Gael Monfils ended his title drought this year as he prevailed in an epic three-set final against Ivo Karlovic to clinch the Citi Open crown in Washington.
Having lost both the finals played this season in Rotterdam and Monte Carlo, Monfils found himself on the brink of a hat-trick of disappointments when he faced a championship point, but had nerves of steel to recover for a 5-7 7-6 6-4 conquest of his big-serving opponent.
After pulling off the solitary break to take the first set, Karlovic was just one point away from winning in the second-set tie-breaker. The 6’11” from Croatia, however, lost the battle of nerves to his French counterpart, who rode on the momentum to take the next two sets.
“It’s a real pleasure for me. Every time I come here, the crowd has been really great to me and amazing,” said the 14th-ranked Monfils after emerging victorious in a grueling encounter that went on for two hours and 13 minutes.
WICKMAYER WINS WOMEN’S CROWN
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles final, Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer bagged her fifth career title following a 6-4 6-2 conquest of local hope Lauren Davis in the summit clash.
Interestingly, this was Wickmayer’s first-ever victory against Davis in their four head-to-head meetings.
