(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Kremlin Cup—Moscow, Russia
No. 6 seed Mikhail Youzhny overcame a sluggish start to capture his first title on home soil, defeating Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-4.
Tipsarevic, who won the first set on the strength of seven aces, immediately saw his momentum halted at the beginning of set two.
Youzhny regained his composure to reel off seven straight games, blitzing through the second set while maintaining control in set three with an opening break of serve.
The Russian's crafty backhand, which included slice and topspin versatility, dragged Tipsarevic to the edges of the court.
Tipsarevic maintained his focus in capturing his first career title by putting the pressure on Youzhny to serve out the match.
With four match points required to secure his fifth career title, Youzhny improved to 37-26 on the year, winning nine of his last 10 matches.
Youzhny's 14 aces and five breaks of serve overwhelmed Tipsarevic, who was competing in his first ATP World Tour final.
Youzhny's win in Moscow upheld Russia's dominance in the event. A Muscovite has won the Kremlin Cup each of the last six years, and 14 times since 1990.
"This is my most important title for sure, to win at home in front of family and friends is just incredible," said Youzhny.
"I had never played well here, I was always too nervous. If I can play well now and win under this pressure, it is very important for me."
"I had so many chances in the final set to win more easily," admitted Youzhny. "Two games lost from 0-40 on his serve. But I kept telling myself to go for it."
Tipsarevic, who was visibly disappointed with squandering a one set lead, spoke about his emotions in his post match presser.
"I am disappointed, I played good but not good enough," said Tipsarevic. "Misha played better and fully deserved to win. After the first set I got tired and Misha was fresher than me. However, I kept fighting until the end and did not hand it to him."
Tipsareivc, who fell to 26-23 on the season will now travel to Vienna, Austria to take part in the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy. Tipsarevic will face No. 8 seed John Isner in round one.
Youzhny will hope to carry over his fortune from Moscow,traveling to St. Petersburg for the second leg of the Russian circuit.
Youzhny, who will be the No. 1 seed in St. Petersburg, faces Andrey Golubev in first round action.
IF Stockholm Open—Sweden
Unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis captured his first singles title since February 2007 on Sunday, defeating Oliver Rochus 6-1, 7-5.
The one hour and 38 minute affair featured two breaks of serve by Baghdatis in the opening set, who converted on two of five opportunities.
Baghdatis, who won his third Challenger event of the season in Tashkent last week, withdrew his court positioning in the second set, allowing Rochus to stay close.
Rochus, who relied heavily on his backhand wing and consistent baseline play in the second set, remained optimistic of capturing his third career title.
However, it was Baghdatis, who placed the final dagger in Rochus' championship hopes, breaking the Belgium in the 11th game of the set.
Baghdatis set up his first match point with a backhand up-the-line, only to serve out the title on his 15th ace.
By contrast, Rochus, who stands at a diminutive 5'6" couldn't manage to hit a single ace. The Dion-Valmurt resident won a mere 60 percent of his first serve points, while committing four double faults.
"My serve didn't work as well as it had done earlier in the week today," confessed Roschus. "I had a few too many double faults and had a lower first serve percentage, which cost me a lot."
Rochus, who fell to 13-7 on the season, currently stands at No. 87 in the world.
"I came back well in the second set and there was not much in it," assessed Rochus.
"If I had served a bit better I think I could have maybe taken it into a third set. I think the serve was the difference today, but Marcos played very well. I can't complain with my week, but of course it's always disappointing to lose a final."
Rochus will now head to Lyon, France to compete in the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon. Rochus will face a qualifier in round one.
With his first main tour title of the season, Baghdatis improved his win-loss mark to 24-16 on the year, while pocketing €93,000 in prize money and 250 valuable ATP World Tour points.
"I played really well in the first set," said Baghdatis.
"It was important to get a good start, but then in the second set Olivier stepped it up. I was a bit lucky to win in two sets in the end. I wanted to win this so badly. It was my chance to win another title and I managed to find the solution to win."
"It's been a long time since I won an ATP tournament," expanded Baghdatis.
"The last one was in February 2007. I'm so happy right now. It's been a tough couple of years and this title came when I least expected it, so it's even better."
Baghdatis admitted that the rebuilding of his career, which saw him reach the top 10 in 2006 is far from over.
"I'll work hard in the offseason so I can start the year strong next year and try and be more consistent and play a full year. It's been a tough last two weeks for me—I've played 10 matches and won all of them so of course I am a bit tired now. I'm going to rest for a few days before playing my last tournament, a Challenger in South Korea."
That wraps up another week on tour. Please check back on Monday for daily coverage from next weeks events in St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Lyon.
Cheers.
Quotes courtesy of theatpworldtour.com
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