Kyrian Jacquet did it once again in a fortnight. The 23-year-old Frenchman enjoyed the Indian conditions as he won his second successive title, beating second seed Billy Harris 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Delhi Open ATP Challenger tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex on Sunday.
It was a better fare than what he had executed in winning last week’s Chennai Open Challenger, as Jacquet did not drop a set en route to the fourth singles title of his career.
In a fortnight, he has won 10 matches, dropping one set along the way.
Jacquet was easily the better player as he was exquisitely mobile and played every stroke with purpose, retaining an intense approach right through the contest.
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He dominated the proceedings after getting off to a jump start with a 3-0 lead. He did seem to be gripped by a small spell of nerves, or perhaps indecisive play, as he failed to convert two set points on his serve in the ninth game. However, he seized the opportunity in the next game, converting the break point.
Interestingly, Jacquet dropped serve only six times in five matches and broke the opponents’ serve 20 times.
The battle was on an even keel in the second set till 2-2 but Jacquet wound up the proceedings swiftly by not allowing Harris to convert two game points in the sixth game. In fact, the Frenchman won the last four games to close the entertainment for the sparse gathering.
The champion won 75 ATP points and USD 14,200. The runner-up pocketed 44 points and USD 8,330.
The president of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), Anil Jain, presented the trophy to the champion.
Jacquet and Harris both will compete in the next week’s Challenger event in Pune.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com