl and fellow three-time titlist Andre Agassi. In addition to his triumph last year, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the 2007 title match.

The top-seeded Djokovic capitalised on each of his three break points against Gasquet, while saving all four on his serve to clinch the final victory in 62 minutes. He improved to 7-1 versus Gasquet and has taken their past 11 sets played.

“I'm not one of the biggest servers in the game, that's for sure, but I always try to focus on the second shot after the serve,” Djokovic said. “I’ve been working on the efficiency of my first and second serve, but also trying to be aggressive in the first ball. It's been working exceptionally well throughout the whole week.”

Gasquet was looking to lift his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy on his third opportunity. He finished runner-up in Toronto six years ago to Federer and lost to the Swiss in 2005 at Hamburg. Gasquet was bidding to become the first Frenchman to win the event since its inception in 1881.

“It was a tough match,” said Gasquet. “It’s a big tournament. I felt a little bit more pressure. It's tough when you have Djokovic in front of you and you are not playing your best tennis. It's very difficult. He's going all the time with his backhand very early, so he's an incredible player. He played much better than me for sure.”
 
#191 ·
CINCINNATI 2012
World No. 1 Roger Federer became the first player in the Open Era to win five Cincinnati trophies, defeating second-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-0, 7-6(7) in Sunday’s Western & Southern Open final. It was the first Top 2 final in Open Era history at the event.

“I'm obviously very happy. If I remember correctly, this was the first win here I had also after I had twins, right? So it's great coming back here,” said Federer. “I've been able to win five. It's obviously incredible because I remember the first few here I struggled. Now looking back it's just unbelievable. Plus this was probably the best week ever here in Cincinnati for me never dropping my serve and all that stuff and beating Novak in the final. This was very sweet. No doubt about it.”

Federer tied Rafael Nadal for the most ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns with 21, adding to triumphs in Indian Wells (d. Isner) and Madrid (d. Berdych) this season. He is 6-2 in finals this year and celebrates his first title since capturing his 17th Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon (d. Murray). He is guaranteed to stay No. 1 through the US Open, regardless of results at Flushing Meadows .

Djokovic was appearing in his fourth final in five years at the tournament, but dropped to 0-4 in those matches. He was bidding to become just the fourth player since 1990 to win the Canada-Cincinnati double after defeating Richard Gasquet in last week’s Rogers Cup final in Toronto.

Neither player had dropped serve entering the match, but Federer broke Djokovic in the opening game and stormed to a one-set lead in just 20 minutes. Federer converted three of his four break points, while Djokovic tossed in four double faults to lose the first bagel set in 28 meetings with Federer (82 sets).

The 25-year-old Serbian settled into the second set to force a tie-break, and held set point at 7-6. But Federer wiped it away with an aggressive tactic at the net and cracked back-to-back forehand winners to claim victory in 80 minutes. Federer was not broken en route to his title run and improved to 16-12 against Djokovic.

"He started very solid from serve," assessed Djokovic. "He was using it very efficiently and putting a lot pressure on my serve. Made a lot of double faults and didn't find my rhythm. Set was over in 20 minutes. I played better in the second. I thought it was very even, and then when I had the chances I didn't use them. I didn't step into the court, and he deserved to win."

With his showing this week, Djokovic vaulted ahead of Sam Querrey for first place in the 2012 Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge Standings. Djokovic will win the series unless Querrey goes on to claim the Winston-Salem Open title.
 
#192 ·
WINSTON SALEM 2012
American John Isner successfully defended his Winston-Salem Open title, saving three championship points before defeating second-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(9) on Saturday.

It is the second time that the 27 year old has retained a title, first accomplishing the feat earlier this summer at the grass-court tournament in Newport (d. Hewitt). He has compiled an 18-3 mark starting with that title run, taking his season record to 41-15.

"It’s a great feeling. Both my titles this year are the exact same titles I won last year," said Isner. "Defending a title is not easy. There’s pressure on you coming into the tournament so I think for me to do that, at both Newport and here in Winston-Salem, it should help me a lot going forward in the coming years. I’m absolutely thrilled.

