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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:
 
#203 ·
MOSCOW 2012
Italian Andreas Seppi clinched his third ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Kremlin Cup.

The second seed defeated fourth-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 in two hours and 13 minutes. It was the first time in the 23-year history of the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament in Moscow that an Italian and Brazilian had reached the final.

"It is very special to win this title as I remember Yevgeny [Kafelnikov] winning so many times here and he was my idol growing up,” said Seppi. "I saw him a few times this week but I was too shy to ask him anything.

"It has been a great season for me, winning titles is so special, now I have won on all surfaces and that means a lot."

Seppi, who also won the Serbia Open 2012 title at Belgrade (d. Paire) in May, received a cheque for $121,500 in prize money and earned 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points. Bellucci, who lifted the Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad trophy (d. Tipsarevic) in July, picked up $64,000 and 150 points.

Seppi is the first Italian to win two ATP World Tour titles in a season since Davide Sanguinetti in 2002 (Milan, Delray Beach). He will be at around No. 22 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on Monday.

In the pair’s third meeting, the 24-year-old Bellucci broke serve for a 3-1 lead and went onto wrap up the first set in 31 minutes, having hit eight aces and won 21 of his 28 service points. Seppi had lost just five of his 19 points.

Bellucci appeared on course for the title when he broke for a 4-2 lead, but at 4-5 Seppi converted the first of his seven break point opportunities in the match. Bellucci, who beat Seppi in straight sets at 2011 Roland Garros, broke back to 30 only to lose his own serve to love when he served for the title for a second time. In the tie-break, Seppi overcame a mini-break and some big serves from Bellucci to level the score-line.

Seppi lost just 16 of his service points in the deciding set, converting two of six break point opportunities to improve to a 37-25 match record on the season.

"It was tough today to come back from a set and a break down," said Seppi. "He was serving very well at the beginning. I kept trying and that put some pressure on him. He could not close out when he served for the match twice and that gave me confidence. I started to play more relaxed and more aggressive."

Bellucci saved 10 of 14 break points and hit 13 aces in total, but dropped to a 25-20 season mark. He was also looking to become the first left-hander to win the Kremlin Cup title since Goran Ivanisevic (d. Kafelnikov) in 1996.

"I just did not play at the same level as I was before when I served for the match," said Bellucci. "Maybe I got too nervous. It was still a good effort from me this week, my first indoor final, it was a good match and he played well.

"I finished my semi-final at 11 o'clock last night and at 2 a.m. I was still awake. It was not easy to recover but still I almost won in two sets."
 
#204 ·
VALENCIA 2012
David Ferrer continued his remarkable year by capturing a career-high sixth ATP World Tour title on Sunday, when he won his third Valencia Open 500 trophy.

The top seed added to his 2008 (d. Almagro) and 2010 (d. Granollers) titles with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine in one hour and 49 minutes.

Ferrer celebrated by hugging his great friend Juan Carlos Ferrero, who he partnered to the doubles semi-finals this week. He has now won the same number of titles in 2012 as Roger Federer.

"It's always very difficult to play at home," said Ferrer. "I knew it would be more difficult to win the title again. He's a very talented opponent. I played aggressively and it went well for me. I want to dedicate the victory to Juan Carlos Ferrero on his farewell. He has given me the opportunity to grow as a person and as a player."

Ferrer, who improved to 17-15 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals, received €342,850 in prize money and 500 South African Airways ATP Ranking points, while Dolgopolov picked up €154,570 and 300 points. Dolgopolov is now 2-2 in title matches.

Ferrer got off to a strong start, creating break point opportunities in all three of Dolgopolov’s service games at the start of the final. Ferrer broke serve in the fourth and sixth games, finishing the set in 34 minutes, having won 19 of his 28 service points.

Dolgopolov, who is travelling without a coach, opened up a 3-0 lead in the second set, which he won in 30 minutes to set up a tense decider. At 3-3, Ferrer managed to recover from 15/40 to hold serve and broke Dolgopolov to 30 at 5-4 to record his 67th match win of 2012 (67-14).

"I couldn't take advantage of my opportunities in the third set," said Dolgopolov. "He took his chances and broke my serve with new balls. I'm happy to have reached the final, but maybe today I played worse. I enjoyed the tournament a lot."

Dolgopolov, who won 65 per cent of his service points and hit six aces, was appearing in his third ATP World Tour final of the season. A winner of the Citi Open at Washington (d. Haas) in August and runner-up at the Brisbane International (l. to Murray) in January, Dolgopolov is 34-24 on the year.
 
#205 ·
BASEL 2012
Juan Martin del Potro captured his fourth ATP World Tour title of the season on Sunday at the Swiss Indoors Basel. He is the first Argentinean to lift the trophy since Guillermo Coria in 2003.

Second seed del Potro defeated the top seed and hometown favourite Roger Federer, a five-time titlist, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(3) in two hours and 45 minutes to add to his Erste Bank Open title (d. Zemlja), which he won seven days ago in Vienna.

"It was an unbelievable final, the match was really close," said del Potro. "After six losses, it was a big win for me. I was fighting all the time. I got lucky in the end, but I felt that I played a really good match.

"I was focused on my defensive game, keeping the ball in play and building my confidence in order to break his serve. It was tough for both of us. I want to enjoy this title, then get ready to play in Paris and London."

The 24-year-old del Potro beat Federer for the first time since November 2009 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and is now 3-13 lifetime against the World No. 1, who drops to 76-33 in finals.

Del Potro received a cheque for €337,900 and earned 500 South African Airways ATP Ranking points, while fellow Barclays ATP World Tour Finals qualifier Federer picked up €152,350 and 300 points for finishing runner-up in his ninth Basel final (5-4 overall).

Federer was looking to capture his 77th title, which would have drawn him level at No. 3 in the Open Era titles list with John McEnroe. Federer has won 875 matches during his career (also level with McEnroe).

Del Potro won 20 of his 25 service points and hit four aces in his first five service games. He broke Federer to 15 for a 3-2 lead that he maintained to win the 35-minute opener.

Del Potro continued to serve well in the second set and could have taken a 6-5 lead, if he had broken Federer at advantage in the 12th game, but the set was decided on a tie-break. Federer won four straight points from 1-1 and went onto wrap up the 64-minute set to level the score-line at one-set apiece.

Federer could not convert two break points at 2-1 and one point at 3-3 in the deciding set. In the tie-break, del Potro took a 4-2 lead and went onto improve to an ATP World Tour-best 17-1 record indoors this year. He is now 6-12 this year against Top 10 players in the South African Airways ATP Rankings.

"I thought overall I played pretty good," said Federer. "He got off to a bit of a better start, but it was close. He served well at the beginning, which made him the better player in the first set. The second set was close. He didn’t play a very good tie-break and then I had my chances early on in the third. I couldn’t break, despite doing the right things, but then I didn’t play a good tie-break myself.

"He has been playing really well this season. I have played him seven times. Every time, I can see he is extremely tough. He has been making the right improvements throughout the year. He is, basically, right there again."

Federer has a 69-10 match record on the season, highlighted by six titles including Wimbledon (d. Murray). Del Potro is now 13-5 in tour-level finals and improves to a career-best 62-14 season mark.

Despite his loss in the final, Federer continued the tradition of serving up pizza to ball boys after the doubles title match ended.
 
