Ferrer takes season\'s fifth title In-form Spaniard and top seed David Ferrer won his fifth ATP title of the year here yesterday beating compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 6-2. Ferrer, 30 and winning his 16th career title in what was his 31st final, eased to the title against his 26-year-old opponent, who has yet to beat him in 10 meetings.
Ferrer, who was winning here for the second time having beaten Almagro in the 2007 final and was runner-up last year, took the first set by breaking his opponent, a two-time winner this season, for the second time.
Ferrer then rattled off the first three games of the second set before Almagro won his first game of the set - but the victor sealed the win after just 68 minutes when he broke Almagro again.
Ferrer is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and this was his 51st win of a season that has seen him reach the French Open semi-finals and push Andy Murray hard in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
It saw him add this title to those he has already accrued in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, on grass, on the hard court of Auckland, and his favored clay surface like here as well as Buenos Aires and Acapulco.
Serena to meet Vandeweghe
In Stanford, California, Serena Williams overpowered Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-2 in the Bank of the West Classic on Saturday to set up the first all-American WTA final on home soil in eight years.
Exactly a week after winning her fifth Wimbledon title, Williams cruised to another victory in 60 minutes. The quick work came despite Williams converting only 38 percent of her first serves.
She will go for her second straight title at Stanford on Sunday against lucky loser Coco Vandeweghe, who reached her first WTA Tour final with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory against Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer.
The last all-American final at home on the WTA Tour came in 2004, when Lindsay Davenport topped Williams in Los Angeles.
lucky loser when Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski withdrew with an injury. The American has made the most of the opportunity.
Hewitt final
In Newport, Rhode Island, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt reached the final of the ATP Hall of Fame Championships Saturday with a three-set victory over American Rajeev Ram. Hewitt, a former Wimbledon and US Open champion, reached his first ATP final in more than two years with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over former Newport champion Ram.
Hewitt, who received a wild card into the draw, was playing in his first semi-final since June 2010, when he captured the grass court title in Halle.
He next faces either defending Newport champion John Isner or American Ryan Harrison.
Top-seeded Isner advanced to the semifinals with a victory over qualifier Izak van der Merwe, while Harrison advanced when Germany’s Benjamin Becker retired with a hamstring injury trailing 6-4, 3-0 in their quarterfinal.
Harrison, through to his third semi-final of the season, was seeking a first ATP tour final.