Juan Monaco spectacular run at the Malaysian Open – Tennis Special
Seeded second in this event, Juan Monaco from Argentina, displayed exceptional skills to capture his fourth year-to-date title at the Proton Malaysian Open 2012, an ATP (Association of Tennis Professional) World Tour 250 Series event held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
The Argentinean number two entered the Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil standing at 11th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings. He unveiled his true form in it and after triumphing over his entire opponents through superb skills,
Monaco conquered the Malaysian Open.
After receiving a first round bye, the Argentine started his campaign against the Taiwanese wild card entrant, Jimmy Wang, for a spot in the quarter-finals. He made a rusty entry and was broken three times, However, Monaco cashed in five out of 11 break
chances to formulate a 6-4, 7-5 victory in one hour and 48 minutes.
Monaco kept momentum rolling in the final eight and after dominating in almost one and a half hour-long venture, he dumped the Canadian youngster, Vasek Pospisil, in straight sets. The Argentinean blocked both break chances to keep his entire serves and
availed three out of seven break opportunities, eventually sealing the deal with a 6-3, 6-4 success.
The 28-year-old set up a date with the Asian number one, Kei Nishikori. Despite making quick in-roads, Monaco lost his track and levelled the set scores by 1-1. He exchanged a serve break before outclassing the third seed in the tie-breaker, eventually clicking
the match with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4) win.
The Buenos Aires high-spiritedly entered the final showdown. He battled past the seventh seed, Julien Benneteau from France, in almost three hours and captured the title.
The Jubilant Monaco was quoted after claiming the title:
"I celebrated with my team in the locker room and tonight I'll have Malaysian food with my team. It has been nice to be in this city and win the trophy. It feels very good. When I win a title, I think of my family and my team, as they believe in me, they
have supported me and we have worked hard to win tournaments…. He surprised me a little bit with his comeback in the second set. In the final set, I knew I had to be more aggressive and I am happy the way I finished the match."
After stealing the show, Monaco not only cracked the Top 10 once again but also received $153,440 in prize money.
Tags: