Sam Querrey came back from a set down to overhaul fellow American John Isner 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 and win the Memphis Championships on Sunday.
Querrey was two points from defeat in the second set tiebreaker but rallied to win it 7-5 and then carried the momentum into the third, breaking his opponent twice to seal his third career title and first of the season.
The American pair, named in the US Davis Cup team to take on Serbia, are friends and frequent practice partners.
“It’s tough playing your good buddy like that — if anyone else could win the tournament, I’d want it to be him, so you’re not going to get the same reaction from me about it than if I were playing someone else,” Querrey told reporters. “He’ll win some of these and I’ll win some of these.”
In a battle of big serves from big men, Querrey is 198cm and Isner 206cm, neither player was able to break the other in the first two sets.
“I had the match on my racquet,” Isner said. “He played well when it counted though, better than me. It’s really hard, because I like to think I’ve played really well in those situations in the past.”
The 22-year-old Querrey’s path to the title included a quarter-final upset of defending champion Andy Roddick, who he lost to in the semi-final in San Jose last week.
■OPEN 13
AFP, MARSEILLE, FRANCE
France’s Michael Llodra beat his compatriot and doubles partner Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Open 13 tournament in Marseille on Sunday.
Unseeded Llodra lost in the final to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last year and did not blow his chance this time around, blasting 14 aces past the 28-year-old eighth seed to wrap up the match in just more than an hour.
“Today I served very, very well at the key moments. Against someone like Bennet[eau] who returns so well, I had to raise my service game,” Llodra said after his victory.
Benneteau appeared tired after his grueling three-hour semi-final clash against second seed Tsonga on Saturday and the match began to slip from his grasp in the sixth game of the opening set when Llodra broke his serve.
The 29-year-old broke his double partner’s serve again in the fifth game of the second set, beating his opponent with an audacious lob.
Benneteau — who gained some consolation later when he teamed up with Llodra to win the doubles title over Austrian/Swedish duet Julian Knowle and Robert Lindstedt 6-4, 6-3 — was left to rue a missed opportunity to win his first-ever title on the ATP tour.
“Maybe if I had been more alert, more active, I would have placed one or two passing shots a bit better that would have made the difference, but this is not the reason for my defeat; he was simply stronger,” said Benneteau, who has now lost four finals on the ATP tour.
■COPA TELMEX
AP, BUENOS AIRES
Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain defeated compatriot David Ferrer 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Copa Telmex on Sunday.
The second-seeded Ferrero beat the top-seeded Ferrer in two hours, 32 minutes on clay at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, saving seven of 11 break points he faced along the way. It was Ferrero’s 10th straight win this season.
The victory for the former world No. 1 was his second straight ATP title after winning the Brazil Open last week. It was also his 14th ATP title and his 11th on clay, his favorite surface.
“I feel unbelievable after winning two weeks in a row,” the 30-year-old Ferrero said. “It is a great feeling. I think the key to my current success is the physical work I have done. I have been working very hard and I know that I can be on the court forever.”
“That helps my game a lot because I get to the ball much early and can be more aggressive,” he said. “This also helps me mentally. I feel very strong and know that I have more resources now when playing important points. I have been working with a friend, the mental aspect and all is coming into place.”
■ROGER OUT
AP, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Roger Federer withdrew from the Dubai Championships because of a lung infection on Sunday.
Organizers said the top-ranked Swiss star picked up the infection last week and will miss the US$2 million event, which started yesterday, for the second straight year.
A four-time winner in Dubai, Federer will rest for two weeks and is expected to return at Indian Wells from March 11.
“I’m hoping to be back for Indian Wells. But of course, there are no promises,” Federer said. “This is something that will be finished only with proper treatment.
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