Murray Joins Federer, Halep, Hantuchova as Title Winners
Week one on the grasscourts gave an indication who will be hot, and who will not heading into The Championships, otherwise known as Wimbledon, with one week left on the lawns before the All England Club.
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Roger Federer won the Halle title, defeating an equally hot-handed Mikhail Youzhny.
Andy Murray got British pulses pounding by capturing the title at the Aegon Championships with a hard-fought 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win over defending champion Marin Cilic for his third Queen’s Club title.
“I worked very hard in the time I had off to get myself back in the best shape possible,” said Murray, who missed the French Open with a back injury. “My team helped me a lot, they’ve been very patient with me.”
The players weathered a three-hour rain delay before the start of the match. The 24-year-old Cilic dropped to 9-8 in career finals.
On the women’s side Simona Halep and unseeded Daniela Hantuchova raised grasscourt trophies.
The No. 7-seeded Halep defeated unseeded Germany Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 in the Nurnberg, Germany final, winning her first title in her fourth final.
“Andrea beat me in Romania a few years ago and I’m happy I could win against her here today,” Halep said. “She played great and the atmosphere was great. It’s an unbelievable feeling to win my first WTA title.”
The wildcard Petkovic will also receive a wildcard at Wimbledon.
Hantuchova at the Aegon Classic defeated 16-year-old Croat sensation Donna Vekic 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final.
“I’m always so happy coming back here year after year, and it feels great to finally get the title,” Hantuchova said. “The first week on grass is always really demanding on the body, so I’m proud of how I made it through so many long matches throughout the week. And when I really needed to, I was tough mentally. Like in the match with [Francesca] Schiavone a few days ago, which was one of the most exciting matches of my career.”
It was her sixth career title and first on grass.
“It shows me I can still compete at the highest level, both physically and mentally,” Hantuchova said. “It’s actually so nice to see so many players from my generation doing so well, starting with Serena [Williams], obviously — what she’s done over the last few years is just amazing. And Francesca [Schiavone], Roberta [Vinci] — it’s nice to see the old way of playing still being so successful right now, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
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