Gstaad - Fabio Fognini beat Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 7-5 in the Gstaad ATP tournament final on Sunday to win his fifth tour title.
The 31-year-old Italian, ranked 31 in the world, was playing in his 13th ATP final. All five of his victories have come on clay. Despite losing, 25-year-old Hanfmann, the world number 170, enjoyed the best result of his career this week in reaching the final, having also knocked out third seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain in the second round.
CHINA'S PENG ROMPS TO HOME TITLE: China's Peng Shuai claimed the Jiangxi Open title on Sunday when she overpowered unseeded Nao Hibino 6-3, 6-2 in a one-sided final. The 31-year-old Peng made light work of the Japanese in just under 90 minutes to add to the maiden WTA singles crown she won last year, also on home soil, in Tianjin.
Peng, with a world ranking of 32 and the tournament's second seed, was never really in trouble on the outdoor hard courts at Nanchang in southeast China. Hibino, 92 in the world, drove a two-handed backhand into the net from the baseline to gift the home favourite the match. Peng, nearly a decade older than her opponent, raised both hands to the evening skies in celebration as she made the perfect start to the summer hard-court season.
The tournament, where sweltering temperatures troubled players throughout the week, had opened up nicely for Peng. Fellow Chinese and top seed Zhang Shuai and European stars Jelena Jankovic and Kristyna Pliskova all tumbled out early to leave Peng as the sole remaining seed in the semi-finals.
ISNER STREAKS INTO ATLANTA ATP FINAL: Second-seeded John Isner powered past Wimbledon quarter-finalist Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the final of the ATP's BB&T Open in Atlanta, Georgia. Isner needed just 75 minutes to reach his seventh Atlanta final in eight years, where he'll be gunning for a fourth Atlanta crown.
The big-serving American saved all four break points he faced, and has now won seven straight ATP matches and held for 69 straight service games dating back to his title run last week in Newport. "Absolutely nothing to complain about today. On and off the court in pretty quick fashion and I certainly will be ready to go tomorrow," said Isner, who will face fourth-seeded compatriot Ryan Harrison for the title. Harrison beat fifth-seeded Briton Kyle Edmund 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 to advance. Luxembourg's Muller, who toppled Rafael Nadal in reaching the Wimbledon quarters, had also been dominant on serve in Atlanta. Going into his clash with Isner the third-seeded left-hander had won all 24 of his service games.
But Isner broke him in the third game to take a 2-1, and broke him twice in the second set to gain the advantage.
Isner then saved three break points while serving for the match at 5-2. "He made it very tough for me today. I don't feel like I played a bad match. I maybe didn't serve well enough today but it's also because of him, he put a lot of pressure on me," Muller said.
WOZNIACKI GETS 42ND WIN OF SEASON, FACES SINIAKOVA IN BASTAD FINAL: Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki clinched a 42nd win of the season on Saturday to set up a meeting with Czech Katerina Siniaková in the WTA Bastad final.
The top seed won through 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 against Belgian Elise Mertens and next plays Siniaková who advanced past French third seed Caroline Garcia 6-2, 7-5. "It was a difficult match," said Wozniacki, bidding for her 26th career title and first this season against 21-year-old Siniakova. "She played very well, aggressively in the wind and the sun was very low," said the Dane. "It's a positive that I put myself in the sitation where I'm in a fifth final. I'm definitely going to try and make this one."
AFP
