(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Luxembourg's Gilles Muller broke through for his first career ATP World Tour title with a straight sets win over Britain's Daniel Evans in the Sydney International final yesterday. Left-hander Muller, 33, one of the Tour's biggest servers, finished too strongly for the 67th-ranked Evans, winning 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in 88 minutes.
He finally claimed a title after 17 years on the circuit with his victory continuing his impressive record of consistency in Sydney after reaching the semi-finals in the past two years.
Muller at 34 was the highest-ranked player in the top 50 without a tournament title after losing in five finals, including two last season, both on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Newport.
Muller, who was handed his winner's trophy by Australian Grand Slam great Rod Laver, became emotional and broke down in tears during his victory speech at the presentation ceremony. 'What a night! I've waited a long time for this, he said. 'It just means so much to me to win this tournament in front of my wife and boys.
Muller later told reporters: 'It means a lot. I was waiting a long time. I played my first final in 2004. We are in 2017 and I waited 13 years to win my first title. I'm just very happy. For the past two or three years, it was probably my biggest goal to win a title.
'I always dreamed of that, and I was so close last year. So I was very scared and worried that I was going to be one of those players that maybe would never win a title. Everything that happened tonight was like in a movie. Rod Laver there, standing on centre court with the trophy, my kids in the stands, I can't ask for more.
Evans saved two set points before the opening set went to a tiebreaker.
Muller took the set with a forehand winner and a smash and then got a double-break to control the second set and cruise to victory.
Evans, who knocked out the top seed Austria's Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals, was bidding to become the first British singles champion in Sydney since Tim Henman in 1997.
'He served too good. Obviously the first-set tiebreak was a big one, Evans said. 'It would have been tough for him to regain focus and go again if I'd won the first set, but I didn't. He was good front runner. I couldn't get anywhere near his serve.
Qualifier Mertens completes fairytale run with Hobart title
Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens completed her fairytale run at the Hobart International by beating third seed Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-1 to clinch her maiden WTA Tour title yesterday.
The 21-year-old, ranked 127th in the world, was broken in her first service game by her more experienced Romanian opponent but rallied to become the third qualifier to win the Hobart title after Mona Barthel (2012) and Garbine Muguruza (2014).
Mertens had passed up the chance to qualify for the Australian Open singles draw by remaining in Hobart and was rewarded for her loyalty to the tournament when she wrapped up the title in 74 minutes. World number 40 Niculescu will have little time to recover from missing out on a fourth career title before she opens her 10th Australian Open campaign against a qualifier in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Sock wins Auckland Classic
American Jack Sock triumphed in the final of the Auckland Classic yesterday with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Joao Sousa from Portugal. It was a sweet outcome for Sock after he was forced to retire because of illness in last year's final against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
This year he stayed healthy and took less than two hours to dispose of Sousa, who had not dropped a set previously in the tournament. It was a satisfying win for the world number 23 who hoped it lead to an impressive run through the year.
'Any time you can take a title it feels really good, said Sock who had previously won in Houston in 2015. 'Winning the whole tournament and going through a whole week without being beaten, is a massive confidence booster, not only in the short term... but for the year. I thought I was hitting the ball well. I was doing what I wanted to do, I was executing my game.
Sock, the tournament fourth seed who had been extended in two three-setters early in the week, broke at 3-3 when the Portuguese put a backhand volley into the net to take command of the first set.
After a break each early in the second set Sock was poised to take out the match at 5-4 with Sousa serving and down 0-30.
However, Sousa fought back with four straight points and continued to dominate when he broke Sock in the next game and went on to hold serve to level at a set each.
In the decider, Sock made the crucial break in the eighth game and then held serve for the championship.
Aussie Puttergill banned for six months over betting
Australia's Calum Puttergill has been suspended for six months and fined $10,000 after being found guilty of a betting-related corruption offence, the Tennis Integrity Unit announced yesterday.
Puttergill was found to have used two online betting accounts to place 291 bets on tennis between May 2012 and November 2014. None of the bets related to matches in which the 23-year-old played, but under TIU rules, all players are explicitly prohibited from betting on any professional tennis match anywhere in the world.
The final three months of the suspension and $5,000 of the fine are suspended on the condition that Puttergill commits no further violation prior to July 2017.
Puttergill has a current doubles ranking of 891 and 1,207 in singles. His punishment comes on the eve of the Australian Open, which starts tomorrow amid frustration over growing corruption in the sport in Australia.
Australia's Nick Lindahl was banned for seven years and fined $35,000 for corruption last Tuesday as tennis authorities step up their fight against match-fixing.
In a separate incident, police recently revealed an 18-year-old, reported to be Australian Open boys champion Oliver Anderson, had been charged with match-fixing at the second-tier Traralgon Challenger event last October and would appear in court in March.
Romania's Mihaita Damian was also suspended on Friday, receiving a 12-month ban and a $5,300 fine after being found guilty of a betting-related corruption offence. Damian, ranked 1,645 in doubles, held two online betting accounts through which 199 bets were placed on tennis between November 2011 and February 2013. None of the bets related to matches in which he played.
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