#206 ·
PARIS INDOORS 2012
World No. 5 David Ferrer won his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Masters as he ended qualifier Jerzy Janowicz’s giant-killing run with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in Paris-Bercy.

The 30-year-old Ferrer is the first player outside the Top 4 to win a Masters 1000 title since Robin Soderling defeated Gael Monfils two years ago in the Paris final. Ferrer had previously finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal in the finals of the Internazional BNL d’Italia in Rome in 2010 and the 2011 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, and to Andy Murray at the 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters. Going into the final, he had recorded the most match wins at Masters 1000 level (123) without winning a trophy.

Ferrer now goes into next week’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on the back of successive ATP World Tour titles, having triumphed last week at his hometown tournament, the Valencia Open 500 (d. Dolgopolov). The Spaniard has won an ATP World Tour-best seven titles this season and compiled a 72-14 match record.

"It was a dream for me to win here in Paris-Bercy," said Ferrer. "I had never won a Masters 1000 [title], and I took my chance, because it was not Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. I played very good these [past] two weeks. It is very important because it was the best season of my career, and I will try to improve my game."

Ferrer received 1,000 South African Airways ATP Rankings points and €479,000 in prize money, while Janowicz earned 600 ranking points and €234,865.

World No. 69 Janowicz missed the chance to break Ferrer in the ninth game and the Spaniard was quick to take advantage of his opportunity in the following game, claiming the first set as Janowicz overhit a forehand.

Breaks were exchanged at the start of the second set, with Janowicz mounting a short-lived fightback to lead 2-1. Ferrer broke decisively in the sixth game, having fended off two break point chances in the previous game, and went onto close out victory in 87 minutes.

The 21-year-old Janowicz had come through two qualifying matches before ousting five Top 20 players to reach the final (including two Top 10 wins over No. 3 Andy Murray and No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic). He was the first Polish player to contest an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and the first qualifier to reach a final at this level since Guillermo Canas at the Sony Open Tennis in Miami in 2007.

Having started the year at No. 221 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Janowicz is set to crack the Top 30 at around No. 26 on Monday.

"This was his fifth match; this was my eighth match. I was really tired. I was actually exhausted almost," admitted Janowicz. "I'm only human, and I'm still happy about this final. David played today really good tennis. It was good enough to beat me today. He's a really experienced guy. He didn't get nervous."

"I’ve got a lot of confidence right now. I learned if you have big heart and you want to do something amazing and you’re going to fight for this, you have a big chance to make it."
 
#207 ·
ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS 2012
Novak Djokovic captured his sixth title of the season on Monday, ending another stunning year with his second Barclays ATP World Tour Finals trophy. The top seed defeated second seed and six-time champion Roger Federer 7-6(6), 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes in London, which saw a record 263,229 spectators watch tennis at The O2.

Ashok Vaswani, Chief Executive of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, presented Djokovic the singles trophy and a cheque for $1,760,000 as an unbeaten champion in five matches this week. ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett also congratulated the two-time year-end World No. 1, who also earned 1,500 South African Airways ATP Rankings points. World No. 2 Federer, now 6-2 lifetime in finals at the season-ending championships, received $800,000 and 800 points. Djokovic now trails Federer 13-16 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. It was only the fourth time in the 43-year history of the event that the World No. 1 has met the World No. 2 for the title.

“It's very satisfying for my team and myself to conclude this fantastic season with a [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals win,” said Djokovic. “I never got to the finals of this tournament in London. The furthest I got is semi-finals a couple years ago where I lost straight sets to Roger. I wasn't really feeling this surface very well in past couple of years. But this year has been different. I got motivated, got a little bit more physically fresh. I wanted really to fight and I really wanted to get as far as I can in this tournament. Winning all the matches I played makes it even more special.”

The 25-year-old Djokovic is the ninth player to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at least twice. He beat Nikolay Davydenko for the 2008 title in 2008, when the event was held in Shanghai, China. Djokovic completes the 2012 season with a personal-best 75-12 match record. He also improved to 50-5 on hard courts and to a 24-10 mark against Top 10 opponents.

“I was playing really great tennis throughout the whole week. Tonight, whenever I needed to, to I came up with some really good shots. really focus myself to get every ball back in the court. So I cannot be more thrilled than I'm feeling now.”

Wearing a regal purple-coloured shirt, Federer was relaxed and composed right from the start of the pair’s 29th meeting. Having practised with Severin Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain, three hours earlier, Federer’s game was fluent as he played on the baseline to dictate the early exchanges. Djokovic, by contrast, found himself pinned in the Ad court, leaving half the court exposed. Through the first four games, Federer had hit six forehand winners, having broken Djokovic to love for a 2-0 lead.

“I was just trying to hang in there,” said Djokovic, on being 0-3 down in the first set. “It's not the first time that Roger [has] started against me so well. I've experienced before his aggression, really trying to put his mark on the match. I didn't know in which direction the match would really go, but I tried to convince myself that I would make a turnaround and I will fight."

In a seven-minute fourth game, Djokovic withstood a stern examination to stay in touch. Perspiring heavily, he conjured up the confidence and discipline to break back for 2-3, after Federer hit a backhand long at 30/40. In the eighth game, lasting nine minutes and 20 seconds, Federer committed six unforced errors, mainly on his forehand wing, and failed to convert four game points before Djokovic broke serve. Both players were deliberately engaging one another in backhand rallies as each attempted to establish their baseline dominance.

“I think there were too many [turning points] to really pinpoint one because any one of them, obviously, could have thrown the match into a different direction again in the first, and in the second, too,” admitted Federer. “More so in the first maybe because there were more twists and turns. Maybe [I have] a bit of regret because I had the lead twice, first before him.”

Federer fortuitously capitalised on a lapse in concentration to break back and the set was decided on a tie-break. Interestingly, Federer had won the first set on 20 occasions in their previous clashes. This time, Djokovic was in the ascendancy. Federer recovered from a 0-2 deficit and saved set point at 5-6 in an extraordinary rally, which saw the Swiss lunge and showcase his athletic prowess for a forehand winner, hit close to the net, past a motionless Djokovic. Federer mis-timed a backhand at 6-6 and Djokovic clinched the set in 72 minutes with his 11th winner, a forehand into space. The Serbian has never lost to Federer after winning the first set.

Federer regrouped immediately. The two-time reigning champion battled to win his fourth break point in a 14-minute opening game to the second set, as Djokovic committed five unforced errors to lose his serve. Federer won his service games was relative ease until the eighth game, when Djokovic created one break point opportunity. Although he failed to convert it, he was left to rue missing a short forehand that had bounced up off the net.

Djokovic stayed in touch and then benefitted from four straight errors, after Federer led 40/15 and two set point chances. Fired up, Djokovic screamed in celebration as he levelled at 5-5 after Federer struck a forehand long. Djokovic went onto win his third straight game as the pressure, and the crowd’s focus, shifted to Federer to remain in the match. Federer committed his 19th unforced error of the set (and 42nd of the final) at 30/30, as Djokovic gained championship point. Djokovic fired a backhand pass down the line at 30/40 and pumped his chest as a capacity 17,800 spectators erupted in applause. It was his 30th winner of the encounter. "I managed to deliver my best game when it was needed the most,” said Djokovic on the dramatic finale.

