Mario Ancic of Croatia won the St Petersburg ATP tournament yesterday, defeating Thomas Johansson of Sweden 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in the final.
The Croat, making his debut in Russia's northern capital, broke Johansson's serve in the 11th game to take the first set.
The second set was just as close with the players trading breaks to force a tie-break which Ancic won 7-2 to deny the Swede his third St Petersburg crown.
PHOTO: AP
The victory earned Ancic a US$142,000 first prize and a chance of reaching next month's lucrative season-ending Masters Finals in Shanghai.
He now has 387 points, just 23 points shy of Spain's Tommy Robredo who currently holds down the eighth and final qualifying spot with only next week's Paris Masters Series tournament to come.
Already qualified for Shanghai are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Roddick with Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian, James Blake and Robredo next in line.
Chilean Fernando Gonzalez was lying ninth and stood a chance of moving up to seventh by defeating Federer in the final of the Basel ATP tournament yesterday.
Richard Gasquet and Marc Gicquel both survived three-set marathons on Saturday to set up an all-French final at the US$850,000 ATP event in Lyon.
Fourth seed Gasquet, once the No. 1 junior in the world, dropped the first set on a tie-break but came back strongly to beat compatriot Arnaud Clement 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1.
Gicquel survived a mid-match collapse before coming through against flashy Belgian Xavier Malisse in a final set tie-break 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/5).
Malisse was suffering from a groin problem in the first set but found his rhythm in the second while his opponent, who had faced some tough three-setters in previous rounds, wilted.
Gicquel recovered in the third against the 2004 finalist and led 5-2 before Malisse hit back to force a tie-break.
Gicquel breezed out to a 6-3 lead in that before finally securing the win on his third match point to qualify for the first ATP final of his career.
Clement, a winner here in 2000 and finalist in 2003, took the first set against Gasquet but thereafter the youngster's greater class shone through.
"I fought right to the end. It was frustrating to lose the first set in the decisive game having had two set points," Gasquet said.
"I got stronger, returned well and let fly with some backhands and forehands in the second set.
"This will be a great final against a confident opponent," he added.
Gasquet was looking for his fourth ATP Tour title in yesterday's final.
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS