Monaco outlasts Isner to win in Houston

Updated April 16, 2012 13:30:25

Argentina's fourth-seeded Juan Monaco outlasted US second seed John Isner for a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 triumph on Monday (AEST) in the final of the ATP US Men's Clay Court Championship.

Monaco, ranked 16th in the world, captured his fifth career title and his second of the year after a February crown at Vina del Mar. Before that, he had not won a title since 2007.

"This is a great moment in my career," Monaco said. "This tournament is going to bring me a lot of confidence."

Monaco, who improved to 5-8 in finals, had reached the semi-finals last month at Miami, losing to the eventual winner and world number one Novak Djokovic.

Isner saved 12 of 15 break points that he faced, but lost the only one he saw in the third set to surrender a break in the penultimate game of the match. Monaco held serve once more to claim the crown after two hours and 27 minutes.

"I came out of the gates slow," Isner said. "I wasn't quite there. It took a while to get warmed up and engaged in the match. I got better as the match went on. After the first set, the quality from both of us picked up a lot.

"I had some things go right in the second set but I had some things go against me in the third set. He was pressuring me pretty well all day. All in all, it was a good effort and was the best match I played all week."

Monaco had lost both prior matches against Isner, including a third-round affair last month at Indian Wells.

"We played a great final," Monaco said. "First set, I played really well. Then he came back in the second. In the final set, it was a battle. We fought until the last point. I served pretty well in the last game so I'm happy."

Despite the defeat, Isner will become the top-ranked American player in the world on Monday when he passes countryman Mardy Fish and moves up one spot into ninth in the ATP rankings.

"I'm making good strides this year. I just have to keep on working," Isner said. "I know there's room to improve in my game. I still need to get into better shape.

"I want to play 70 matches a year. To do that, I would have to have a pretty darn good year."

Isner, who sparked a US semi-final Davis Cup triumph on French clay last week to book a semi-final date with Spain in September, missed a chance for his fourth career ATP title and the first on clay.

Isner, a runner-up to Roger Federer last month at Indian Wells, lost to fellow American Sam Querrey in the 2010 Belgrade final in his only prior clay final.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-states

First posted April 16, 2012 13:30:25

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Nadal outlasts Berdych in duel of stamina

Updated January 25, 2012 00:35:47

Rafael Nadal battled back to oust Tomas Berdych in four sets on Tuesday and set up a mouth-watering Australian Open semi-final with long-time rival Roger Federer.

In a repeat of the 2010 Wimbledon final won by Nadal, the Spanish second seed struggled to impose himself early against Berdych, losing the first set, but recovered to win 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3 in four hours and 16 minutes.

"I tried my best in every moment," said Nadal.

"He played very well during almost the whole match."

The semi-final will be a repeat of the epic Nadal-Federer title match at the 2009 Australian Open, won by Nadal, which the Spaniard described as "one of those memories that will always be in my mind".

The Czech seventh seed, unsettling Nadal with the power of his shot-making, missed a golden opportunity to take the first set when he squandered four set points in the 12th game.

But in a dramatic tie-break he made no mistake, thundering down an ace after the courtside umpire refused a late challenge from a furious Nadal.

Nadal missed out on a set point in the 12th game of the second set but he then saved a Berdych set point in the tie-break, and the pumped-up Spaniard levelled the match when the Czech went long.

Second seed Nadal began to seize the initiative as Berdych faded, taking the third set 6-4 and breaking in the first game of the fourth set with a searing forehand winner down the line.

And Berdych, whose previous match ended in bitterness after he accused Nicolas Almagro of deliberately targeting him with a forehand, could find no way back as Nadal sealed the win.

AFP

Tags: sport, australian-open, tennis, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 25, 2012 00:00:42

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Tomic outlasts Verdasco in epic five-set battle

Updated January 17, 2012 00:29:40

Bernard Tomic confessed to deliberately playing dead while drawing inspiration from Lleyton Hewitt to reach the Australian Open second round with a mighty comeback win.

The boom teenager defied all odds, predictions and soaring mercury to rally from two sets down to oust Spanish ironman and 2009 semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in four hours and 11 minutes.

Tomic's reward for winning his longest-ever match is a clash on Wednesday with American Sam Querrey - and a possible fourth-round showdown with 16-times grand slam champion Roger Federer.

The 19-year-old Wimbledon quarter-finalist looked down and out after falling behind two sets to love.

But backing his vastly-improved fitness, Tomic admitted to foxing his seasoned opponent early in the third set.

"I had a feeling he knew I was going to go away. I eased off and seemed (like) I didn't care," Tomic said.

