David Ferrer did not allow his friendship with Nicolas Almagro distract him as the Spaniard carved out a straight set win to lift the Swedish Open. The facile 6-1, 6-2 win against pal and compatriot Almagro earned Ferrer his fourth ATP title.
As the score line reveals, it was a lop-sided match right from the beginning and Ferrer never relaxed his vice-like grip over the proceeding.
Seeded second, Ferrer gave early hints of what was in store by breaking Almagro in the very first game of the match. Eventually, he dropped just one game before pocketing the set and go one up in the final.
The second set was hardly different. Ferrer dictated terms again and twice broke his opponent to show who the real boss is. Unseeded Almagro, however, can take heart from the fact that he managed to win one more game in this set. But that was surely not enough to avert a thrashing.
On his part, a resilient Ferrer saved four break points in the first set alone, which included three in the second game itself. It was throughout a sterling display by the Spaniard who dropped just one set in the entire tournament.
Ferrer was happy to add a fourth ATP title to his cupboard but also had a sympathetic word about his friend.
He said
I’m very happy for this win. I played well all week. But I’m sorry for my friend Nicolas. Nicolas did not play so good. I was very focused.
Incidentally, Ferrer’s win completed a Spaniard hat-trick of sort. Players from Spain seem to have made it a habit to win the title. Two Spaniards Rafael Nadal (2005) and Tommy Robredo (2006) had won the title in the last two years.
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