By Alberto Amalfi | Monday, April 25, 2016
Fernando Verdasco topped Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 6-2, in the Bucharest final to win his seventh career title and first since Houston in 2014.
Photo credit: BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy
Rain postponed the Bucharest final yesterday. Fernando Verdasco was in no mood to play the waiting game today.
Verdasco needed just 75 minutes to dismiss Lucas Pouille, 6-3, 6-2 and capture his seventh career title in Bucharest.
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It was the 32-year-old Spaniard's first ATP title since April 2014 when he defeated Nicolas Almagro in the Houston final.
Verdasco swept 64th-ranked Robin Haase in the quarterfinals then defeated defending champion Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals.
Playing sound tennis under break-point pressure, Verdasco saved all five break points he faced.
"I'm very happy because I won this trophy," Verdasco told ATPWorldTour.com. "It was a long time since I was in this position, to win a tournament or to play in a final.
"It's not easy to wait a day to play. It wasn't stressful, but hard. When it rains you have to be ready to play at every moment, especially if it is a final, not a first round. I wanted to play, no matter what. We did play, even if the last game was complicated when it started raining again. I'm glad that it all ended there."
Contesting his first ATP final, Pouille earned three break points in the third game, but could not convert. Verdasco broke the Frenchman at love, eventually extending his lead to 4-1.