Fernando Gonzalez Of Chile Wins Men's China Open

Fernando Gonzalez Of Chile Wins Men's China Open Title In Three Sets

BEIJING, Sept. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

On Sunday, in Beijing, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez won the Men's China Open final 6-1 3-6 6-1 against Spain's Tommy Robredo.

In front of a full house on a balmy evening, number two seed Gonzalez defeated number three seed Robredo in a match where the final score belied the closeness of the contest. The result puts 27-year-old Gonzalez in a strong position to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in November.

At one set each, the match ultimately hinged on the fourth game of the final set. The first three games of the set had gone with serve, with neither player managing a break point. Gonzalez led 2-1. A combination of Robredo's unforced errors and, more so, the Chilean's powerful ground strokes then put the Spaniard's service under intense pressure. On the fifth deuce, a sweeping backhand pass took Gonzalez to break-point. Robredo then netted to put Gonzalez 3-1 up.

Earlier, Gonzalez had taken the first set 6-1 using powerful passing shots that kept 25-year-old Robredo pinned well behind the baseline, unable to dominate the rallies. However, the Spaniard's speed around the court, along with the subtlety of some of his shots, showed glimpses of his stylish game that came together well in the second set and made for a much more even contest.

The fourth game of the second set saw Robredo break the Chilean's serve after the latter double-faulted. Robredo then comfortably held serve to take the match to a third and final set.

After the critical service break in the fourth game of the final set - easily the longest game of the match -- Robredo never regained the initiative. His game lost momentum as Gonzalez first held his serve and then broke the Spaniard again. A neat backhand drop shot took Gonzalez to match point. Robredo then netted to give Gonzalez the win and his first China Open title.

The win lifts Gonzalez to 7th from 11th in the ATP 2007 Race for a place in the Shanghai Masters, while Robredo rose to 11th from 12th for reaching the final.

ENDS

© Scoop Media