By Adrianna Outlaw | Sunday, October 2, 2016
Tomas Berdych blasted 18 aces defeating Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3, to successfully defend his Shenzhen title.
Photo credit: AP Photo
Shenzhen is Tomas Berdych's stomping ground.
Berdych blasted 18 aces defeating Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3, to collect his second straight Shenzhen championship.
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It is Berdych's 13th career title.
Four of the Czech's 13 championships have come in Asia: 2008 Tokyo, 2011 Beijing and 2015-2016 Shenzhen.
The fourth ATP final of the season between 30-and-older players renewed a tight rivalry. The pair had split their prior 14 meetings and split tie break sets setting up the decider.
Berdych won 13 of 15 points played on his first serve and did not face a break point in the final set.
Berdych, who has won 16 of 18 sets he's played in Shenzhen, contested his first final since he defeated Jack Sock to win Stockholm last October. Berdych has won at least one title every year since 2012.
It was a triumphant return for Berdych, who was forced out of the US Open with appendicitis that snapped his streak of 52 consecutive Grand Slam appearances.
"I think it’s sad to miss this time for me," Berdych said. "It’s 13 years in a row that I was not able to play in the main draw. And I was not even home; I was in hospital. Now things are well and I’m quite, I would say lucky, blessed, you know, that I can be actually back because the prognosis doesn’t really look good.
"I mean, it should be that I might even be able to start maybe next season. But I’m back. I can play. I’m feeling healthy and that’s important. So basically for me, whatever is left in the season for me, it’s a bonus. I’m just trying to get more solid and that’s how it is."
The 31-year-old Berdych is the 18th 30-and-over champion on the ATP Tour this season.
Though Berdych's new coach, Goran Ivanisevic, was not with him in Shenzhen, he expects the former Wimbledon champion to join him for upcoming tournaments in Vienna and Paris.