By Chris Oddo | Sunday November 1, 2015
Joao Sousa rallied back from a set and a break down to win his first title of 2015 in Valencia.
Photo Source: Tennis TV
Portugal’s Joao Sousa produced a stirring comeback at the Valencia Open to down Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 for his second career title.
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Sousa’s victory snaps a five-match losing streak in finals and marks his first title of 2015. The 26-year-old has now won a career-best 38 wins in 2015.
Sousa needed to battle against Bautista Agut in their second meeting of 2015. He fell behind by a set and a break but took advantage of a loose service game by the Spaniard to break for 3-all in the second set.
Sousa would save a break point in the next game and rode a streak of six consecutive games to take a 2-0 lead in set three.
After the second set a weary Bautista Agut had to see the trainer to have gruesome blister on his heel repaired. He also appeared to be tiring as he played in his second final in two weeks.
“Unfortunately, my intensity went down and I was very tired in the third set,” he said, according to ATPWorldTour.com. “I know that I finished the last two matches very late, I also came from Moscow where I reached the final last week, it’s been a long season and obviously this has affected my performance today.”
Sousa, who later explained that his family had driven ten hours to visit Valencia yesterday when they saw he had made the final, built a 5-2 lead but failed to serve it out on his first try when a cagey Bautista Agut beat him with a tricky drop-lob combo to break for 3-5.
After the Spaniard served to 5-4, Sousa took the balls and promptly served the title out to love, clinching on his first match point when a Bautista Agut backhand return sailed long.
He dropped to the court in ecstasy as his family prepared to mob him.
“I’ve lost five finals before so going into this match I was prepared to give it all until the end and it paid off,” Sousa said.
Bautista Agut, who saved six match points in Saturday’s semifinal vs. Steve Johnson to reach the final, finished with nine winners and 24 unforced errors. He falls to 2-4 lifetime in finals and 0-2 in title matches for 2015.
Sousa improves to 2-5 lifetime in finals in winning his first title since 2013.