"It was a very good match, an incredible atmosphere. It was a lot of fun to play out there. There were certainly some tense times all throughout the match. At times probably wasn’t the prettiest of tennis, but I was able to gut it out and am very, very proud of that."

Berdych secured the first set in 34 minutes with two breaks as the third-seeded Isner managed to win just 54 per cent of his service points, but was unable to maintain the momentum in the second. The Czech dropped serve in the opening game, while Isner proceeded to lose just five service points total, drawing level with an ace on set point.

For a second straight day, Isner - who knocked out top seed and World No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals - prevailed against a Top 10 player in a third-set tie-break. He saved three match points at 6-5, 7-6 and 9-8 for World No. 7 Berdych, and clinched the match after two hours and 26 minutes on his second championship point.

World No. 10 Isner, who fired 22 aces in the final, improves to a tour-best 35-13 in tie-breaks this season and to a 10-0 match record at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament. He has now won five ATP World Tour titles from 12 finals, while Berdych drops to a 7-8 record.

"I hope it’s going to be enough time to put this match from my mind and keep all those matches before - and those before were pretty good. Even this one was not bad until the end. It just happens," said Berdych. "I won a couple of matches, which was the goal and the [reason] why I wanted to come here. I made it pretty successful, but still one I was missing, so it will take some time. Next week, already Monday or Tuesday, I’m starting in New York so it’s not much time to think on the past but to be ready for what’s happening there."

Both players next head to the US Open. Isner will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for a second straight year; the highest seed in his quarter is World No. 5 David Ferrer. Berdych could face Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, but has never advanced past the Round of 16 in nine previous appearances in Flushing Meadows.

"Last year it served me very well. I won here and made the quarter-finals, lost to Andy Murray in a very tough match," said Isner. "I’m heading to New York filled with confidence. I’ve played very well since my first round loss at Wimbledon. I’ve only lost three matches, so I’m heading into New York feeling good about myself."

Isner moves up to No. 2 in the 2012 Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge Standings with his triumph Saturday, while Berdych finishes in a sixth-place tie with American Mardy Fish. World No. 2 and defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic clinched the Series on Friday following Sam Querrey's loss in the Winston-Salem semi-finals.
 
#193 ·
US OPEN 2012
Buoyed by winning the longest-ever tie-break in a US Open title match, Andy Murray became the first British man since 1936 to taste Grand Slam victory after outplaying defending champion Novak Djokovic in an epic five-set US Open final Monday.

Djokovic rallied from a two-set deficit and four falls to the court surface to force a decider, but Olympic champion Murray, who like his coach Ivan Lendl had suffered agonising defeats in his first four major finals, would not be denied.

In a pulsating match that will be long remembered for gruelling side-to-side baseline exchanges that drew loud gasps from energised New York fans during points, both players produced inspired performances in difficult, blustery conditions. Murray was at his best when he upped his aggression from the baseline, and both players dazzled with dogged defense, exceptional court movement and a series of protracted baseline rallies, several of which topped 30 strokes.

"It was incredibly tricky conditions," Murray said during the trophy presentation. "After the third and fourth sets it was tough mentally for me... Novak is so, so strong. He fights till the end in every single match and I don't know how I managed to come through in the end.

"It was close to five hours and I've had some really long and tough matches. I just managed to get through."

"It wasn't to be. I want to congratulate Andy for his first Grand Slam," Djokovic said. "He absolutely deserves it. I gave it all. It was another tremendous match to be a part of."

ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett praised Murray after the final, saying, "Andy's breakthrough Grand Slam victory is not only a tribute to his exceptional talent but also a deserving reward for his hard work and perseverance."

At January's Australian Open, Djokovic defeated Murray 7-5 in the fifth set in a match that lasted 4 hrs., 50 mins.

