Marcel Granollers battles past Juan Monaco to clinch title win – Valencia Open 2011
Home favourite Marcel Granollers dominated in the third set tie-breaker to overpower Argentinean wild card enterer Juan Monaco in the final round of the Valencia Open 500, an ATP World Tour 500 series event taking place on the
indoor hard courts in Valencia, Spain. He sealed the victory with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3) score line and captured his second year-to-date title on Sunday.
Ranked 28th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings, Granollers outclassed the Argentinean, ranked six spots below him, on their third meeting. He not only took lead in the head-to-heads series by 2-1 against
Monaco but also bagged his third ATP career title.
The Spaniard made quick in-roads after getting the desiderated break in the second game. He quickly slide in entire serves after warding off the only breakpoint faced and broke Monaco’s serve again in the last game to clinch the
opener with a 6-2 win. Granollers cashed in both breakpoint chances and manipulated a better first serve share of 69 percent as compared to the Argentinean’s 55 percent. He also earned an impressive 75 percent win on it.
The Argentinean dug his way back on the $551,800 track as he got the first blood in the opening game. Despite levelling the scores in the fourth game, he converted another breakpoint chance to his advantage in the seventh game
to seal the equaliser with a 6-4 success. Monaco saved one out of two breakpoints came across and capitalised on tow out of four breakpoint opportunities to his advantage.
Both stars raised their level of game in the final set and played amazing tennis.
The Argentinean got the critical break in the opening game and took the initial lead.
Granollers on the other hand snatched his break back in the eighth game and squared the scores at 4-4.
The set eventually went to a tie-breaker where the Spaniard dominated and pocketed the decider with a 7-6(3) victory.
"Winning here has been the biggest achievement in my whole career," declared the blissful Spaniard. "It was a difficult moment for me, being a break down in the third. I kept fighting and at the end, I played very good. Juan is
a great player who fights for every point. There were very long games. The match was settled in the very last moment."
Granollers shocked four top twenty players to set-up this clash. He upset seventh seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, Croat’s Marin Cilic, third seeded French Gael Monfils and sixth seeded Argentinean Juan Martin Del Potro.
Tags: