LONDON: Andy Murray claimed his 34th career title on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over un-seeded South African Kevin Anderson in the final of the grass-court Queen’s Club tournament.

Top-seeded Murray, who was contesting his 50th career final, also won the event in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and joins John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt as a four-time winner of the event.

It was Murray’s third title of the year, following victories in Munich and Madrid.

Earlier on Sunday, the third-ranked Murray completed a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) semi-final win over Serbia’s Viktor Troicki after rain stopped play on Saturday.

Anderson was playing his 10th career final and his first on grass. A win would have given him his 200th career victory.

Murray did not face a break point throughout the match but Anderson, who had dropped serve just once during the week, was broken once in each set.

Although Anderson had struck 96 aces during the week, he failed to produce the same firepower in the final, and his game lacked any other weapons to trouble Murray.

“I served extremely well and then, thankfully, when the chances came I managed to come up with some kind of instinctive shots,” Murray said. “I felt like once I got into the rallies I was doing really well.”

KERBER TARGETS WIMBLEDON AFTER DEBUT WIN IN BIRMINGHAM

BIRMINGHAM: Angelique Kerber suggested that she is back to her best in time for Wimbledon after lifting her first grass-court title in a compelling final against Karolina Pliskova in the Aegon Classic on Sunday.

The German’s 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win sets her up well for the Grand Slam starting in a week’s time and also prevented the Czech from taking over her place in the world’s top ten.

Pliskova has served 320 aces, more than any other woman this year, including 11 more here, but Kerber’s movement, tenacity, flat counter-hitting, and competitive nous managed to frustrate her dangerously improving 23-year-old opponent.

To achieve it she had to come from a set and a break of serve down in the second set, and then from 5-6 down in the decider plus the disappointment of losing a 5-3 lead, in a match which was intriguingly unpredictable.

“It was an amazing match, and for a final it was perfect,” Kerber, who beat German compatriot Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday’s semi-final, said.

“I’m proud of what I have achieved this week. I just tried to fight point by point and being able to win this will give me great confidence in my preparation [for Wimbledon].”

FEDERER RULES HALLE FOR EIGHTH TIME WITH SEPPI WIN

HALLE: Roger Federer won the Halle Open for a record-extending eighth time on Sunday by beating Italy’s Andreas Seppi 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 in a successful dress rehearsal on grass ahead of Wimbledon.

Defending champion Federer, who has now won Halle more times than any other tournament, captured his fourth title of the year after victories in Istanbul, Dubai and Brisbane to take his career haul to 86.

“It is a special moment for me, to win this tournament an eighth time,” the 17-times Grand Slam winner said courtside. “I have always enjoyed amazing support here all these year. I always enjoy it here and it is one of my favourite events.

“2013 was difficult, 2014 was better and now 2015 after this week is even better and I hope I can keep it up,” he said with Wimbledon starting on June 29.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2015

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