TENNIS NEWS – ZVEREV, POUILLE BOTH PULL OFF UPSETS TO WIN RESPECTIVE TITLES IN ST. PETERSBURG & METZ

By Ricky Dimon

 

Stan Wawrinka’s winning streak in finals has finally come to an end. In turn, the third time was the charm for Alexander Zverev.

 

Playing in his third career ATP final, Zverev lifted a winner’s trophy for the first time by upsetting Wawrinka 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 at the St. Petersburg Open on Sunday afternoon. The 19-year-old German battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the final set to prevail after two hours and 23 minutes.

 

On the heels of a rough opening set, Wawrinka seemed to take control by breaking twice in the second while losing a mere four points in four service games. The recent U.S. Open champion also broke for a quick 2-0 advantage in the decider, but that’s where his momentum came to a sudden end. Zverev broke back for 2-3 and struck again for a critical break at 5-5. A routine hold in the next game clinched the title for the world No. 27, who sealed the deal with a forehand pass.

 

“This victory is something special,” Zverev assured. “I played all the finals well. I lost to Dominic Thiem on clay and I could have won against Florian Mayer on the grass…. Now I’m very happy with the win, especially over such a great player like Stan.”

 

“We showed high-quality tennis,” Wawrinka reflected. “I was struggling in the third set; I had chances but I didn’t manage to convert them. He deserved the win.”

Alexander Zverev (R) of Germany poses with his trophy after beating Stan Wawrinka (L) of Switzerland in their final match of the St.Petersburg Open ATP tennis tournament in St.Petersburg, Russia, 25 September 2016. EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV

 

Winning is exactly what Lucas Pouille has been doing throughout this season–especially of late. Fresh off a run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, which included a five-set stunner of Rafael Nadal, Pouille captured his first career ATP title by beating Dominic Thiem 7-6(5), 6-2 at the Moselle Open on Sunday.

 

The more experienced Thiem was competing in his 10th final and seeking his eighth title, and for a while he enjoyed the upper hand. Ranked No. 10 in the world, the 23-year-old Austrian seized a 5-2 lead in the opening-set tiebreaker only to drop five points in succession. It was all Pouille the rest of the way. The 18th-ranked Frenchman carried his fine form into the second, during which he broke for 1-0 and 5-2 before serving out the match at love.

 

“I’m very happy with my week,” Pouille commented. “Winning a title is a big step, it’s an objective I wanted to achieve this year. It was a well-played final. We both played at a high level.”

 

“I think the first set was a pretty high level from both of us,” Thiem agreed. “I should have won the tiebreak but had an easy volley mistake. All in all, he was the better player and had more chances in my service games. He deserved to win today. I think he put pressure on me all the time and was serving really well.

 

“He’s had an amazing year, reaching the quarterfinals in the last two Grand Slams and semis in the Masters 1000 in Rome. I think we will see him in the Top 10 soon.”

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

 

Photo by Moselle Open via Facebook

 

Topics: 10sballs.com, Alexander Zverev, Atp, Dominic Thiem, Lucas Pouille, Men's tennis, Moselle Open, Ricky Dimon, Sports, St. Petersburg Open, Stan Wawrinka, Tennis News

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