By winning his first major, Murray joined Juan Martin del Potro (2009 US Open) as the only players to break the Grand Slam dominance of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The trio has won 29 of the past 31 majors dating back to 2005 Roland Garros.

Murray, who needed six set points to win a 24-minute first-set tie-break 12-10, broke through for his first major title in his fifth Grand Slam final with a 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Djokovic. At 4 hrs., 54 mins., the match equalled the longest US Open final in history.

Cheered on by countryman Sir Sean Connery and fellow actor Kevin Spacey, Murray initially dealt with the frustrating wind better than Djokovic and in the fifth set produced aggression from the baseline that his supporters knew would eventually lead him to Grand Slam glory.

The victory propelled Murray to No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings ahead of Nadal. Following his gold medal performance at the London Olympics (d. Federer) and his first run to the Wimbledon final (l. Federer), Murray has put himself into position to challenge for the year-end World No. 1 ranking.

After winning the first set, Murray had the weight of numbers on his side. In the past 13 encounters between Murray and Djokovic, the winner of the first set had gone on to win the match. And 18 of the past 20 US Open men’s finals had been won by the winner of the first set.

There were nervous moments, however, as Murray squandered a 4-0 lead (and later 5-2 lead) in the second set before he broke Djokovic at 6-5 to shore up the second set.

Chasing his fourth consecutive hard court Grand Slam title, Djokovic dropped serve five times in the opening two sets but then steadied to win the third and fourth sets for the loss of just five games. However, the Serb dropped his opening two service games of the fifth set as Murray raced to a 3-0 lead. Those seven breaks of serve equalled the number of breaks he had surrendered in his six matches leading into the final.

Murray held his nerve to close out the fifth set 6-2.
 
#194 ·
ST PETERSBURG 2012
World No. 45 Martin Klizan captured his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday as he defeated Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the St. Petersburg Open. He is the first Slovakian to win a tour title since Dominik Hrbaty triumphed at Marseille in February 2004.

After 11 failed attempts earlier in the season, Klizan is the first player to win his maiden ATP World Tour title in 2012. He has dropped just one set throughout the campaign, battling to a three-set win over top seed Mikhail Youzhny in three hours and 49 minutes in Saturday’s semi-final.

Klizan is set to rise to around a career-high World No. 33 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings as a result of his victory, having earned 250 ranking points and $70,365 in prize money. Fognini received 150 ranking points and $37,060.

The third-seeded Klizan showed no ill-effects from his marathon semi-final as he raced to a 4-0 lead to take the first set in his first meeting with the fourth-seeded Fognini. Four service breaks were exchanged at the start of the second set before Klizan took a decisive step in the seventh game. He reeled off the last three games of the match to claim victory in 69 minutes.

"It's always very difficult to play a tournament after Davis Cup," admitted Klizan. "I've played many matches and it was a tough Davis Cup for us, so it was a very, very tough week this one. I was really ‘dead’ yesterday after the match, but I've played really solid this week and I'm very happy to win my first title. I hope I can get more points at the end of this season."

Until two months ago, Klizan had never won back-to-back tour-level matches. However, since the end of July he has reached the semi-finals in Kitzbuhel (l. to Haase), won an ATP Challenger Tour title in San Marino and knocked out World No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to a fourth-round showing at the US Open (l. to Cilic).

"I said last year that I would like to be Top 100 by the end of this year and I've already done it," said Klizan. "Now I've been Top 50, Top 40, maybe I can be Top 30 at the end of the year. I hope I can be healthy and still with enough power to play until the end of the season. I've played many, many great weeks."

The 25-year-old Fognini was contesting his second ATP World Tour final having also finished runner-up to Gilles Simon at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest. The Italian dropped to a 22-20 match record on the season.

"It's horrible to play a final like this," said Fognini. "I've played two finals this year. Simon in Bucharest was a really great final; we played one hour and 50 minutes and I lost. On the court today he played his best tennis ever and I did not play my best tennis for sure."
 
