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GSTAAD (Switzerland), July 14: Spaniard Alex Corretja maintained his country’s exceptional record in the Swiss Open tennis championships Sunday when he won the title for the third time in five years, beating Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio 6-3 7-6 7-6.
Corretja, the champion in 1998 and 2000, added the 2002 trophy to his 15 previous career title successes as he swept his Latin American opponent aside with an enthusiastic performance on a cool and cloudy day in the Swiss Alps.
His win was the 10th by a Spanish player in the last 12 Swiss Opens, extending a record of outstanding success on the clay courts of Gstaad.
Compatriots Albert Costa (1996 and 1999), Felix Mantilla (1997) and Sergi Bruguera (1992, 1993 and 1994) have all been victorious since Emilio Sanchez began the streak in 1991.
In a final that lasted two hours and 52 minutes, Corretja was always in command and often exuded more energy and purpose than Gaudio who was still overcoming a heavy cold that had bothered him throughout the tournament.
Corretja had a chance to win when he was serving for the match at 5-3 in the third set after two and a half hours on court, but Gaudio broke back.
When Gaudio had a chance to win the set, he similarly made mistakes and failed.
Corretja’s victory extended his head-to-head record against Gaudio to 4-1.
Corretja’s victory earned him $78,450, taking his career earnings past $9.5 million dollars.
Earlier on Saturday, Corretja had to wait more than six hours before he finally beat the weather and his Czech opponent Radek Stepanek 7-5 6-1 to clinch a place in the final.
Heavy rain had forced the second semifinal to be delayed and eventually switched from the main court to the number one outside court under floodlights.
Stepanek had no answer to Corretja’s greater experience and accuracy in their first meeting on the ATP tour and the sight of the Czech slipping and falling into a heap on the baseline when Corretja served to win the match summed up their contest.
BRUSSELS: Unseeded Swiss teenager Myriam Casenova fought back from a set down on Sunday to win the WTA Women’s French Community Championships 4-6 6-2 6-1 against Spanish top seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.
The 17-year-old struggled initially to impose herself, losing her opening service game with three double faults.
Although leading 5-2 in the opening set, Sanchez-Vicario failed to convert four set points and allowed Casenova to claim the game.
The Spaniard made sure next time round but in the next two sets, youth triumphed over experience.
Casenova went on to win the first four games of the second set, using a mixture of volleys and double backhand shots.
“It was always a dream of mine to play against such a great player like Arantxa — and to win,” Casenova said.
Sanchez-Vicario, who missed Wimbledon because of exhaustion, looked sluggish as unforced errors crept into her game.
“I congratulate Myriam for a great match,” the 30-year-old Spaniard said. “I was quite tired but did I all could. It was a great tournament for me, especially reaching the finals.”
Sanchez-Vicario, four times grand slam winner, has struggled on the Tour this season, having been knocked out in the first round of the Australian and French Opens.
BASTAD (Sweden): Third seed Carlos Moya won the Swedish Open by beating Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui 6-3 2-6 7-5 in a close-fought battle on Sunday.
The Spaniard displayed a solid, aggressive game in the first set with some effective volleying, often dominating the second-seeded Moroccan by playing to his weaker backhand side.
He broke El Aynaoui’s opening service game to take a 3-0 lead, before both players held serve until Moya clinched the set.
Moya looked like he was heading for a straight sets victory when he broke El Aynaoui’s serve in the third game of the second set but the Moroccan raised his game winning five straight games to take the match into a decisive third.
But the final set saw Moya break El Aynaoui’s serve to lead 6-5 before the Spaniard finished in style serving out the match to love. — Reuters
