Wimbledon semifinalist Sam Querrey has won the Los Cabos Open after battling past Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in the final.
The encounter was a clash of two different stories. 29-year-old Querrey entered his 17th ATP final with a goal of winning his second title of the year in Mexico. Meanwhile, injury-stricken Kokkinakis found himself in uncharted territory by contesting his maiden final at the age of 21.
Ultimately, it was Querrey’s experience that prevailed as he hit 15 aces and dropped only five points behind his first serve throughout the match. After dropping the second set, the American quickly bounced back. In the decider he clinched 16 consecutive points on route to a 3-0 lead. The title was then secured after he broke Kokkinakis once more as the Australian served 5-2 down.
“It’s really exciting to win here. I felt like I played really well. This tournament only keeps getting better, so I’m already excited to come back next year,” Querrey told atpworldtour.com. “I think the last couple of months have been the best I’ve played and if I can keep this going the rest of the year, it’ll be my best year on tour yet.”
Saturday’s triumph means Querrey will rise to 11th in the ATP Race to London. He is bidding to become the first American man to qualifying for the end-of-year championships since Mardy Fish in 2011. In the Emirates rankings Querrey is set to re-enter the top-20 for the first time since July 2013.
Kokkinakis’ breakthrough
Regardless of the defeat, runner-up Kokkinakis has relished his performance in Mexico over the past week. The Australian was contesting in only his sixth ATP singles tournament since returning from a lengthy injury hiatus. Some of the problems he has been hampered with include shoulder surgery, torn pectoral and oblique muscles and an elbow problem.
“For me this has been unbelievable. Two years I have missed so much time. So I was sitting on the couch doing nothing. Now to come back and play at this level and play such a great tournament, what better place is there to do this than Los Cabos.” He said during the trophy ceremony.
Whist the 21-year-old is please with his week in Mexico, he is eager for a swift improvement in his game after coming so close to his maiden title.
“I’m obviously disappointed at the moment. I definitely thought I could have done better, but I have to look at the positives in that this is my best week on tour. Hopefully this is just a small step,” said Kokkinakis.
On route to the final, Kokkinakis knocked out top seed Tomas Berdych. He is now set to rise inside the world’s top 220 when the rankings are published on Monday.
