Robin Haase rallies past Albert Montanes to grab title – Bet-At-Home Cup 2011
Dutch Robin Haase became the eighth first-time winner at the ATP World Tour this season as he captured his maiden title, beating Albert Montanes of Spain in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the final at the Bet-At-Home Cup in Kitzbuhel
on Saturday.
Haase was first to take lead as he broke the Spaniard in the fifth game of the first set and held his serve in the next game to take a 2-0 lead. The Dutch capitalised on the single break of serve and served out the set at 5-4.
The six feet and three inches tall served averagely as he delivered just 39 percent of the first serves, claiming eleven of the sixteen first service points and fifteen of the 25 second service points in the opening set.
Montanes made a comeback as he broke the Dutch in the third game of the second set and consolidated on it to take a 3-1 lead. Haase broke back in the sixth game to level the score at 3-3. The Spaniard broke again in the ninth game,
grabbing the set 6-4.
The Barcelona resident kept his first serve percentage at 53 percent and delivered a couple of aces in the second set. The right-handed won a good number of points on his first serve as he sealed twelve of the sixteen first service
points in the second set.
Haase regained his momentum in the final set, breaking his opponent in the second and fourth game to race to a 5-0 lead. Montanes avoided a bagel set he held his serve in the sixth game to take the score to 1-5 but he could not
break the Spaniard in the seventh game, losing the set 1-6.
The 24-year-old saved the two break points he faced and won both break points he received on Montanes’ serve in the third set.
Talking to the newsmen in the post match press conference, a jubilant Haase said, "It’s an amazing feeling. I’m really happy that I won. It was one of the goals this year to make it into a semi-final or final, and maybe win it.
I was close a few times when I played good but actually lost to good players. To win this match and beat good players this week was really great."
The Dutch added, "Definitely I served well from the beginning [of the week]. Today, actually, in the second set I served bad, but that was the only time and the rest of the tournament I served really, really well. Then I attacked
with my forehand and I was defending really.”
Haase had a great week. The Dutch upset second seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain and Italian Andreas Seppi, seeded sixth at the event, on the road to the title match.
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