Argentine Carlos Berlocq mounted a furious comeback to stun top seed Tomas Berdych 0-6 7-5 6-1 in the final of the Portugal Open and clinch his second career title.
OEIRAS, Portugal — Carlos Berlocq stormed back to beat top-seeded Tomas Berdych 0-6 7-5 6-1 and win the Portugal Open yesterday for his second career title.
The Argentine shook off his poor start to prevail in the two-hour match on outdoor clay by converting seven of his 10 break points.
“It’s a very strong, very beautiful feeling,” he said. “It was a very special match for me. I didn’t have any pressure to win and it’s not my culture to conform to expectations. To win a title, and against a top-10 player, carries double merits. To close the match the way I did was very emotional.”
Berlocq earned a crucial late break in the second set to turn the match in his favour before breaking Berdych four more times to win the decider.
“In the second set, when I changed my tactics I saw the ball better, committed less errors and it opened the door,” Berlocq said.
Berlocq beat Milos Raonic in Friday’s quarterfinal for his first win over a top-10 ranked opponent, and two days later he added his second by bettering the sixth-ranked Berdych.
“The first set looks easy, but it doesn’t show what was going on,” Berdych said. “Carlos is a big fighter and he completely changed his game, finding a way to win.”
The 31-year-old Berlocq’s only other career title came last year at Bastad, Sweden.
He follows in the footsteps of countrymen and former Oeiras champions Juan Martín del Potro (2011-12), David Nalbandian (2002, 2006), Gastón Gaudio (2005) and Juan Ignacio Chela (2004), becoming the fifth different Argentine champion in the past decade.
“It’s very nice to know Nalbandian, Del Potro and Gaudio won this title and that I join this list,” said Berlocq. “It is very special for me to be with such great players.”
BMW OPEN. Slovakian qualifier Martin Klizan defeated top-seeded Fabio Fognini 2-6 6-1 6-2 in the BMW Open final yesterday for his second ATP World Tour title.
Klizan left centre court briefly due to apparent stomach problems in the first set, before he rallied to win in just under 90 minutes.
The 24-year-old Slovakian had lost his last three meetings with Fognini but he defeated the 15th-ranked Italian in his only previous final, at St. Petersburg in October 2012.
The 111-ranked Klizan defeated defending champion Tommy Haas in Saturday’s semifinals, having already seen off Denis Istomin — who knocked out two-time former champion Philipp Kohlschreiber — and Dudi Sela.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald