Berdych Battles Raonic In Bangkok Final; Benneteau Seeks First Title In KL

by Staff | September 28th, 2013, 2:17 pm
  • 2 Comments

Heavyweights Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic will meet in the final tonight in the Bangkok 250 after both earned three set wins in the semifinals.

Berdych lost the opener to Gilles Simon but came back strong to win 6-7, 6-2, 7-5.

In a match of two players bidding for London berths, Raonic avenged his 5-set US Open loss to the Richard Gasquet turning away the Frenchman 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.


Berdych hasn’t won a title all year while Roanic is seeking his second.

“It’s been a while,” said Berdych. “It’s gonna be my third final this year. As we say … for the third time, I hold my fingers crossed and it’s gonna happen. Now I feel a bit tired and need to recover well for tomorrow, being strong and ready.”

Added Raonic, “It’s gonna be a tough match. We both had long ones today. But I don’t think that’s really gonna be any of a factor. I think it’s gonna be about who can control the points early or can dictate and control the centre of the court more,”

In Malaysia, Juliean Benneteau, a semifinal winner over Stanislas Wawrinka, will be the favorite in the Kuala Lumpur final against Joao Sousa. Benneteau is 0-8 in his career in ATP finals.

“It’s another chance… I hope it will be a good one,” the 31-year-old Benneteau said. “I’m excited but I’m not desperate [to win]. If I stay healthy, I have a few more years in front of me, for sure.”

The 77th-ranked Sousa is playing in his first career final. “It’s my first final… I just feel great,” said Sousa who stunned David Ferrer on Friday. “It’s a great week for me this week.”

In women’s action, Petra Kvitova won her 11th career title beating Angelique Kerber in the Tokyo all-lefty final 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.

“In the first set I was attacking every ball and hitting so many winners but in the beginning of the second set I made some easy mistakes and felt slower in my legs, and that’s what Angie was waiting for,” Kvitova said. “I knew it wasn’t over until the last point, though. After the second set I knew what I had to do – play the same way as the first set, stay aggressive and cut the mistakes down again.

“I’m very happy I could win this final today. For me the whole tournament was great – I felt good all week on the court. I really enjoyed my week here and it’s even better to come away with the title.”


You Might Like:
Kvitova, Raonic, Sousa Win Titles; Benneteau Suicide Watch
Milos Raonic Celebrated His Bangkok Title By Eating Brownies?
Berdych, Raonic Advance In Bangkok; Ferrer Upset In Kuala Lumpur; Venus Falls
Berdych Battles Vesely In Shenzhen Rematch; Thiem, Dimitrov, Khachanov Headline Chengdu QFs
Del Potro Confirms Return, He’ll Play Bangkok Next Week

Don't miss any tennis action, stay connected with Tennis-X

Get the FREE TX daily newsletter

2 Comments for Berdych Battles Raonic In Bangkok Final; Benneteau Seeks First Title In KL

Steve 27 Says:

Vamos Julien!. You will lose your virginity in ATP finals and you will win your first title.


SG1 Says:

Big opportunity for Milos to set himself up for a spot in the tour finals. GO MILOS!

Top story: Sinner Swallows Up Zverev For Second Straight Australian Open, 3rd Slam