Stockholm:
Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-1, 7-5 on Sunday to win the Stockholm Open.
Baghdatis' victory over his friend and training partner at Royal Tennis Hall gave him his third career singles title.
"I want to blow a kiss to my mother and godmother, thank you for coming," Baghdatis said. "Olivier played great, he's given so much on the court."
Baghdatis only got news of his entry into the Stockholm main draw last weekend when he was playing a Challenger event in Tashkent.
"They told me I was in, so I got on a plane right after the final (in Tashkent last week) and here I am. I can't say I was expecting this victory but it feels great. I'm really happy."
The 66th-ranked Cypriot advanced to the final with a walkover after top-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden withdrew because of an elbow injury.
Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, has been sidelined with numerous injuries the past two seasons. His highest ranking was eighth in August 2006, and his previous titles came in Beijing in 2006 and Zagreb in 2007.
"My goal is to stay healthy and try to play some consistent tennis," Baghdatis said."
In the first set, Baghdatis broke to lead 3-1 and then 5-1. But it was closer than the score indicated with the fourth and six games going to deuce.
After trading breaks in the second set, Baghdatis broke for the third time to lead 6-5.
Baghdatis hit a straight backhand down the line to set up double match point at 40-15. He then closed out the match with an ace.
Rochus said his serve let him down.
"My serve didn't work as well as it had done earlier in the week," he said. "I had a few too many doublefaults and had a lower first serve pecentage, which cost me a lot.
I came back well in the second set. If I had served a bit better I think I could have maybe taken it into a third set. I think the serve was the difference today but Marcos played very well. I can't complain with my week, but of course it's always disappointing to lose a final."
Baghdatis' victory over his friend and training partner at Royal Tennis Hall gave him his third career singles title.
"I want to blow a kiss to my mother and godmother, thank you for coming," Baghdatis said. "Olivier played great, he's given so much on the court."
Baghdatis only got news of his entry into the Stockholm main draw last weekend when he was playing a Challenger event in Tashkent.
"They told me I was in, so I got on a plane right after the final (in Tashkent last week) and here I am. I can't say I was expecting this victory but it feels great. I'm really happy."
The 66th-ranked Cypriot advanced to the final with a walkover after top-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden withdrew because of an elbow injury.
Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, has been sidelined with numerous injuries the past two seasons. His highest ranking was eighth in August 2006, and his previous titles came in Beijing in 2006 and Zagreb in 2007.
"My goal is to stay healthy and try to play some consistent tennis," Baghdatis said."
In the first set, Baghdatis broke to lead 3-1 and then 5-1. But it was closer than the score indicated with the fourth and six games going to deuce.
After trading breaks in the second set, Baghdatis broke for the third time to lead 6-5.
Baghdatis hit a straight backhand down the line to set up double match point at 40-15. He then closed out the match with an ace.
Rochus said his serve let him down.
"My serve didn't work as well as it had done earlier in the week," he said. "I had a few too many doublefaults and had a lower first serve pecentage, which cost me a lot.
I came back well in the second set. If I had served a bit better I think I could have maybe taken it into a third set. I think the serve was the difference today but Marcos played very well. I can't complain with my week, but of course it's always disappointing to lose a final."
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