“Today we had times where we had longer rallies, we had times where we had shorter rallies,” said Federer. “Like I mentioned, I think we had some great stuff out there. It was good playing such points. I think the quality was good. I shouldn't have been broken as often as I was broken today. But then again, that obviously has something to do with Novak, as well. It was extremely close today.”

Djokovic improved to 34-19 in tour-level finals after going 5-0 in match play this week. He opened his fifth straight season-ending campaign on Monday, with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. On Wednesday, he rallied past Andy Murray 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in their seventh meeting of year (leads 4-3) and on Friday beat Tomas Berdych 6-2, 7-6(6). In the semi-finals, he came back to defeat Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Federer, making his 11th appearance, was attempting to become the first player since Ivan Lendl to win three season-ending championship titles in a row (1985-87). The 2003-04, 2006-07, 2010-11 champion has a 42-9 tournament record. He was also looking to capture his 77th crown, which would have tied him at No. 3 with John McEnroe in the all-time title-leaders list.

This year, the 31-year-old Swiss compiled a 6-4 record in finals, including his seventh title at Wimbledon (d. Murray) and three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. He had a 71-12 match record.
 
#208 ·
DAVIS CUP 2012
Radek Stepanek clinched the 100th Davis Cup final for the Czech Republic Sunday after defeating Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the decisive fifth rubber in Prague. It is the Czechs’ second Davis Cup triumph, and their first as an independent nation, having won the coveted ITF men’s team trophy for the first time under the Czechoslovakia flag in 1980 in a team led by Ivan Lendl.

David Ferrer had drawn defending champion Spain level at 2-2 after defeating Tomas Berdych in straight sets, but Stepanek held his nerve to edge Almagro 6-4, 7-6(0), 3-6, 6-3 in three hours and 52 minutes.

"I was dreaming about it my whole life and now we're standing here as Davis Cup champions, it's amazing," said Stepanek. "I had a lot of chances in the second set. I was playing very aggressive today; I wanted to be the one who was more active. Even though I lost the third set, I had no doubt about my tactics. I came on the court with a mindset that I had to stay calm, hungry and concentrated. That's what I did tremendously well today."

Playing his third match of the weekend, having crucially won the doubles rubber with Berdych in four sets on Saturday to give the Czechs a 2-1 lead, Stepanek took the opening set against Almagro with a service break in the 10th game, attacking the Spaniard’s second serve to force an error.

Almagro put Spain back in contention in the second set as he fought off three break points on his own serve before breaking Stepanek to lead 3-2. The Murcia native’s lead was short-lived, though, as Stepanek hit back to level at 4-4. Almagro went onto save three set points, one in the 10th game and two in the 12th game, but he had no answer to Stepanek’s aggression in the tie-break. The 33-year-old Czech was rampant and a backhand winner won the breaker 7-0 for a commanding two-set lead.

Stepanek squandered a 0/40 chance on Almagro’s serve at the start of the third set and was made to rue his missed opportunity as the Spaniard broke for a 4-2 lead before going onto claim the set. Stepanek quickly extinguished Spanish hopes of a comeback, though, breaking for a 3-0 in the fourth set. Almagro saved a match point with a backhand overhead in the eighth game, but Stepanek closed it out on serve as Almagro netted a backhand.

Ferrer had kept Spanish hopes alive earlier in the day by producing a masterclass to dismiss World No. 6 Berdych 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The 30-year-old Ferrer recorded an ATP World Tour-best 76th match win of the season and remained undefeated in Davis Cup play in 2012. Spain was contesting the Davis Cup final for the fourth time in five years and was bidding to win the title for the sixth time since 2000.
 
#209 ·
HOPMAN CUP 2013
Spain are the Hyundai Hopman Cup 2013 champions in the event’s 25th year after defeating Serbia 2-1 in the final at the Perth Arena.

In front of 12,518 people, the Spanish duo of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Fernando Verdasco combined to defeat Ana Ivanovic and world No.1 Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 in the mixed doubles to clinch the title. Spain has now won the Hopman Cup four times, they were also champions in 2010, 2002 and 1990.

For Medina Garrigues, there was elation at winning the title as a back injury threatened her tournament.

“It’s one of the best [wins], well I win a Roland Garros doubles it was really exciting also, but here I did not expect to get in the final and then win so I’m really happy,” said Medina Garrigues who played a key role in Spain’s victory, a sentiment shared by her on-court partner.

“I think she [played] a big part of this Hopman Cup,” said Verdasco. “She won three singles matches, unbelievable important and she play really good mixed to help me. I cannot win alone of course and like she is a really good doubles player and you can see it out there in the mixed.

“It was an unbelievable week. I enjoyed it a lot to play with her and an amazing doubles win … and one of the greatest moments of my career winning here today.”

The night started well for Serbia when Djokovic defeated Verdasco 6-4 7-5 to give Serbia the lead.

But in a tight women’s singles match, Medina Garrigues surprised the in-form Ivanovic 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 to level the tie at 1-1. Medina Garrigues was at her defensive best, chasing down everything and forcing Ivanovic to work for every point.

The victory set up a tense mixed doubles match that would decide the winner of the mixed doubles teams event.

Spain drew first blood, breaking the Serbian duo in the third game only to be broken back the next game. But there was more to come – another two breaks for Spain and one for Serbia came as the Spaniards took the first set 6-4.

Both teams tightened their play in the second set but it was the Spaniards who looked the more convincing, their experience telling as they combined to repel the surging Serbians.

Chances to break in the second set were presented to each team, but the only break for the set came in the 11th game when the Spaniards found the combination to Ivanovic’s serve.

Medina Garrigues coolly served out the match to hand Spain the title. The win was extra sweet for her as she was part of the losing Spanish team in 2007.

“I’m really happy that I won with Fernando,” said Medina Garrigues after the match. “Without him this doubles was going to be almost impossible.”

“I think she won both balls,” joked Verdasco. “She won almost all her matches in singles and all the mixed doubles this year. You’re the winner. I don’t know what I’m doing here. It was absolutely a pleasure for me to play with her.”

The final was a fitting finale to a week that has seen 104,464 people attend the event at the new Perth Arena.
 
#210 ·
BRISBANE 2013
World No. 3 Andy Murray began his 2013 ATP World Tour season by winning a second-straight Brisbane International title, dispatching Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(0), 6-4 on Sunday.

Murray earned $78,800 and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points while Dimitrov earned $41,540 and 150 points.

Murray, who dedicated the win to a sick friend, credited Dimitrov for playing aggressively and with a lot of variety. "He plays a lot of different shots, which is tough to play against because you're kept off balance a lot of the time," he said.

The Scot said that he was pleased to start 2013 with an ATP World Tour title, adding that the coming week of training would be important to his preparation for the year's first Grand Slam.

"I hope that the Australian Open goes a bit better for me than it did last year," mulled Murray, who lost to Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set semi-final. "I do feel more relaxed one week out from slam than I have done previously, that's for sure, so I hope that's a good sign."

Unshaken after being broken in his opening service game, which included a double fault, the top seed saved a set point at 5-6 to force a tie-break against 21 year old Dimitrov, who was bidding to become the first Bulgarian ATP World Tour title winner in the Open Era.

Murray played the perfect tie-break, claiming it 7-0 with an ace on set point.

