Results Sunday from the Legg Mason Classic. A $508,000 (?337,000) ATP event on hardcourts at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center (seedings in parentheses):
Singles
Championship
Juan Martin del Potro (2), Argentina, def. Viktor Troicki, Serbia, 6-3, 6-3.
Doubles
Championship
Marc Gicquel, France, and Robert Lindstedt, Sweden, def. Bruno Soares, Brazil, and Kevin Ullyett, Zimbabwe, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
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Results Sunday from the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, a $175,000 (?116,600) WTA Tour event on hardcourts at The Lindner Family Tennis Center (seedings in parentheses):
Singles
Championship
Nadia Petrova (2), Russia, def. Nathalie Dechy, France, 6-2, 6-1.
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Right now, it seems no one can stop Juan Martin del Potro.
Del Potro won his fourth straight tournament Sunday, beating Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-3 to take the Legg Mason Tennis Classic championship. The 19-year-old, ranked No. 19 in the world, has won his last 19 matches since June 25, when he was bounced from Wimbledon in the second round.
“I feel confidence,” del Potro said. “Because when I go to the court, and the other players know I beat 19 players in a row and nobody can beat me, it is good for me.”
The Argentine wasn’t necessarily happy with his play Sunday, especially his service game – he had seven double-faults to five aces – but his pinpoint groundstrokes at big moments carried the match.
“I didn’t play too good,” del Potro said. “But the important points, I played very good. That was the difference.”
Del Potro was playing in his fourth final in a little more than a month. Troicki was playing in the first of his career and was also slowed by pain in his lower back.
“I’m pretty sad that maybe I couldn’t give 100 percent today,” Troicki said. “It’s pretty sore, too tight, and I feel it when I move or serve or get ready for a return.”
The final game took longer to close out than del Potro would have liked.
Serving with a 5-3 lead in the second set, del Potro used two aces to go up 40-15. But on two match points, he first put a backhand, then a forehand into the net. He quickly earned another match point chance and had yet another backhand go into the net.
Del Potro then held off three break point opportunities for Troicki before ending the match with a 134 mph ace.
Del Potro admitted to being nervous going into the final, with the pressure of being the favorite and trying to keep his winning streak alive. After the final point, del Potro dropped to his knees on the court in celebration.
“I got a little lucky – he moved to the other side,” del Potro said of the final serve. “After that ace, I felt very relaxed. It was a very good sensation.”
Troicki, on the other hand, felt disappointment to go along with his sore back.
After losing his serve to go down 4-3 in the first set, Troicki took an injury timeout and laid on the court while his lower back was worked on. The next game, Troicki was unable to return del Potro’s serves, losing four straight points and often grabbing his lower back in pain.
The soreness again appeared to bother him as he had two double faults in the final game of the first set. Troicki said treatment and some painkillers helped, although he was still bothered by the pain.
“It got better in the second set, but it still wasn’t great,” he said.
Del Potro could add one more title before the U.S. Open late this month. He said he will fly to New Haven, Conn., on Monday, then make a decision on whether he will play in the Pilot Pen Tennis event.
All four of del Potro’s career tournament wins have come during this streak. He won clay tournaments in Stuttgart, Germany, and Kitzbuhel, Austria, in July. He won his first hardcourt title last week, beating Andy Roddick in the final of the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles.
However, del Potro acknowledged his streak hasn’t come against top-ranked competition. Only two of the wins came against players in the top 30, with the best coming against Roddick at No. 9.
“I don’t play against (Rafael) Nadal or (Roger) Federer or any top, top players,” del Potro said. “I don’t know what will happen when I play against them, but it will be a good test for me.”
