Newport [US], July 24 : The Frenchman Adrian Mannarino ended the dream run of American Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the Hall of Fame Open. It is the lefty’s first title of the season.
Mannarino struggled in ATP Tour finals early in his career, losing the first six he played. However, the 35-year-old has won two of his last three championships, making him a three-time tour-level champion. Prior to this week, he had not advanced past the quarter-finals in Newport.
“It was a pleasure to play here this week in Newport another time. I’ve been doing well this year [in Newport]. The past nine years I wasn't doing great here, but it was always a pleasure to be back and I always enjoy it," ATP.com quoted Mannarino as saying during the trophy ceremony.
“I’m just fighting on court, trying to do my best and it’s always some really close matches and you never know what to expect. I’m feeling pretty lucky that I got through all the way this week," Mannarino said.
Throughout his second ATP Tour event, eighteen-year-old Michelsen showed no fear of the big stage, defeating two past Newport champions, Maxime Cressy and John Isner. Mannarino, on the other hand, cleverly stopped the adolescent from finding any rhythm, especially in prolonged rallies.
Michelsen won 31 per cent of his return points against Isner, one of the greatest servers of all time. However, he only got 27 per cent of the return points against Mannarino, who used his lefty slice to keep the ball out of the American's strike zone.
“I’d like to congratulate Alex for a great couple of weeks. He's playing really well and he has such a bright future ahead of him," Mannarino said.
Following a one-sided opening set, Michelsen fought hard and broke to take the lead in the second set. Mannarino, on the other hand, was too consistent throughout and eventually grabbed the trophy after a clash which lasted for one hour and 22 minutes.
“You're one of the best grass-court players on tour. I think I saw you final Mallorca and you're a really good player, all the best in the future. I want to thank all the sponsors. This week was probably the best week of my life tennis-wise and you guys all made it happen, so it was pretty cool, thank you," Michelsen said to Mannarino during the trophy ceremony.
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