#195 ·
METZ 2012
World No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stormed to a repeat victory at the Moselle Open in Metz on Sunday, dismissing Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2 in just 50 minutes. One year ago, Tsonga had beaten Ivan Ljubicic in the final of this ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament.

Victory for Tsonga takes the Frenchman to 2,905 points in the Race For London. Tsonga is currently just within the qualifying positions for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with four places still up for contention.

In an emphatic serving display, the top-seeded Tsonga surrendered just six points behind his delivery and fired seven aces. He converted four of his six break point chances on Seppi’s serve to improve to a 3-1 lead over the Italian in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

"I had a complete match with no gaps, as opposed to yesterday," said Tsonga. "Of course, it's a lot easier when I can make a difference in two or three shots. If I had to define this week, I would simply say it was a perfect one."

The 27-year-old Tsonga captured his ninth ATP World Tour title and second of the season, following victory at the QatarExxonMobil Open in Doha in January (d. Monfils). The right-hander, who has a 45-17 match record this year, was also a semi-finalist at Wimbledon (l. to Murray), Marseille (l. to del Potro) and Winston-Salem (l. to Isner).

"This is the first time I have been able to defend a title," said Tsonga. "So it's even more special that it's here at the Moselle Open, where I am the ambassador."

The 28-year-old Seppi was bidding to win his second title of the season after triumphing in Belgrade (d. Paire). He also finished runner-up to Andy Roddick in the Eastbourne final and dropped to a 2-3 mark in ATP World Tour finals. He suffered his 49th loss against a Top 10 player in 55 attempts.

"I want to congratulate Jo because he played too well today," said Seppi. "His serve was impressive and there's very little I could do. Unfortunately, this is the way it goes sometime indoors, matches go by really fast without being able to do anything. It was a great week for me and overall I am happy to have reached the final here."
 
#196 ·
THAILAND 2012
Richard Gasquet won his seventh ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Thailand Open.

The second seed beat his fellow Frenchman and No. 4 seed Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-1 in Bangkok to earn $99,645 in prize money and 250 South African Airways ATP Rankings points.

Gasquet last won an ATP World Tour title in May 2010 at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur (d. Verdasco). It was his second Asian title, following success at Mumbai in 2007.

"I played against a French player who is also my friend so of course it a little bit strange but for me it's a title and I've had some tough matches this week so I’m very happy to win," said Gasquet.

"The people here are very nice, the crowd was very nice. The night I played against [Grigor] Dimitrov it was late, but the people stayed and cheered for me so it's more reason for me to come back next year and defend my title."

Simon started strongly, breaking Gasquet’s serve in the opening game. But Gasquet broke back, then again at 4-2 and in the eighth game to capture the 30-minute set. Simon, the 2009 champion, won nine of his 23 service points.

Gasquet broke Simon for a 3-1 lead in the second set, then in a hard-fought sixth game before closing out his 17th ATP World Tour final with a hold to 30 for victory in 69 minutes.

It was the second all-French ATP World Tour final of the year, after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Gael Monfils in January at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

Former World No. 7 Gasquet is now 6-0 lifetime against Simon in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and improves his chances of competing at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London from 5-12 November.

World No. 19 Simon, who beat Viktor Troicki in the final three years ago, won just 42 per cent of his service points in his 13th final (10-3 overall). He received $52,390 and 150 South African Airways ATP Ranking points.

"I was playing some of the best tennis I ever played yesterday [against Janko Tipsarevic] and today I just couldn't play at all. Thierry [Tulasne] was here to watch, but it was our last week together so I really wanted to win."
 
#197 ·
KUALA LUMPUR 2012
Argentina's Juan Monaco stepped up his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday with victory in the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur final.

Second seed Monaco defeated seventh seed Julien Benneteau of France 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in just over three hours to lift his fourth ATP World Tour title of the year and improve to a 37-15 match record.

Monaco received $153,440 in prize money and earned 250 South African Airways ATP Rankings points with victory in his 16th ATP World Tour final (7-9 overall).