In the second set, Murray won three successive games trailing 3-4 to seal the victory, which extended his FedEX ATP Head2Head lead over Dimitrov to 2-0.

It's the sixth time the Scot has managed a title defence and it was his 25th tour-level singles title.

Dimitrov, who began the week at No. 48 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is projected to rise to a career-high No. 39 on Monday.

The right-hander said he wasn't overwhelmed with nerves entering ATP World Tour final, and described Murray as one of the sport's best returners. "He's a top guy, so he has his rhythm, his routine on court. He pulled out some really, really good shots when he had to so I didn't feel that I was far, far from winning the set or even the match," he said.

The Bulgarian believes he needs more time on the ATP World Tour before delivering results which feature him in the final weekend of a major. “I think I still need couple of years on the tour to get stronger and be able to hang with these guys all weeks, and especially playing best of five sets,” he said.
 
#211 ·
DOHA 2013
World No. 10 Richard Gasquet overcame a set and a break deficit to defeat Nikolay Davydenko 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final on Saturday in Doha.

“I'm really happy with the way I played and fought,” said Gasquet. “He was playing fast in the first set. I just try to keep focused and to fight a lot, and I did it. I’m really happy with the way I won. It's important for me to win the final.”

The victory marks Gasquet’s eighth ATP World Tour title and his third hard-court triumph. He is the fourth Frenchman to win the title, joining Fabrice Santoro (2000), Nicolas Escude (2004) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2012). He earns $180,600 and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points.

Davydenko, the 2010 champion, looked to be in command, holding a 6-3, 4-2 lead and two break points. But Gasquet managed to recover and Davydenko was then broken for the first time in the tournament. After levelling the match, the second-seeded Gasquet went on to break the Russian three times in the final set to prevail in two and a half hours. He improved to 4-2 against Davydenko in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

“I think I was a little bit fresher than him in the third set, but he was playing so fast [that] he could break me in the second game in the third [set], so [anything] could happen,” Gasquet said. “He could win, too. We were so close together, so it was a big match, a big fight.”

The 31-year-old Davydenko was bidding to win his first title since 2011, when he was victorious at the BMW Open in Munich. He dropped to a 21-7 record in tour-level finals. The former World No. 3 upset fourth seed Mikhail Youzhny and fifth-ranked David Ferrer en route to the title match.

“I tried to concentrate, but I did some mistakes and already it was tough,” said Davydenko. “The third set, again [I was] trying, but my legs [were} not moving good. He played very well. Physically, he [was] much better.”
 
#212 ·
CHENNAI 2013

Janko Tipsarevic captured the Aircel Chennai Open title on his sixth visit to the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tennis tournament.

The second-seeded Serbian defeated Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in one hour and 50 minutes on Sunday to lift his fourth ATP World Tour trophy (4-7 in finals).

Tipsarevic received a cheque for $69,500 and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points, while Bautista Agut took home $36,650 in prize money and 150 points.

“I was mentally stable and was not worried when I was one set down," said Tipsarevic. "I didn’t play my best tennis in every match this week, but I am happy to win the title. I really wanted to win this tournament as it is my sixth time here.

“This match was pretty similar to my semi-final win over Aljaz Bedene. I was too passive in the first set and I was relying on Roberto making mistakes in his first ATP World Tour final. I was hoping he would be anxious. I gave him too much time to swing on his forehand. The only way I won, was to step closer to the baseline and I needed to move him around. Physically, as the match wore on, he became tired.”

Bautista Agut didn’t appear to be suffering from nerves early on in his first ATP World Tour final. He got off to the best possible start by taking a 3-0 lead after 11 minutes of play. He won 22 of his first service points, never facing a break point, to clinch the first set in 36 minutes.

Tipsarevic, who was runner-up to Milos Raonic in last year’s memorable title match, responded immediately and ran through the second set. Bautista Agut won seven points in the first five games. Tipsarevic leveled the score-line after converting his fourth set point opportunity.

In the decider, Tipsarevic broke for a 2-1 lead after a lengthy third game. He maintained the advantage and broke Bautista Agut a second time to 30 to seal victory and lift his first ATP World Tour title since July 2012 at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart.

“I was serving really well and playing my best tennis against Janko in the first set, but then I couldn’t keep it up throughout the match," said Bautista Agut. “I improved a lot last year and won a lot of matches, which gave me confidence and experience. I worked hard in the pre-season, with a lot of motivation, and did well this week.”

Bautista Agut had been attempting to become the first unseeded champion and first first-time titlist in Chennai since Czech Michal Tabara in 2001.
 
#213 ·
SYDNEY 2013
Bernard Tomic delighted the home support at the Apia International Sydney on Saturday night as he captured his maiden ATP World Tour title with a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3 victory over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson.

"It's an amazing feeling," said Tomic. "Now that I know what it feels like to win a tournament and it's the best feeling in the world. I'm so happy I won. To do it here in Sydney is awesome. I can't ask for anything better. I'm so proud of myself. Can't stop here now. I've got to look to the next tournament and keep playing the tennis I've been playing.

“It's my first title, and I know I'll win a lot more if I keep this attitude up,” continued Tomic. “I'm happy for this year now. I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to Melbourne. I feel unstoppable. I feel like I'm playing great tennis. It's amazing stepping on court. You're so confident. That's going to be taken down to Melbourne and I'm going to use that for every match I play there.”

Tomic is set to return to the Top 50 at around World No. 43 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with the title, which earned him 250 ranking points and $78,800 in prize money. The 20 year old reached a career-high of World No. 27 in June last year.

Gold Coast native Tomic is the ninth different Australian to win the Sydney title in the Open Era, the first to do so since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 (d. Minar). He has a 20-10 tour-level record on home soil, highlighted also by a run to the Australian Open fourth round last year, when he fell to Roger Federer.

Tomic’s victory in his first final bucked the trend of 2012, which saw players trying for their first ATP World Tour trophy go 1-15 in finals, with Martin Klizan at the St. Petersburg Open the only exception.

The 26-year-old Anderson had saved two match points in the semi-finals against Julien Benneteau and hung tough to stay competitive with Tomic in the final, saving nine of 11 break points. Tomic got the key break in the eighth game of the third set, courtesy of a costly double fault from Anderson, before serving out in just under two hours.

“He's not easy to play. I was lucky I got that double fault in the third set, because anything could have happened after that,” said Tomic. “I did play well off the ground. I served pretty good, but he was serving outstanding. Third set was epic. I think under pressure I played really good tennis."

World No. 36 Anderson was chasing his third ATP World Tour title and dropped to a 2-2 finals record; his victories came in Johannesburg (d. Devvarman) in 2011 and Delray Beach (d. Matosevic) in 2012.
 
#214 ·
AUCKLAND 2013
World No. 5 David Ferrer tied Roy Emerson’s record of four Auckland titles on Saturday, defeating second seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6(5), 6-1 in the Heineken Open final. It's the second time Ferrer has won a tournament in three successive seasons, adding to his current run at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco (2010-2012).

Ferrer is the second repeat winner this season, joining Andy Murray, who successfully retained his Brisbane International crown. The triumph marks Ferrer's 19th ATP World Tour title and he improved to 17-3 in finals against opposition ranked outside the Top 10.

