By Adrianna Outlaw | Sunday, July 23, 2017
David Ferrer converted his seventh match point subduing Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-4, 6-4, to collect his third career Bastad championship.
Photo credit: Skistar Swedish Open
Patience is a virtue, but David Ferrer was in no mood to play an extending waiting game today.
Ferrer converted his seventh match point subduing Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-4, 6-4, to collect his third career Bastad championship.
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The 35-year-old Ferrer claimed his first championship since Vienna in 2015—one of five titles he won that season—and 27th career title.
Celebrating by spraying tournament staff with champagne, Ferrer took a swig of champagne savoring a title that was nearly two years in the making.
"It’s very special for me,” Ferrer said. “I like a lot to play this tournament. I’m very happy for the week here.”
The 46th-ranked Spaniard is projected to rise to No. 33 when the new ATP rankings are released tomorrow.
The seaside resort town has hosted many of the Swedish tennis greats—Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg and Magnus Norman—over the years.
The eighth-seeded Ferrer joined Swedish standouts Magnus Gustafsson (four-time champion), Wilander (three-time champion) and Borg (three-time champion) as just the fourth man in the Open Era to win the Skistar Swedish Open championship three or more times.
It wasn't always smooth sailing for Ferrer. He fought off a couple of match points edging Swiss Henri Laaksonen, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals, then outdueled compatriot Fernando Verdasco, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-4, in Saturday's semifinals.
Building a 6-4, 5-1 lead in the final, Ferrer held off a three-game run by Dologopolov, who had won two of their last three matches.
Ferrer denied four of five break points wrapping up an emotional victory in one hour, 26 minutes.
"It was tough," Ferrer said. "In the second set I was 5-1 up I was a little bit nervous but it’s normal. It’s never easy to finish the match and also Dolgopolov he played great obviously in the important moments. But anyway I won the tournament and I’m really happy.”
The former world No. 3 joins Roger Federer, Feliciano Lopez and Victor Estrella Burgos as the fourth man aged 35 or older to win a 2017 title.