"I celebrated with my team in the locker room and tonight I'll have Malaysian food with my team," said Monaco. "It has been nice to be in this city and win the trophy. It feels very good. When I win a title, I think of my family and my team, as they believe in me, they have supported me and we have worked hard to win tournaments.

"I think we played a great match, with a lot of ups and downs. I got a little nervous when I had chances, but I never gave up, particularly in the 12th game of the first set. He surprised me a little bit with his comeback in the second set. In the final set, I knew I had to be more aggressive and I am happy the way I finished the match."

The 28-year-old Monaco has also won titles this season at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar (d. Berlocq), the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston (d. Isner) and the bet-at-home Open - German Tennis Championships in Hamburg (d. Haas). He also finished runner-up at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart (l. to Tipsarevic).

Benneteau took a 2-0 lead in the first set, while Monaco squandered four break point opportunities in the second game. Monaco, who got back on level terms at 2-2, opened up a 5-3 lead and had two set point chances but Benneteau bounced back. In a lengthy 12th game, which featured 10 deuce points, Benneteau saved four more set points to frustrate Monaco, who ultimately clinched the set after 81 minutes of play.

Benneteau, determined not to fall to 0-7 in finals at the 199th tournament of his career, fought back in the second set by creating an early service break. Monaco broke back, but Benneteau remained cool on serve, winning 19 of his 29 service points, to level the score-line with a second service break.

In the deciding set, Monaco broke to 15 for a 4-2 lead. Benneteau saved one match point at 2-5, but Monaco was not to be denied his 37th match win of the year. Monaco hit six aces and won 61 per cent of his service points overall.

"I'd like to relax now and enjoy the victory," said Monaco. "It isn't easy to win tournaments, but I will focus on the next challenge and go to Tokyo tomorrow."

World No. 34 Benneteau had been trying to become the first player aged 30 plus to capture his first ATP World Tour title since Australian Wayne Arthurs (33) won in Scottsdale in March 2005.

"I was very focused on this game, because I wanted to win this final," said Benneteau. "The fans were great; there was a lot of French in the crowd. It was a nice atmosphere and the game was a good level."

The 30-year-old Benneteau earned $80,815 and 150 South African Airways ATP Ranking points. He also finished runner-up to Jarkko Nieminen in the Apia International Sydney final in January.
 
#198 ·
BEIJING 2012
Novak Djokovic won his third straight China Open title on Sunday.

The top seed recorded his sixth straight victory over third-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(4), 6-2 in one hour and 42 minutes for the 32nd trophy of his career (32-19 in finals). It was his 40th hard-court match win of the season.

“I am planning to come back to the China Open next year,” said Djokovic. “It's been one of my most successful tournaments. This is where I love to play. I love the conditions and, as I mentioned before, I have lots of support from the fans who are very loyal and very nice.

Djokovic is now 14-0 lifetime at the ATP World Tour 500 hard-court tournament in Beijing. It was the fifth time he has three-peated at a tournament (also Australian Open, Dubai, Miami and Canada).

Djokovic earned $530,570 in prize money and 500 South African Airways ATP Ranking points to increase his lead to 1,490 points over Roger Federer (8,920) in the South African Airways ATP Rankings Race To London.

When asked about the battle to clinch the year-end World No. 1 ranking, Djokovic said, “That's the target. This will definitely help me in that race, but it's still quite open. There are still tournaments to come, big ones. Shanghai, obviously the first 1000 event that is next week. I want to try to get as far as I can in the tournament, obviously taking one match at a time as I always do.”

Tsonga, who is hoping to join Djokovic at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month, received $239,200 and 300 points after competing in his 15th ATP World Tour final (9-6 overall).

Tsonga got off to a strong start, with an early service break, but Djokovic worked his way back into a high-quality first set. At 5-5, the clash was in the balance, but Djokovic stepped up in the tie-break to open up a 3-0 lead. Tsonga fought back, but he hit a backhand slice into the net to hand Djokovic the 65-minute opener.

