Ferrero wins Monte Carlo Masters
from FOX Sport
SPANISH top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero retained his Monte Carlo Masters Series crown today with a 6-2 6-2 win in 1hr 15min over unseeded Argentine Guillermo Coria.
The 23-year-old Ferrero landed his third Masters Series title and eighth career win overall to secure a winner's cheque for 400,000 euros while Coria, 21, picked up half that sum.
As in his semi-final win over Vince Spadea of the United States Ferrero relied on his finely-honed claycourt instincts rather than his serve, which he dropped twice, more than compensating by breaking his rival's serve six times.
Ferrero, one of only five active players to reach the finals of all three claycourt Masters Series – he won Rome in 2002 and was runner-up in Hamburg in 2001 – snapped a seven-month barren run with his last title success coming last September at Hong Kong.
Sunday's triumph moved Ferrero into third place in the ATP Champions Race place above Swiss star Roger Federer, matching his ATP entry system ranking, while Coria stays seventh in the Race behind Australian Lleyton Hewitt after losing his first Masters Series final.
After rain had delayed the start of the proceedings for an hour the match, scheduled to be a best of five sets encounter, was reduced to best of three following morning rain in the principality which delayed the start by an hour.
Coria had thrived in the heavy conditions in his semi-final, beating last year's runner-up Carlos Moya of Spain.
But here he never got started as Ferrero, despite a low first serve percentage at the outset, stormed into a 3-0 lead with two breaks of serve as he set about becoming the first repeat champion since Thomas Muster of Austria, winner in 1995 and 1996.
Ferrero had won the pair's only previous meeting, in the third round at the French Open last year, in straight sets, dropped serve in the fourth game but broke again for 5-2 and served out as Coria sent a forehand tamely into the net.
The second set was no less one-sided as Ferrero again stormed 3-0 clear – breaking to love in the third game.
He fired wide to allow Coria a glimmer of hope at 1-3 but another break moved Ferrero to the brink of success at 5-1.
Coria held on to claim one more service game, then saved a match point with a net cord, the ball creeping off the tape and over with Ferrero stranded.
But Ferrero then blasted down a rare big serve, which Coria barely got his racket to as he capitulated.
from FOX Sport
SPANISH top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero retained his Monte Carlo Masters Series crown today with a 6-2 6-2 win in 1hr 15min over unseeded Argentine Guillermo Coria.
The 23-year-old Ferrero landed his third Masters Series title and eighth career win overall to secure a winner's cheque for 400,000 euros while Coria, 21, picked up half that sum.
As in his semi-final win over Vince Spadea of the United States Ferrero relied on his finely-honed claycourt instincts rather than his serve, which he dropped twice, more than compensating by breaking his rival's serve six times.
Ferrero, one of only five active players to reach the finals of all three claycourt Masters Series – he won Rome in 2002 and was runner-up in Hamburg in 2001 – snapped a seven-month barren run with his last title success coming last September at Hong Kong.
Sunday's triumph moved Ferrero into third place in the ATP Champions Race place above Swiss star Roger Federer, matching his ATP entry system ranking, while Coria stays seventh in the Race behind Australian Lleyton Hewitt after losing his first Masters Series final.
After rain had delayed the start of the proceedings for an hour the match, scheduled to be a best of five sets encounter, was reduced to best of three following morning rain in the principality which delayed the start by an hour.
Coria had thrived in the heavy conditions in his semi-final, beating last year's runner-up Carlos Moya of Spain.
But here he never got started as Ferrero, despite a low first serve percentage at the outset, stormed into a 3-0 lead with two breaks of serve as he set about becoming the first repeat champion since Thomas Muster of Austria, winner in 1995 and 1996.
Ferrero had won the pair's only previous meeting, in the third round at the French Open last year, in straight sets, dropped serve in the fourth game but broke again for 5-2 and served out as Coria sent a forehand tamely into the net.
The second set was no less one-sided as Ferrero again stormed 3-0 clear – breaking to love in the third game.
He fired wide to allow Coria a glimmer of hope at 1-3 but another break moved Ferrero to the brink of success at 5-1.
Coria held on to claim one more service game, then saved a match point with a net cord, the ball creeping off the tape and over with Ferrero stranded.
But Ferrero then blasted down a rare big serve, which Coria barely got his racket to as he capitulated.