“I’m really happy, because I did a new record for my career. It’s really nice to win one ATP tournament, but four times is very difficult,” said Ferrer. “I think the first set was the key. He served to win the first set, but he didn’t take his chance. I tried to fight for every point and in the important moments, I was there. In the tie-break, I played better.”

The 30-year-old Spaniard was down a break of serve twice in the opening set, including at 4-5, when Kohlschreiber served for it. But after denying the German and winning the tie-break, the top-seeded Ferrer stepped on the gas to seal the win in 78 minutes. He improved to 7-3 against Kohlschreiber, beating him for the second straight year at the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court event.

Kohlschreiber was aiming to become the sixth player to capture multiple titles in Auckland, having lifted the 2008 trophy. He dropped to a 4-4 record in finals. His latest success came on home soil this past May, where he won the BMW Open in Munich (d. Cilic).

“Twice, I was a break up and had a good opportunity to take the set,” Kohlschreiber said. “I played really well, but I think after winning the first set, he missed almost nothing. He returned everything and my level dropped a bit. It’s very tough to play against him. The second set is a good example of him being too good all over the place… Overall, it was a great week. I really enjoyed it. It’s not every week I play in a final.”
 
#215 ·
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2013
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic became the first man in the Open Era to win three successive Australian Open titles after rallying from behind to defeat No. 3 Andy Murray 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday night in Melbourne. Djokovic was presented with the trophy by Andre Agassi.

The Serbian captured his sixth Grand Slam championship. He won his first major title at the Australian Open in 2008 (d. Tsonga) and followed with titles at Melbourne Park in 2011 (d. Murray) and 2012 (d. Nadal) and at Wimbledon (d. Nadal) and the US Open (d. Nadal) in 2011. He is the third man in the Open Era to win four Australian Open titles, joining Agassi and Roger Federer.

"Winning it three [times] in a row, it's incredible," said Djokovic. "It's very thrilling. I'm full of joy right now. It's going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, that's for sure."

Djokovic improved to an 11-7 record over Murray in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, avenging the five-set defeat he suffered to the Scot in last year’s US Open final. As well as defeating Murray in the 2011 Australian Open final, he also denied the Dunblane native in a pulsating five-set semi-final clash in Melbourne last year.

In the three-hour, 40-minute final, Djokovic came close to a two-set deficit, but fought back strongly to beat Murray. After surviving a 0/40 deficit in the second game of the second set, the Serb clinched the second-set tie-break and began to distance himself from Murray. Djokovic did not lose serve throughout.

"When you play one of your biggest rivals and somebody that is in top form in the finals of a Grand Slam, there is a lot to play for," said Djokovic. "I think it went two hours, 20 minutes, the first two sets. I think that says enough about the intensity of the match.

"There were a few turning points in the match. Maybe one of them was the second game in the second set when I was 0/40 against the breeze. He missed a few shots. I managed to have that crucial hold. After that I felt just mentally a little bit lighter and more confident on the court than I had done in the first hour or so."

DjokovicBoth Murray and Djokovic came through testing matches to reach the final in Melbourne. The top-seeded Djokovic survived a five-set battle with Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round, edging the Swiss 12-10 after five hours of play, while Murray defeated second seed Roger Federer in five sets in the semi-finals.

Murray was attempting to become the first player to back up his first Grand Slam title with victory at the following major championship. The 25-year-old Scot ended Great Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion when he triumphed at the US Open in September. He was contesting his third consecutive Grand Slam final, having finished runner-up to Roger Federer at Wimbledon last year.

"At this level it can come down to just a few points here or there," said Murray. "Probably my biggest chance was at the beginning of the second set; didn't quite get it. When Novak had his chance at the end of the third, he got his. When you go two sets to one down, you really need to get off to a good start the beginning of the fourth set because most of the guys at the top of the game, when they get a lead and momentum, it's tough to stop them."

Murray lost out in the final at Melbourne Park for the third time. In addition to his defeat to Djokovic in 2011, he was beaten by Federer in 2010. The right-hander has a 1-5 record in major finals, having also fallen to Federer in the 2008 US Open title match.
 
#216 ·
MONTPELLIER 2013
Richard Gasquet became the first two-time ATP World Tour titlist of the season on Sunday.

The third seed improved his ATP World Tour-best match record to 14-1 in 2013 with a victory 6-2, 6-3 over fellow Frenchman and eighth seed Benoit Paire in the Open Sud de France final, which lasted 69 minutes.

“I feel very happy and relieved to win here in Montpellier in front of my friends and family. Since the tournament has been here, it’s been an objective to lift the trophy. I was really disappointed last year when I lost in the quarter-finals. Defeating Gael [Monfils] in a difficult match earlier this week put me in the right direction towards the title.

“I realise this is my best season start ever and I just want to keep going and stay healthy. I am leaving tomorrow to Rotterdam, then Marseille, which is also an important tournament in France for me.”

Gasquet, who also won the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title (d. Davydenko) last month, improved to a 9-10 record in title matches. He received €74,000 and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points. Paire, now 0-2 in finals, earned €39,000 and 150 Emirates ATP Ranking points.

Gasquet got off to a strong start, breaking Paire in the first and seventh games. The World No. 10 dropped just two of his service points in the 23-minute set. In the second set, there were three straight breaks of serve. Gasquet could not convert one match point on Paire’s serve at 3-5, advantage, but he did so at the second time of asking.

“The circumstances here are totally different for me, from the rest of the weeks on the tour, because I sleep at home in Bezier and I drive back and forth every day [40 minutes away]," said Gasquet. "It’s a totally different feeling than lifting a trophy in a different country far away. Also, I know and meet so many people I used to play with when I was younger. I feel I have played against the entire stadium!"

Gasquet won three three-set matches against Gael Monfils, Julien Benneteau and Jarkko Nieminen en route to his 19th final this week. This week, he had his serve broken 10 times and hit 28 aces in total.

“It’s a positive week overall for me,” said Paire. “I am a bit disappointed about today’s performance but Richard is a very strong player, with a very unique style, and there was nothing I could do today. I felt a bit stressed out before the final, due to the special circumstances of the match, but these are all positive experiences and I am learning a lot from them. I am very happy to have reached the final, I could have lost against Steve Darcis if it wasn’t for a miraculous let ball on the match point against me.

“It’s nice that it has happened here in Montpellier in front of my parents, who don’t often get to see me play. I grew up not far away from here and used to play all the small tournaments around here. I know I have improved a lot in my attitude and it was important this week to show my parents I am no longer the Benoit who goes crazy and breaks racquets. I really needed them to see how I have changed and I need to keep going. I feel I am on the right track if I stay calm and focused.”
 
#217 ·
ZAGRAB 2013
Marin Cilic won his third PBZ Zagreb Indoors title on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jurgen Melzer of Austria in the final, which lasted 67 minutes. The Croatian now has a 9-7 record in ATP World Tour finals.

Cilic, who is currently No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, also lifted the trophy in 2009 (d. Ancic) and 2010 (d. Berrer). He has a 17-4 record at the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament.

“Most of my game was working extremely well," said Cilic. "My returns were really good and I had a read on almost all of his serves. I took my chances and defended well. Overall, I played a great match from beginning to the end.”

Cilic received €74,000 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points, while 31-year-old Melzer earned €39,000, 150 points and dropped to a 4-8 mark in title matches.

