The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Federer wins hometown title

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Federer wins hometown title

Hantuchova earns season-ender berth with Linz win

— Photo: AFP

DOUBLE DELIGHT: Daniela Hantuchova (left), seen with Patty Schnyder, won the Linz Open and also earned a spot in the WTA Championships at Madrid.

BASEL: Roger Federer added another honour to his vast collection as a 6-3, 6-4 title victory over Jarkko Nieminen at the Swiss Indoors assured the hometown boy of a fourth year ending as World No. 1 on Sunday.

“It’s great to win at home again,” said the Swiss, who also lifted the title a year ago at the venue where he got his start as a ballboy.

Federer joins another pantheon of greats who have earned four year-end top spots in the past: Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

“Finally, you won something,” Nieminen joked to the Swiss during the presentation ceremony.

“I don’t have to say what a great player Roger is. I’ve known him since he was 14 or 15. He’s still the same person and he respects all the players and all the people.

“He’s a great person off the court.”

Grosjean wins Lyon

Sebastien Grosjean hit 17 aces to win his fourth career title, beating Marc Gicquel 7-6(5), 6-4 in an all-French final at the Lyon Grand Prix.

It was Grosjean’s first title since winning at St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2002 — the year he reached a career-high ranking of fourth.

“Winning in France, in Lyon, is great,” Grosjean said. “I’ve been waiting for five years.”

“I had trouble closing out the match,” Grosjean said. “He returned very well.”

Murray triumphs

Briton Andy Murray crushed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the St Petersburg Open to win his second title of the year on his debut appearance in Russia’s second city.

The second seed broke Verdasco twice in each set to claim a comfortable victory after one hour 18 minutes.

The Spanish sixth seed made far too many unforced errors to put up a good fight.

Murray faced only one break point against him, in the fourth game of the second set, while converting both of his chances in the first set and going two for five in the second.

The win has greatly enhanced Murray’s chances of qualifying for next month’s season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, featuring the world’s top eight players.

Several players are still fighting for the two remaining spots, with the 20-year-old Scot moving up into the 11th spot, just three points behind eighth-placed German Tommy Haas.

Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-4, 6-2 to win the Linz Open.

Victory also earned her the final place in the eight-player field for the WTA Championships in Madrid from November 6.

Hantuchova ended the race with the same number of points as Russian Maria Sharapova, who also qualified when Venus Williams withdrew after suffering dizziness at the U.S. Open. It was Hantuchova’s fourth final of the year and her second title.

The results (all finals): At Basel (Swiss Indoors): Roger Federer bt Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-4.

At Lyon (Grand Prix de Lyon): Sebastien Grosjean bt Marc Gicquel 7-6(5), 6-4.

At St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg Open): Andy Murray bt Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-3.

At Linz (Linz Open): Daniela Hantuchova bt Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2. — Agencies

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