So, Verkerk becomes the third title debutante this year after Davydenko and Lee... this can only be good for the depth in men's tennis.
It may be silly at times, but I quite like the way he visibly urges himself on during points even if it does result in a few odd faces pulled - and it certainly worked, considering he beat Enqvist, one of the best ever indoor players, the defending champion Sanguinetti, a fellow big server in Ljubicic and Kafelnikov, a former winner here with 26 titles to his name.