In the second set, Djokovic converted the first of his two break point opportunities at 1-1, 15/40, when Tsonga hit a forehand wide. Tsonga was broken again to 15 at 1-3, when he struck a forehand into the net. Djokovic went onto capture his fourth title of the season and improved to a 65-11 match record.

“I think the first set was really even, and maybe a couple points decided the winner there," said Djokovic. "We both had our chances aside those breaks that we converted…I managed to hold my nerves in the end. When you're getting to the second set with the set advantage, mentally it is much more encouraging for you and then you try to play on that confidence run that you have. I made that early break in the second [and] I felt much more comfortable on the court.”

Tsonga is now 1-9 against Top 10 opponents this year. His last win over Djokovic came in January 2010 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

“I think it was a good match,” said Tsonga. “I missed maybe something in the middle of the first set. I was a break up, and I was playing well. But then he played solid. It was really difficult to control him. I just tried to play my game, to be aggressive, but against a player like this, for the moment, my level is not high enough, and it's not enough to beat him.

“I'm happy because I played good tennis here. It was a great tournament for me. I hope I will continue to improve like this and I will try another time to beat these guys next week.”

In Tsonga’s last tournament, he retained the Moselle Open title in Metz (d. Seppi) on 23 September. He has a 48-18 season record (29-9 on hard courts).
 
#199 ·
TOKYO 2012
Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese player to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships title on Sunday.

Eighth seed Nishikori defeated sixth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-0 in two hours and nine minutes to lift his second ATP World Tour trophy. It was the youngest final in 58 tournaments on the ATP World Tour this year.

“I have not been able to play well in Japan until now, so I always thought perhaps I was not mentally strong enough to do so,” Nishikori said in a translation. “But the match against Berdych, something changed. I was able to play much better yesterday and today as well. On one side of my mind, I cannot believe I won the tournament, but at the same time, I feel that I’m happy I was able to do this.”

Brad Drewett, the ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, "I would like to offer my congratulations to Kei Nishikori on becoming the first Japanese man to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships title in Tokyo.

"Kei is a terrific player who is already a star at home in Japan and among the Top 20 players in the world. I’m sure this historic win over a very difficult field in Tokyo will give him great confidence and we look forward to seeing all that he can do. Kei has a very bright future on the ATP World Tour and we couldn’t be more proud of him."

Nishikori took a 3-1 lead in the first set, before Raonic found his range on serve and fought his way back. Nishikori was unable to convert two set point opportunities on Raonic’s serve at 6-5, but kept his nerve in the tie-break.

Raonic responded by breaking Nishikori in the eighth game of the second set. Nishikori swept through the decider, converting three of his six break point chances en route to a his first trophy since February 2008 at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (d. Blake). Raonic won just nine of his service points in the third set.

The 22-year-old Nishikori received $308,130 in prize money and 500 South African Airways ATP Ranking points, while 21-year-old Raonic earned $138,920 and 300 points. The two were squaring off for the first time.

“He attacks on his returns and goes up to the net quickly. And he is willing to take risks. I watched him play Murray,” said Nishikori. “Despite the break in the first game, there were some dangerous moments in the first set. I tried to stay aggressive. I was able to continue doing so and was able to get the final set 6-love.”

Raonic, who was bidding to capture his third ATP World Tour trophy of the title, was hoping to rise to No. 10 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings Race To London. He drops to a 43-17 match record on the year.

“He just played too well. There’s not too much I could do,” said Raonic. “He played better than me and deserved to win. [In the third set], he started playing well, was reading me a bit more, and a few mistakes starting coming from me.”
 
#200 ·
SHANGHAI 2012
World No. 2 Novak Djokovic saved five match points as he edged two-time defending champion Andy Murray 5-7, 7-6(11), 6-3 in a an exhilarating 3hr., 21min., contest in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final on Sunday.

