The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Relieved Lopez is crowned king of Queen’s
Tennis: Spaniard finally claims one that got away
Feliciano Lopez completed the perfect preparation for Wimbledon by beating world number seven Marin Cilic to win the Aegon championships at Queen’s yesterday.
Lopez has never gone past the quarter-finals at the All England Club but, after winning his sixth ATP singles title, the Spaniard will be one of the form players in Friday’s draw.
In comparison, world number one Andy Murray’s early exit means he has played two competitive grass-court sets ahead of the third grand slam of the year.
Spain’s Lopez, having reached the final in Stuttgart last week, has 27.
He came back from a set down and saved match point in the deciding tiebreak to win 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (10-8) against 2012 champion Croatia’s Cilic, to whom he lost in straight sets at the French Open last-32 stage last month.
But that was on clay and this on grass, Lopez’s favourite surface, where the world number 32’s bending left-handed serve and sizzling slice backhand can be exploited.
For Cilic, this was a surprise loss but he, too, will head to SW19 full of confidence.
“It was difficult to handle my nerves. I was waiting so long, I’m so happy”
At 35 years of age, Lopez is enjoying something of an Indian summer in his career and, after knocking out the world number three – Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka – on Tuesday, he can add Cilic to an impressive list of scalps.
Lopez spurned a match point before losing to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the final three years ago but this time held firm to secure the trophy.
“I cannot believe I have finally won this trophy,” Lopez said.
“It was very tough to put that match against Dimitrov away from my mind.
“I was serving for the match again and it was difficult to handle my nerves. I was waiting so long, I’m so happy.” Petra Kvitova claimed victory at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham just six months after a careerthreatening stabbing incident at her home.
Kvitova saw off Australia’s Ashleigh Barty 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in only her second tournament since the start of her comeback at the French Open last month.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova was stabbed in the Czech Republic in December and could have lost her career, escaping instead with hand injuries. But in a stunning performance against Barty, Kvitova rallied from losing the first set and stepped up in the second half of the decider to seal victory.
Kvitova stepped up her game at the start of the second against the world number 77, breaking for 2-0 and moving to the brink of levelling the match when she secured a double break to move 5-1 in front.
Serving for the set, the Czech suffered an attack of nerves as two double-faults enabled Barty to claw one break back, but that was not enough as Kvitova served out for the set. Kvitova seized control of the deciding set, serving out strongly with an ace to seal her remarkable comeback success.