By Ros Satar
(June 22, 2013) EASTBOURNE, England –
Feliciano Lopez def. Gilles Simon 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-0
Unseeded Feliciano Lopez won his first career grass court title, beating Gilles Simon in three sets.
The first two sets had been evenly matched, decided by two tiebreaks.
But in the third set, Lopez dominated Simon, with two match points, with Simon saving both and forcing the game to deuce.
Lopez won with a volley that hit the net cord, flying over Simon’s head – it was all he could do to get a racquet to it as he forced it out of court.
So keen was Lopez to get his hands on the trophy, he pretty much presented it to himself.
The weather was, as with the women’s final, a tricky factor to overcome.
“Sometimes was about pushing and putting the ball on the other side of the court,” he said.
“Especially when we were serving, it was almost impossible sometimes.”
Despite the conditions, Lopez received a time violation warning on his serve.
Lopez was happy to win his first grass title, especially as he felt that grass was his best surface.
“I think grass is my best surface, and to have at least one title on grass is very nice feeling.”
Looking ahead to his first round at Wimbledon, where he faces Simon again, it was difficult to gauge what to expect.
“Today in these conditions it’s tough to get any feedback from the match, to be honest.
“It’s tough to take something, you know, for the match on Tuesday.”