“He was the better player today," said Melzer. "I needed it to be close at 4-all, 5-all in the first set to give me confidence. That didn’t happen and he ran away with it. I felt like I was hitting the ball really well at the beginning, but he hit the ball even better.

“What made the difference in the first few games is that he had free points on serve, whereas I had to work for them: hit a winner or play well so he missed. He deserved the victory.”

Melzer recorded his 300th match win on Friday over Lukas Rosol in the quarter-finals. Three of his four ATP World Tour titles have come indoors at 2009 Vienna (d. Cilic), 2010 Vienna (d. Haider-Maurer) and 2012 Memphis (d. Raonic).

This week, Cilic hit 33 aces, saved nine of 14 break points and converted 15 of 30 break point chances. The 24 year old now has a 9-2 record on the season.
 
#218 ·
CHILE 2013
World No. 73 Horacio Zeballos denied top seed Rafael Nadal a triumphant end to his first comeback event, topping the 11-time Grand Slam champion 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-4 to capture his first ATP World Tour trophy.

Zeballos notched his first Top 10 win in three attempts and in the process became the first left-handed player to defeat Nadal on red clay. He is the second first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, joining Australian Bernard Tomic, who triumphed on home soil at the Apia International Sydney.

“It's a dream for me,” said Zeballos. “To be able to play a final against Nadal was already good enough for me. It's a moment that will stay in my memory for the rest of my life.”

The 27-year-old Zeballos did not advance beyond the second round at any of the tour-level events he entered in 2012, but knocked off four seeded opponents this week en route to the title. In addition to Nadal, Zeballos upset fourth seed Pablo Andujar, fifth seed Albert Ramos and eighth seed Carlos Berlocq.

“I've worked really hard because I really wanted to be at this level,” Zeballos said. “For some months, I've been playing at a high level and I think I'm at the best moment of my career. I'm very strong physically and psychologically.”

Nadal reached the final on his season debut, returning to action following a seven-month absence to nurse a left knee injury. He lost just his fifth clay-court final in 41 title matches and was seeking his 51st crown overall.

“It was a great tournament for me,” assessed Nadal. “If we take everything, it was positive. It's true I wanted to win the final but in wasn't possible. He made things better than me and I didn't play my best match.

“I just need to keep working, practising with hope, motivation and the right attitude to have better sensations every week. I hope it's the beginning of a lot of good things for me.”

In an exciting encounter, Nadal found himself in a battle from the start, facing two break points in his opening service game. He saved both and went on to take the first set in a tie-break. Zeballos remained composed and in the second set ‘breaker, he opened a 6-4 lead. Although Nadal fought back to get to 6-6, Zeballos won the next two points to level the match.

The Mallorcan broke Zeballos to love to begin the third set, but quickly relinquished his advantage, allowing Zeballos to get back on serve. The Argentine made more of an impact on return as the set intensified, and at 5-4, he surged ahead to a 0/40 lead. Zeballos converted his first match point to pull off the stunning victory in two hours and 46 minutes.
 
#219 ·
ROTTERDAM 2013
World No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro captured his 14th tour-level title on Sunday as he inflicted yet more ATP World Tour final heartache on Julien Benneteau in Rotterdam. The Argentine dealt Benneteau his eighth defeat in as many finals with a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

"It's amazing. I'm so happy to win this tournament,” said del Potro. “I played really well from the first round to the final. I think I played the way I needed to, to win this kind of tournament.”

The 24-year-old del Potro had finished runner-up at this ATP World Tour 500 indoor tournament last year (l. to Federer) and defeated Benneteau in one hour and 37 minutes to go one better. As victor, del Potro received 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points and €305,000 in prize money. He is the second Argentine to triumph in Rotterdam, following Guillermo Vilas in 1982.

Del Potro can count the 2009 US Open trophy among his collection. He won four titles last year, three of those indoors. The Tandil native improved to a 14-5 record in tour-level finals. He has a 67-32 record indoors (4-3 in finals).

The second-seeded Del Potro had not dropped serve in four matches this week, holding all 40 service games and saving the nine break points he had faced. That run came to an end instantly against Benneteau as the Frenchman broke for an early 2-0 lead in the final.

Del Potro quickly hit his stride and reeled off four straight games, but Benneteau fought back in the 10th game to break the Argentine and force a tie-break. Del Potro withstood the Frenchman’s challenge to take the first set in the tie-break and carried his momentum into the second set with an early service break to lead 3-0.

Benneteau rallied hard, but the biggest problem del Potro faced in the second set was an untimely nose bleed. Having missed four match points on Benneteau’s serve in the eighth game, del Potro needed a short break with medical assistance to stem his nose bleed, and was forced to serve out the match with a cotton wool plug. Undeterred, he closed out the victory with a love service game.

"I had been serving well all week, but at the beginning of the match I was nervous and he broke me,” said del Potro. “Then in the second set I felt confident on my first serve and didn't give him a chance to break me. I closed the match with a fantastic service game. He deserved to be in the final. He played a really good match today. He was fighting all the time and I think I did a very good job today."

"I have a big nose!" joked del Potro about the nose bleed he suffered. "Maybe it was nerves, getting close to finishing the match and winning the tournament. But it was not dangerous and I felt fine to close out the match at 5-3."

The 31-year-old Benneteau had stunned top seed and defending champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, recording his 200th tour-level win, before ousting fifth-seeded countryman Gilles Simon in the semi-finals. The Frenchman has a 10-5 record on the season, having also reached the Apia International Sydney semi-finals (l. to Anderson) and the quarter-finals last week at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier (l. to Gasquet).

"I fought hard to come back in the first set," said Benneteau. "I was always under pressure, I had to save a lot of break points. It's difficult to keep that level of intensity all the time. He did that better than me.

"It was a good match. I was not too tight, I played my game. He was just too strong today. It's disappointing because it's a final, but I did what I could."
 
#220 ·
SAN JOSE 2013
World No. 13 Milos Raonic completed an remarkable run on Sunday in San Jose, defeating No. 4 seed Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3 to win his third consecutive title at the final staging of the SAP Open. Raonic finishes with a 12-0 event record, winning all 24 sets he played during his three-year reign.

“It’s pretty awesome. It’s pretty special,” said Raonic. “It’s more than just the trophies that I have. It’s the little things that come with it. There was always the maple syrup story. The San Jose Sharks jersey. It all means a lot. With this event, that has had so many great champions, it’s pretty special. To sort of one-up it and three-peat is pretty awesome.”

Raonic improved to a 4-3 record in ATP World Tour finals and successfully defended 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points. The Canadian became the first player in the Open Era to win three Bay Area titles in a row and first since Tony Trabert achieved the feat from 1953-55. He did not drop serve during his triumph this week, holding in all 39 games.

The top-seeded Raonic never found himself in trouble on serve against Haas. He fired 19 aces, won 29 of his 32 first serve points and did not face a break point. Raonic closed out the victory by breaking Haas for the third time in the final game to win the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting in 75 minutes.

“I think the thing I’ve really focused on is the second serve return,” Raonic said. “I think in the beginning he wasn’t missing many first serves but I was able to put a lot of pressure on his second serve, and then put more pressure on his first serve later in the match. I was able to stay aggressive. I was seeing it well. I don’t think I could have returned much better.”

Haas was contesting his first final in San Jose on his eighth tournament appearance. The 34 year old was aiming to become the first German to lift the trophy. He dropped to 13-12 in tour-level finals.

