By Chris Oddo | Saturday April 10, 2016
Juan Monaco snapped Jack Sock's run in Houston and claimed his 9th career title on Sunday.
Photo Source: AP
32-year-old Juan Monaco claimed his first title since 2013—also his 9th overall and 2nd at Houston—on Sunday by defeating defending champion Jack Sock, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the finals of the U.S. Men’s Clay-Court Championships.
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Both players battled with fitness issues, but it was Sock who suffered the most down the stretch as he fell behind by a double-break in the deciding set.
Sock, 23, had reeled off 17 consecutive sets at Houston but saw that streak go up in smoke in the second set as Monaco battled through to force a decider.
Sock rallied to erase the double-break lead and level at five-all in set three, but Monaco won the final two games to close out his victory.
Monaco missed six months due to wrist surgery, making his return at Buenos Aires this February. He entered Miami with a 2-4 record but ran off five victories at Houston to win his second title at the event. The 2012 champion defeated four of the top five seeds to claim the title.
Monaco becomes the oldest champion at Houston since Andre Agassi in 2003. The Argentine has won eight of his nine titles on clay and is fifth among active ATP players with 232 clay-court wins.