Unseeded Serra Wins 1st Career Title at ATP Bucharest
Posted on September 19, 2005Unseeded Frenchman Florent Serra beat fellow unseeded Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the ATP stop in Bucharest Sunday to capture his first ATP title.
Serra ran to a 3-0 lead in the first set, while Andreev could not capitalize on a break lead early in the second, with the Frenchman running out the last four games.
"My coach told me that I had to be aggressive," Serra said. "I was very lucky in the first round, I was only about one or two centimeters from losing. I won my first challenger earlier this year in Mexico City but this is different, this is ATP level."
Playing in his seventh ATP event of the year, Serra had never reached an ATP quarterfinal.
Andreev is now 1-4 in career finals.
"I'm a little bit disappointed because I was playing well during all the week," Andreev said. "Today I couldn't find my game, but anyway I'm happy to have reached the final."
In the doubles final, No. 3 seeds Jose Acasuso and Sebastian Prieto defeated unseeded Romanians Victor Hanescu and Andrei Pavel 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 for their second title in their fourth final of the year.
"We had a great week," Prieto said. "Actually, the past three months after Wimbledon have been unbelievable. We have been playing great together -- one title and two finals. This is the second title in two months and it's unbelievable."
Serra ran to a 3-0 lead in the first set, while Andreev could not capitalize on a break lead early in the second, with the Frenchman running out the last four games.
"My coach told me that I had to be aggressive," Serra said. "I was very lucky in the first round, I was only about one or two centimeters from losing. I won my first challenger earlier this year in Mexico City but this is different, this is ATP level."
Playing in his seventh ATP event of the year, Serra had never reached an ATP quarterfinal.
Andreev is now 1-4 in career finals.
"I'm a little bit disappointed because I was playing well during all the week," Andreev said. "Today I couldn't find my game, but anyway I'm happy to have reached the final."
In the doubles final, No. 3 seeds Jose Acasuso and Sebastian Prieto defeated unseeded Romanians Victor Hanescu and Andrei Pavel 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 for their second title in their fourth final of the year.
"We had a great week," Prieto said. "Actually, the past three months after Wimbledon have been unbelievable. We have been playing great together -- one title and two finals. This is the second title in two months and it's unbelievable."