Nicolas Mahut stuns Stanislas Wawrinka to grab his maiden title – Topshelf Open 2013
French qualifier, Nicolas Mahut, surprised everyone by overpowering the second seed, Stanislas Wawrinka, in straight sets at the Topshelf Open 2013 on Saturday. He recorded a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the Swiss star to capture his
first ATP World Tour title in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
The underdog displayed tremendous skills and abilities to outclass the world number 10 at this Wimbledon warm-up event. The contestants last met in a Challengers event nine years ago and with this victory, Mahut maintained his
winning record.
The French challenger, who was ruled out of tennis for six months with a knee injury, commented in a post match press conference, “It's amazing. I cannot believe I won today. I didn't know if I was going to play again when I had
some bad times with my knee. All my team helped me a lot. We worked hard and here I am with the trophy. It's a good story. It was rainy and cold, windy. I won my serve at 3-3 [in the first set], then I broke him. That for me, was the key to the match.”
Mahut made a convincing start and held his opening serve in the first game with poise. The match was suspended due to rain at 3-3 after which the Frenchman sought his momentum. He got the breakthrough in the eighth game and eventually
sealed the opener by winning six games to three.
Ranked 124th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Mahut maintained consistency in his game in the following set. He got the coveted break in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. The French then swiped
his entire serves through angled shots and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
The former Top 40, Mahut, clobbered a lower first serve share of 52 per cent in contrast with the Swiss’ 59 per cent. However, he impressively marked 26 out of 31 points on it and stole the show. The French also saved all three
breakpoints he faced and ended the match with 63 points.
The Swiss praised Mahut after losing the match in an on-court interview, “First of all I want to congratulate Nico and his team. He has always been playing well on grass and he deserves this title.”
Wawrinka is eyeing to carry his rhythm at the Wimbledon Championships, third of the four Grand Slam events held in London. He will take on the former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt, in his opening match.
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