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Monfils Tops Nieminen For Stockholm Title
By: James Waterson
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Photo Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images
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(October 23, 2011) World No. 10 Gael Monfils won his first title of the year when he overcame Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the final of the If Stockholm Open Sunday.
Monfils squandered a break advantage twice in the opening set, but he was able to earn a third break of serve and serve out the set to claim the lead.
Nieminen was the superior player in the second set, as he broke Monfils twice and only dropped serve once. His return proved the decisive factor in his success. In the first set, Nieminen won 38 percent of his returning points, but in the second set he improved that to 50 percent.
The third set saw a remarkable shift in momentum, as Monfils dramatically improved his effectiveness on his serve. The Frenchman lost only six points in the set on his serve, and he capitalized on two of eight break point opportunities.
"My concentration was the key for me today," Monfils said. "I just believed I could win this match."
"Jarkko was playing good when he was in front. Some spots in the match were high level tennis and he was moving well. At the end I think he got a bit fatigued. I played him three weeks ago [in Bangkok] but I was more impressed with him today."
The win gives Monfils his fourth career title and it moves him up to No. 14 in the race for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
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