Ferrer ends near two-year wait for title
Tearful Bertens claims Gstaad Ladies crown
BASTAD, Sweden, July 23, (Agencies): Spaniard David Ferrer claimed his first ATP Tour title in almost two years by seeing off Alexandr Dolgopolov to win the clay-court tournament in Bastad for the third time on Sunday.
The 35-year-old Ferrer came through 6-4, 6-4 to seal the 27th title of his career, but first since October 2015 when he won in Vienna.
The former French Open finalist, now ranked 46th in the world, was cruising to victory with a 5-1 lead in the second set, but needed seven match points to eventually get over the line.
“I’m moved. This is my first tournament win in two years,” Ferrer said.
“It has been a tough period without victories.”
Ferrer’s victory means that eight of the last 13 stagings of the event have been won by Spanish players, with Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo, Nicolas Almagro and last year’s champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas all successful since 2005.
Ukrainian Dolgopolov had to settle for his first runner-up effort in three years, although he did beat Kei Nishikori to win in Argentina in February.
In Gstaad, Switzerland, a tearful Kiki Bertens used an emotional change of ends in the deciding set of the Gstaad Ladies Championship final to beat Anett Kontaveit 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday.
Leading 2-1 in the third set, the second-seeded Bertens sobbed tears in her chair as she talked with her coach, Raemon Sluiter.
Bertens then won four straight games to clinch the title against the third-seeded Estonian. The Dutch right-hander cried again behind the baseline when Kontaveit netted a service return on the first match-point chance.
Both singles titles for Bertens this season have been on clay courts, taking her career tally to four.
In Bucharest, Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu claimed her fourth WTA Tour title by easing past Julia Georges to win on home clay in Bucharest on Sunday.
The 26-year-old broke twice in each set to come through 6-3, 7-5, as German third seed Georges double-faulted
on match point. It was the seventhseeded Begu’s second title in the Romanian capital, having won the tournament when it was part of the second-tier ITF Circuit in 2011.