Since losing to Murray in last month’s US Open final, the 25-year-old Djokovic has compiled a perfect 10-0 record, winning back-to-back titles at the China Open (d. Tsonga) in Beijing and now in Shanghai. The Serb has an ATP World Tour-leading 70 match wins this year, also taking in titles at the Australian Open (d. Nadal), the Sony Open Tennis in Miami (d. Murray) and the Rogers Cup in Toronto (d. Gasquet).

Djokovic clinched his seventh different ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and 13th overall. He has reached six Masters 1000 finals this season, adding to his victories in Shanghai, Toronto and Miami with runner-up showings at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (l. to Nadal), the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (l. to Nadal) and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (l. to Federer).

His results this season have left Djokovic locked in battle with Roger Federer for the year-end No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking.

"I'm trying to focus now on the end of the season," said Djokovic. "I need to play well indoors. I need to try to stay consistent with my results and eventually get a shot at No. 1 of the world. It's my biggest objective in this moment. It's something I'm aiming for. Obviously this is going to be a huge confidence boost and is going to help me in the race for No. 1. As I said, it's still not done. I still have to play well indoors."

In a first set featuring seven breaks of serve, Murray finally gained the upper hand as he broke for a 6-5 lead before closing out the opener. The Scot then broke Djokovic for a 4-3 lead in the second set and looked poised for victory as he led 5-4, 30/0.

The Djokovic fightback began in the following point. He hit a ‘tweener to claw his way back into an exchange that Murray was winning and clinched it with a drop shot. Murray had his first match point at 40/30, but a forehand winner from Djokovic thwarted the Scot. Murray then hit a forehand long on a break point for Djokovic to surrender his advantage.

A pulsating tie-break followed, with Murray squandering four more match points at 6-4, 8-7 and 10-9 before Djokovic converted his fourth set point with a forehand winner to send the contest into a deciding set.

Murray fended off a break point in the fifth game of the third set, but could not keep Djokovic at bay in the seventh game as the Belgrade native engineered a 4-3 lead. Murray saved two match points on serve down 3-5, but Djokovic converted his third opportunity to claim a memorable victory. Djokovic extended his lead over Murray to 9-7 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

"It's difficult to judge who was better because it was so close throughout the whole match," said Djokovic. "We had so many rallies in three and a half hours; for a best-of-three set match it is a very long time. Could have easily gone the other way. He was five match points up. When I faced those match points, I tried to focus on each individually. He was so close to the victory that I cannot say I was the better player."

The 25-year-old Murray was bidding to win the Shanghai title for a third year in a row and saw his perfect record at the event come to an end (12-1). The Dunblane native had beaten World No. 1 Roger Federer in the semi-finals and was attempting to beat the ATP World Tour’s Top 2 at the same event for the second time this year, having also done so en route to claiming the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

"It was a disappointing one to lose," said Murray. "I've lost tougher matches than that before in the biggest events. So I'm sure I'll recover from it pretty well.

"The second set, I probably played a little bit better. But he came up, served very well on the match points. The one match point I had on my serve, he hit the forehand onto the edge of the line. On the game where I served for the match, he also came up with some good shots.

"It's not like I threw the match away. I didn't make any real glaring errors or anything. When I had my chances, he just served very well and hit a couple of lines when he needed to.
 
#201 ·
VIENNA 2012
World No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro strengthened his bid to qualify for the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday, defeating qualifier Grega Zemlja 7-5, 6-3 to capture the Erste Bank Open title in Vienna.

“I’m so happy. It’s important to have a good end of the year,” said del Potro. “I’m looking forward to keep improving, keep playing well at the same level as I had here. I also look forward to London. I’m looking better to qualify there. We have two big tournaments coming next week. They have the chance to get points also, so it will be very interesting to see how we are going.”

Del Potro entered the tournament at No. 7 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings Race to London. He is aiming to return to the season finale at The O2 for the first time since 2009, when he finished runner-up to Nikolay Davydenko. Del Potro celebrates his third trophy of the season, following triumphs in Marseille (d. Llodra) and Estoril (d. Gasquet). The 2011 Vienna finalist takes home €87,870 and 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points.