“There was nothing I could have done. I didn’t play a bad match. I just came up against a guy who played phenomenal tennis today,” said Haas. “He didn’t give me any looks on his serve. All the credit to him for that. He served extremely well. He has a lot of confidence. He took risks when he had to and got rewarded for it. That’s his game and that’s what makes him so tough.”

The SAP Open bids farewell after celebrating a 125-year run. The event was first hosted in 1889.
 
#221 ·
BRASIL OPEN 2013
Top seed Rafael Nadal clinched his 37th clay-court title on Sunday as he defeated David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Brasil Open 2013 in Sao Paulo.

It is the Spaniard’s first trophy since winning at Roland Garros (d. Djokovic) in June 2012. He returned last week from a seven-month injury lay-off by reaching the singles (l. to Zeballos) and doubles (w/Monaco) finals at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar.

“It's very nice and important because at the end of your career what’s left are the titles, and depending on certain moments there are some titles that you appreciate very much,” said Nadal. “This one I appreciate it the most because of all the struggles I went through during the week, with some problems with my knee some days.”

The 26-year-old Nadal won his first indoor clay-court tournament as he improved to a 51-22 record in tour-level finals. The left-hander received 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $82,300 in prize money.

It is the second time Nadal has won this ATP World Tour 250 tournament. On his only previous appearance in 2005, when the tournament was staged outdoors in Costa do Sauipe, the Mallorcan triumphed with victory over Alberto Martin.

Playing against former World No. 3 Nalbandian for the seventh time, Nadal reeled off four straight games from 2-2 to take the opening set. The Manacor native then rallied from a 0-2 deficit in the second set to win six of the last seven games and claim victory in 78 minutes. He improved to a 5-2 lead over Nalbandian in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

"[It’s] true, David didn’t play very well, but in general I played my best match of the week,” Nadail said. “I am very happy, to win in Brazil for the second time, it's wonderful. In 2005 it was the beginning of all these last beautiful years. I hope this will be a re-start.”

The 31-year-old Nalbandian dropped to an 11-13 finals record. The Argentine was contesting his first clay-court final in almost five years, since finishing runner-up at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco in 2008 (l. to Almagro).

“I don’t think I played my best match of the week today. I think Rafa played better, he played deep,” assessed Nalbandian. “I was struggling to take the initiative during the points and although I had that lead in the second set, I couldn’t capitalise on it... I feel good because after a long time not playing, I reached the final in Sao Paulo.
 
#222 ·
MEMPHIS 2013
Fifth seed Kei Nishikori lifted his third ATP World Tour trophy on Sunday, dismissing Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships in Memphis.

“I’m very happy with the way I played today,” said Nishikori. “To win this title is an amazing feeling. I tried to concentrate on all the important points. I served really well this week. I was practising a lot and it’s getting better. Hopefully I can win a couple more titles. It’s been a good start to the year.”

The 22nd-ranked Nishikori did not drop a set en route to the title and is the first player from Japan to win the tournament. Two of Nishikori’s three titles have come at ATP World Tour 500 events. He triumphed on home soil at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships this past October in Tokyo (d. Raonic).

Meeting for the second time on the ATP World Tour, Nishikori quickly asserted himself as the in-form player, breaking Lopez to begin the match. In an all-around performance, the 23 year old won 79 per cent of his service points and converted four of his eight break point chances to claim victory in 67 minutes. Nishikori improved to 11-2 in 2013 and avenged his third-round loss to Lopez in Barcelona two years ago.

Lopez was looking to win his first crown since 2010, when he was victorious in Johannesburg (d. Robert). The Spaniard dropped to a 2-6 mark in ATP World Tour finals.

“I didn’t play a bad match. He was very aggressive from the beginning,” Lopez said. “I think he probably played his best. I have no regrets. I tried everything I could and he was just the better player today. I hope to keep playing like I did this week.”
 
#223 ·
MARSEILLE 2013
Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back from the brink of defeat for the second time this week on Sunday, saving a match point to beat top seed Tomas Berdych 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 for his 10th ATP World Tour title at the Open 13 in Marseille. Seven of Tsonga’s crowns have come indoors.

“This is a great victory,” said Tsonga. “I stayed in the match even when it was very difficult and waited for my chance. I survived and took my chance when it came. I’m very happy. This shows me that I’m on the right way. The draw was very strong here.

“He played better than me during the first half of the match, but then I played better than him. He served very well and I was maybe too close to the baseline in the beginning.”

With the win, Tsonga reversed a 1-4 FedEx ATP Head2Head record and three-match losing streak against Berdych. He became the first player to win an ATP World Tour title saving match point(s) in two different matches during the same tournament since Sam Querrey in Los Angeles in 2010. In the quarter-finals, the Frenchman also erased five match points to edge Bernard Tomic. World No. 8 Tsonga is the eighth different Top 10 player to lift a trophy in 2013.

Trailing 5-6 in the second set tie-break, Tsonga hit back-to-back aces to reach set point and he subsequently levelled the match. Tsonga broke Berdych for the first time to move ahead 2-1 in the third set and never looked back, tasting victory in two hours and 10 minutes. The home favourite finished with 17 aces to claim his second title in Marseille, adding to his triumph in 2009.

“This victory is different from the one in 2009. Back then I had some problems. Today I see that my work pays off,” Tsonga reflected. “The good thing was that I never gave up even if he played very well and didn’t make any mistakes. I really want to do well. I do everything every day to be at the top which also means a lot of sacrifice.”

Berdych was appearing in his first final of the year. The sixth-ranked Czech dropped to an 8-9 mark in tour-level finals.

“I had a few chances, but Jo was able to serve well in the moment,” said Berdych. “That’s the sport. Here, I lost three tie-breaks. This one was very important. But it happens.”
 
#224 ·
ARGENTINA 2013
World No. 4 David Ferrer successfully retained his title at the Copa Claro on Sunday in Buenos Aires, defeating third seed Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to clinch his 20th ATP World Tour trophy.

“I am very happy for this title. I cannot describe it with other words,” said Ferrer. “It’s very hard to win back-to-back titles, and this tournament in Buenos Aires is always very tough. I am very proud.”

In winning his 10th clay-court crown, Ferrer moved into a third place tie with Nikolay Davydenko and Roger Federer for the most titles on the surface among active players. The top seed repeated as champion for the second time this season, after winning his third successive title at the Heineken Open in Auckland (d. Kohlschreiber). Ferrer's title in Buenos Aires marked the fifth straight year a player from Spain won the event.

“Spanish tennis is going through a marvelous time,” Ferrer said. “In the last 10 to 15 years, there [have been] great tennis players. There are always a couple of players in the Top 10 and because of that, since 2009, there have been only Spanish players winning this tournament.”

After dropping the second set to Wawrinka, Ferrer regrouped to snatch back the momentum, winning the final five games of the match to prevail in one hour and 45 minutes. The 30-year-old Spaniard improved to 7-3 against Wawrinka in their FedEx ATP Head2Head Series. Ferrer has won 17 of his 19 matches in 2013.

Wawrinka was appearing in his first final since winning the Aircel Chennai Open in 2011. The Swiss was bidding to become the first player outside of South America and Spain to win the title in Buenos Aires since its inception in 2001.

