Top seed Tomas Berdych defeated third-seeded Gael Monfils 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and five minutes to win the Open Sud de France title in Montpellier Sunday.
Berdych broke Monfils twice to take the opening set in 37 minutes, but Monfils converted the only break of serve in the fifth game of the second set, and went on to level the clash at a set apiece. Each player held their nerve until the eighth game of the final set, when Monfils tossed in his sixth double fault to give Berdych a 5-3 advantage. The Czech subsequently served out the match to beat Monfils for the second time. “I expected a tough final. I felt he was the best player on the other side of the draw,” Berdych said.
“It was a close match, decided by one or two points. I’m happy that I was the one to become the champion and get the last break and finish it with my serve.”
The seventh-ranked Berdych improved his final record to 7-6, winning his first indoor title since lifting the BNP Paribas Masters trophy in 2005. “It was a great week. It’s a nice place to play tennis,” said Berdych. “I was surprised to come to an indoor tournament with such a high level. It’s great to have a title from here.”
Monfils, the 2010 champion, fell to a 4-13 mark in title matches, losing his second final of the year after finishing runner-up to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha to begin the season. “I was really close today, maybe Tomas was a bit more successful at the end,” assessed Monfils. “He really went for it more than I did and it worked.
“To me, overall it was a great week. I played solid tennis in all my matches, even today I am very happy with the way I played. It was great to be in the final here again, and play in front of my mom, aunt and friends. It is a great tournament, which I enjoy a lot, and I will come back to try to win the title again.”