Zemlja was looking to win his first ATP World Tour title in his debut tour-level title match. The 70th-ranked qualifier enjoyed a surprise run to the final, notching his first Top 20 win in an upset over No. 3 seed Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals and following it up with his maiden Top 10 victory over ninth-ranked Janko Tipsarevic, the second seed, in the semi-finals. Zemlja earned €46,280 and 150 points.

“I am satisfied with the way I played. I did my best,” said Zemlja. “I felt I played really well the first seven games. Maybe I wasn’t serving my best, but I was fighting till the end. I think Juan played really well from 4-4 (in the first set), to 3-0 (in the second set). He was serving really good.

“I’m happy with how I played all week. I just have to continue with that. Also, I still have two Challengers to play at the end of the year. I have to get motivated to play the same level as I did here.”

In a tense opening to the final, both players struggled to hold serve. Del Potro led 40/0 in the first game, but the Slovenian No. 1 created a break point opportunity. Del Potro wiped it away to hold. In the fifth game, the Slovenian No. 1 broke the Argentine to become the first player to win a game on del Potro’s serve in the tournament. Zemlja took a 4-2 lead, before London contender del Potro found his rhythm to fight back to 4-4. Del Potro saved three break points in the ninth game. Zemlja cracked at 5-6, when he lost the first three points. Del Potro clinched the first set in 64 minutes.

From there, del Potro never looked back, beginning the second set with a routine service hold and an immediate break of serve. He finished the one-hour-and-41-minute contest with 10 aces and won 82 per cent of his first serve points. Del Potro did not face a break point in the second set.

“I didn’t have a very good start to the match. I made a lot of errors and I was nervous because it was a final,” del Potro said. “I tried to find a way to play aggressive. In the second set, I broke early and that gave me confidence to play the final like I was expected. I was a little lucky to survive from 2-4 down in the first set.”
 
#202 ·
STOCKHOLM 2012
Czech Tomas Berdych took a big stride on Sunday in improving his chances of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

"London is always a goal every season," said Berdych on his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. "You have to play well the whole year to qualify. It will be special for me, if I make it for the third year in a row. I then hope to do well for Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final at home."

The second seed beat top-seeded Frenchman and fellow London contender Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes to capture the If Stockholm Open title.

The last Czech to win the title was Ivan Lendl in 1989 (d. Gustafsson). It was the first time the top two seeds contested the Stockholm final since 1991, when No. 2 Boris Becker beat No. 1 Stefan Edberg in five sets.

Berdych won his eighth ATP World Tour title in his 16th final. He received a cheque for €87,870 and earned 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points. Tsonga, who dropped to 9-7 lifetime in finals, picked up €46,280 and 150 points.

Tsonga saved two match points at 4-5, 15/40 in the deciding set, but Berdych made it third time lucky to improve to 6-11 this year against Top 10 opponents with his second ATP World Tour title of the year (also Montpellier). He held 40 of his 43 service games during the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament.

"It feels pretty good to have won a second title this season," said Berdych. "When I was 2-4 down in the second set, I remained positive and focused on my game. Against Jo you have to stay positive until the last point. I am happy that I was able to turnaround the match and that’s what makes this title special."

Tsonga, who was making his tournament debut this week, dropped to 2-2 in title matches and to 53-20 this year. Berdych, who also beat Tsonga in the recent Shanghai Rolex Masters quarter-finals, improved to a 57-19 season mark.

"I feel bad, because it was a good final and a close score," said Tsonga. "I think we played a great match and had many opportunities, but he played well. I tried to play my best tennis today. Of course, I am trying to qualify for London, I am not there yet and I need to earn more points."

Berdych is No. 6 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings Race To London and Tsonga is at No. 8. Only three singles berths remain up for grabs at the season-ending championship, to be held at The O2 in London, from 5-12 November. Juan Martin del Potro, the No. 7-ranked player, won the Erste Bank Open title in Vienna earlier today.
 
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