“I think David was better today. He was a little bit stronger than me and he deserved the victory,” Wawrinka said. “But I'm really happy with my week. It was important to play well and win some great matches, especially the semi-final yesterday. It was a great week for me so I need to take the positives from that.”
 
#225 ·
DUBAI 2013
Novak Djokovic clinched his fourth title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday.

The World No. 1 recorded a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 6-ranked Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the evening final, which was watched by 5,000 spectators at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. The match lasted just over 90 minutes.

Djokovic extended his winning streak to 18 matches, which also includes last year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (d. Federer) and the Australian Open (d. Murray) in January. His last loss came to Sam Querrey in the BNP Paribas Masters second round on 31 October 2012.

Djokovic, who also lifted the Dubai trophy in 2009 (d. Ferrer), 2010 (d. Youzhny) and 2011 (d. Federer), earned $429,600 in prize money and 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points. Berdych received $193,700 and 300 points.

“My serving today was great, [I had a] very high percentage of first serves, over 200 [kilometres per hour]," said Djokovic. "I really felt that I could rely on my serve. And in tough moments, that part of my game actually helped me to prevail. To be honest, I haven't played as aggressive and maybe as good as I have played in yesterday's match [versus Juan Martin del Potro] or previous matches during this week. But that's also because I had [my] toughest challenge.

“Tomas was obviously aggressive from the start and feeling confident after a win against Roger [Federer]. I backed it up and I was playing from my back foot a bit and giving him too much time to control the points. That resulted with a break down, and then he missed a few easy shots on break points first and second set that gave me the victory basically. I felt when I came from break down that I started believing in myself a little bit more. I hung in there and stayed tough. This is the important thing.”

Berdych broke Djokovic’s serve to 30 in the fifth game, passing the Serbian with a superb crosscourt forehand winner. But the Czech’s advantage was short-lived as he struck a routine forehand volley into the net on break point at 4-3, then was unable to convert three break point opportunities in the next game. The 51-minute first set ended with Berdych double faulting at 5-6, 15/40.

In the early stages of the second set Berdych tightened up his serve, while Djokovic quit attacking the net in favour of baseline battles. Berdych squandered a two-point lead on Djokovic’s serve at 3-3. It was the closest he came to breaking. In a lengthy eighth game, Djokovic broke decisively, and, with a little bit of a struggle, went onto close out his 28th match win in Dubai. He is now 36-19 in championship matches.

“I have been enjoying my time, always coming here with a big team, with family, friends," said Djokovic. "Everybody has been welcomed. This generosity of the people and from the organisation is always remembered. So this is definitely one of my favourite tournaments throughout the year. Winning it four times now is something that I definitely enjoy.”

Berdych admitted, “I was able to play the rallies with him quite well, especially from the baseline, and trying to hold him under the pressure. The beginning was really good, but this is just really [a] small step that was working for few games. Saying that I lost the match because I didn't volley that well wouldn't be fair. I mean there was two or three points, but, no, I wouldn't see that as the deciding moment or deciding points.”

Berdych has now lost all 12 of his hard-court meetings with Djokovic. He was the first Czech play to reach the Dubai final since Jiri Novak in 2003. He saved three match points in a 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 win over second seed and five-time champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals on Friday night.

Berdych dropped to 8-10 in tour-level doubles final. Six days ago, he finished runner-up at the Open 13 in Marseille (l. to Tsonga). He has a 14-4 match record on the season.
 
#226 ·
ACAPULCO 2013
Second seed Rafael Nadal crafted his most impressive performance of the season Saturday evening in Acapulco, dethroning three-time defending champion David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2 to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel title.

Since returning from a seven-month absence with a left knee injury in February, Nadal has won 12 of his 13 matches to open his comeback season. He began by finishing runner-up at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar (l. to Zeballos) before triumphing at the Brasil Open 2013 in Sao Paulo (d. Nalbandian). Saturday’s victory over Ferrer marked Nadal's 38th clay-court trophy, with seven coming against Ferrer. The Mallorcan also won the Acapulco crown on his event debut in 2005.

"This was a great week for me and today I played exceptionally well, I dominated the game against the world No. 4 and couldn't be happier, especially when I think where I am coming from," said Nadal. "Perhaps the conditions were in my favour but I feel it was maybe one of the best matches of my career."

Nadal never allowed Ferrer to get involved in the highly anticipated final, as he claimed the first eight games. The 11-time major champion broke his countryman five times from eight opportunities, winning 58 per cent of his return points. He closed out the victory in just 65 minutes to improve his FedEX ATP Head2Head series with Ferrer to a 17-4 mark.

The left-hander will play an exhibition match against Juan Martin del Potro on Monday before contesting the season's first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells. "It's a tournament that I love and one of the best events in the year. My knee responded well this week and I really hope it will continue this way," said Nadal.

Ferrer was aiming to retain a trophy for the third time in 2013. The 30 year old successfully defended titles at the Heineken Open in Auckland (d. Kohlschreiber) and the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires (d. Wawrinka). He dropped to a 20-16 record in tour-level finals.

"I wish I could have played a better match but I never found my rhythm. You have good days and bad days," mused the right-hander. "Rafa played really well and I couldn't do much, and never had any chance [but] I leave with a positive feeling," Ferrer added.
 
#227 ·
DELRAY BEACH 2013
Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis defeated 105th-ranked Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6(3), 6-3 to lift his second trophy at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Sunday. At No. 109 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Gulbis won eight matches en route to his third ATP World Tour title: three in qualifying and five in the main draw.

“I'm really happy. I worked hard,” said Gulbis, who now dashes across country to Indian Wells, California, to play qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open. “These last nine days were tough. I had a match almost every day, except one day when it rained, so I'm exhausted now. It's my favourite tournament. It's the only tournament in the world I am winning.”

Having won their previous three meetings on the ATP Challenger Tour, the Latvian opened with a 2-0 lead before Roger-Vasselin settled into the match. The Frenchman held set point when serving at 5-4, but couldn’t capitalise. From there, Gulbis increased in confidence on serve, and went on the close out the victory in one hour and 36 minutes.

The match-up marked the first time two players ranked outside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings contested an ATP World Tour final since 2007 in Houston (No. 108 Karlovic d. No. 156 Zabaleta). Gulbis is the first qualifier to win a tour-level trophy in more than a year. Jarkko Nieminen was the last player to achieve the feat at the Apia International Sydney in January 2012.

Gulbis, the 2010 titlist, improved to a 3-0 record in ATP World Tour finals and became the fourth multiple title winner at the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court event, joining Jan-Michael Gambill (2001, 2003), Jason Stoltenberg (1996-97) and Xavier Malisse (2005, 2007). He is the third qualifier to triumph in Delray Beach and his victory will see him rise 42 rankings places to No. 67.

“Everyone is really happy. We didn’t think it was going to happen so fast,” Gulbis said. “My coach felt I would go back into the Top 100 in April. I won eight matches in row here. It’s a really good start to the year.”

Roger-Vasselin was appearing in his first ATP World Tour final. His best previous tour-level result was five quarter-final showings.

“He deserved the win,” said Roger-Vasselin. “I thought I served pretty well. I had a set point but he made an unbelievable backhand winner. When you lose in a final, it’s tough, but it was a great week for me. It will give me confidence for the next tournament.”
 
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