"He thought he was going to win that third set and when the right time came, I broke him.

"I knew if I lifted my game early, he would have lifted as well and he wouldn't have let go.

"I pretended a little bit in the first few games in that third set to not be there as mentally, but in a way to still be there."

Verdasco, who cried ill after the match, said it was easy for Tomic to claim such tactics in victory.

But nothing could detract from Tomic's day in the sun as he carried the hopes of a nation as Australian number one at Melbourne Park for the first time.

"It's hard, but I'm learning to deal with it. I'm having fun," he said.

"Today wasn't fun. It was torture.

"I don't know how I won but I'm the happiest person alive."

Darren Cahill, Verdasco's former coach and ex-mentor of Hewitt and Andre Agassi, summed up the prevailing mood after Tomic silenced his doubters.

"Stunning effort from Bernie. Gave him no chance after dropping a tough 1st set, let alone going down 2 sets. Well done young fella!" Cahill tweeted.

As a wide-eyed, ambitious 12-year-old, Tomic famously declared he wanted the serve of Goran Ivanisevic, the mind of Pete Sampras, the groundstrokes of Federer and the heart of Hewitt.

On Monday, after displaying Hewitt's fighting qualities, the world number 38 also admitted to drawing on his younger days growing up in Queensland watching Australia's former world number one snatching so many victories from the jaws of defeat.

"(He) did the impossible, turned around a match in this situation," Tomic said.

"You learn from a player that's been number one in the world. Any player that has been number one in the world, you can pick up the best info from them.

"Lleyton never gives up. That's one of the reasons he got to number one.

"I had it in me today. I played a good tennis match and believed in myself as much as I could. That got me through it."

Tomic had requested a day-time encounter for his meeting with "one of the fittest players in the world", believing a night match in heavier conditions would play into the hands of the claycourt specialist.

But as the temperate rose to the mid-30s, Tomic began to regret his decision.

"Silly me," he said.

"I didn't know that the heat was going to be like this.

"It's the first day in the last few months where it's actually been this hot. I chose the wrong time to play. But lucky I won.

"Had I not done that fitness the last two, three months, there's no way mentally you can be out there in that heat and turn around in a match like that and win.

"It was all fitness, the way I've been preparing the last few months. It's all paid off."

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-open, tennis, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 16, 2012 16:56:41

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Tomic outlasts Fish in Kooyong final

Updated January 15, 2012 09:08:42

Bernard Tomic won his first senior title at the Kooyong Classic on Saturday, defeating world number eight Mardy Fish 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 at the Australian Open tune-up.

The 19-year-old sensation, who is ranked 37 in the world, again showed his promise, following a run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals last summer and a semi-final loss in Brisbane against Andy Murray last week.

"I've never lifted a trophy before at this level," said Tomic. "I'm proud to have my name on a trophy like this.

"It's a good feeling and one that I'll always treasure. Hopefully this will help me do well at the Australian Open," said the player, who faces experienced Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the first round at Melbourne Park.

The win made him the youngest player to triumph at Kooyong and handed him a timely boost ahead of the Open, which starts on Monday.

However, Tomic feels he will need to play differently when he lines up opposite Verdasco.

"I think I'll need to be a little bit more aggressive," Tomic said.

"There's only three or four guys on tour who can play all day and he's one of them.

"I'll need to come out, be aggressive and be fast like the first few matches I was playing at Kooyong and if I play like that and to his backhand corner deep I think he can't really hurt me."

"It's a good thing that I played him before when he made that run and got to the (2009 Australian Open) semis and I managed to get up 2-0, 40-15 and he beat me 6-4 6-2.

"I learnt from that and I remembered playing him.

"It's a tough first round but it's a very winnable match for me if I come in focused. It's a good feeling to know you are playing someone you have confidence against and who is not a big seed."

Tomic's victory came in an hour and three-quarters during which he showed off his big game at the expense of Fish, who is 11 years older than the teenager.

"I enjoyed this week, Bernard is playing great tennis," said the defeated American.

"This is the perfect preparation for the Australian Open."

Tomic, who lost his first two matches against Fish but beat him last autumn in Shanghai, claimed the first set with a storming start after taking a 4-0 lead.

But Fish came back, his experience paying off in the second set to break the Tomic serve.

Tomic was unfazed and took victory in the third, breaking in the last game to win on the first of two match points.

Earlier Austria's Jurgen Melzer recorded his second upset of a higher-ranked opponent in a week to claim third-place honours with a 6-3, 6-7 (10-12), 6-2 win over Gael Monfils.

AFP

Tags: australian-open, tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 14, 2012 18:01:38

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