Gael Monfils on Sunday defeated good friend Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to win his eighth career title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
Monfils, the runner-up three years ago, held off Wawrinka’s second-set surge to ease through the decider.
“It was an unbelievable week, a pleasure,” Monfils said.
“Stan is a part of this win. We’ve been talking a lot and practicing a lot. You’re my brother,” he told his Swiss opponent. “This has been a good week for Stan and a good week for me. I hope we can have many more battles.”
Wawrinka, the 2015 champion in the Dutch port city who is continuing an 18-month comeback from double knee surgery, was playing in his first final since the French Open in June 2017.
“It was great for sure to be in the final,” Wawrinka said. “I’m pleased with the way I played in it and the way I arrived to the final. I played four good matches here, I kept my level up all week.”
Three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka said he hopes to build on his run in Rotterdam.
“I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing the last few months,” the world No. 68 said. “I need to play events to gain confidence. Keeping going is the only way to get back my ranking.”
It was the first championship match in 11 years at Rotterdam to feature two unseeded players.
Monfils, 32, showed no hard evidence of the left-wrist injury which has bothered him all week and forced him onto a regime of painkillers.
“I struggled with the wrist all week,” Monfils said.
“I came out running hard in the first game to make him feel I was there, but when I hit as hard as I could with the backhand — ‘ohhh,’” he said of the wrist pain he was feeling. “I’ve been in worse shape, but I’m really exhausted after this week.”
The world No. 33 converted four break points against three-time major winner Wawrinka as he claimed his first title since Doha last year.
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