Pablo Andújar defeated Juan Mónaco, of Argentina, 6-3, 7-5 to take his third ATP title, the previous cups both won in Casablanca in 2011 and 2012, and all on the red clay.
After dropping the first set, Mónaco broke Andújar in the second to go up 3-0. But the Spaniard reeled off a series of games to even the set, and finally broke in the 12th game, holding his serve for the straight sets win.
Both players will see a big lift in their rankings after today. Andújar will rise from No. 71 to No. 44 when the ATP rankings are published on Monday, a move of 27 places, and Monaco, who has been as high as No. 10 in the world, and as recently as 2012, but has struggled recently with injury and form, will climb 24 spots back into the Top 100, to No. 81.
It has been noted in the Spanish press that, in the seven months of the tennis year so far, Spanish players hold the most titles of any country with eleven: Rafa Nadal (Doha, Río de Janeiro, Madrid, Roland Garros), David Ferrer (Buenos Aires), Roberto Bautista (‘s-Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart), Guillermo García-López (Casablanca), Fernando Verdasco (Houston), Feliciano López (Eastbourne), and Pablo Andújar (Gstaad.) It may be aging, but the Armada sails on.
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Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): si.robi
