Juan Monaco reigns top in Malaysia
1 Oct 2012 1:00 AM GMT
Argentina’s Juan Monaco clinched his fourth title of the year on Sunday as he beat Julien Benneteau 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the Malaysian Open and maintain his hopes of reaching the ATP World Tour Finals.
The match lasted three hours and came a day after Monaco, the second seed and current world number 11, came through a tight semi-final against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Monaco’s first ever hardcourt win, after six previous victories on clay, keeps alive his campaign to reach the Tour Finals in November as one of the eight top-ranked players.
But it meant heartbreak once again for France’s Benneteau, 30, who appeared hampered by injury and has now lost seven ATP finals.
‘It was an excellent game and I will never forget the Malaysian Open as it has brought me my first hardcourt title,’ said Monaco, 28.
‘I saw Benneteau receiving treatment... but he still fought hard and never game up. I had to come out more aggressively in the third set and it helped me to get my first hard court title,’ said Monaco after his win.
RICHARD GASQUET WINS THAILAND OPEN
World No.14 Richard Gasquet overwhelmed Gilles Simon in an all-French singles final of the Thailand Open tennis Sunday.
Gasquet, needed little more than an hour to trounce fourth seed Simon 6-2, 6-1.
The match lasted three hours and came a day after Monaco, the second seed and current world number 11, came through a tight semi-final against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Monaco’s first ever hardcourt win, after six previous victories on clay, keeps alive his campaign to reach the Tour Finals in November as one of the eight top-ranked players.
But it meant heartbreak once again for France’s Benneteau, 30, who appeared hampered by injury and has now lost seven ATP finals.
‘It was an excellent game and I will never forget the Malaysian Open as it has brought me my first hardcourt title,’ said Monaco, 28.
‘I saw Benneteau receiving treatment... but he still fought hard and never game up. I had to come out more aggressively in the third set and it helped me to get my first hard court title,’ said Monaco after his win.
RICHARD GASQUET WINS THAILAND OPEN
World No.14 Richard Gasquet overwhelmed Gilles Simon in an all-French singles final of the Thailand Open tennis Sunday.
Gasquet, needed little more than an hour to trounce fourth seed Simon 6-2, 6-1.
Next Story
