Cuevas wakes Vanni from dream to take Sao Paulo crown - UBITENNIS

Cuevas wakes Vanni from dream to take Sao Paulo crown

By Staff
4 Min Read

TENNIS SAO PAULO – A third-set tie break crushed Luca Vanni’s dream of winning the Brasil Open after coming through qualifying and winning his first ever match on tour in the opening round. Cuevas’s experience paid dividends and, above all, his brilliant serve got him over the finish line. Bruno Bergareche Sans

A third-set tie break crushed Luca Vanni’s dream of winning the Brasil Open after coming through qualifying and winning his first ever match on tour in the opening round. Cuevas’s experience paid dividends and, above all, his brilliant serve got him over the finish line. Serving in tennis isn’t only about pace and Cuevas is living proof of that, the Uruguayan creates inch-perfect angles with a heavy top spin serve which plays to perfection on clay. In fact, Cuevas won all twenty points on serve in the opening set as a break of Vanni’s serve was enough for the South American to take the opening set 6/4.

But Vanni reacted in the second set showing that never-say-die attitude that he has displayed all week, getting an early break to go 2-0 up and never looking back as he squared things up claiming the second set 6/3.

In the third set both players brought out the best in each other with some scintillating strokes in what was the perfect finale to a fine week of tennis. Vanni felt increasingly at home on Quadra Central and broke Cuevas to go up 5/4 and serve for an astonishing maiden tour title. The Italian was unable to hold his nerve however and Cuevas struck back, ultimately taking the match 7/4 in the deciding tie break. The Uruguayan has now taken the title in all three of the ATP finals he has participated in and rises nine places to number 23 in the rankings.

“We were both very nervous. I think it was the first time I played a final as the favourite. I thought that I couldn’t lose when that happens, but the matches become more difficult. In front of me I had someone that was playing with a lot of confidence and with a great serve. I think we both failed at some moments: a double fault, a volley. There were many mistakes at the end and the winner was the one who fails less than the other. I’m having a great comeback. I dream it will be good, but it’s better than I thought. I’m happy and enjoying the moment. But I’m healthy and I want more. I think I can give more and I thought about it when I could not play”, said Cuevas.

As for Vanni, he jumps 41 places in the rankings to 108, knocking on the doors of the exclusive top 100. “I’m so happy. It was a close match. I fought hard against Cuevas, I’m so proud of myself. I was in the chair before I served for the match and was thinking we are 1-all in the first set. I didn’t want to think we were at 5-4 and I was serving for the championship. I started with a good serve and then he played solid and didn’t miss a ball. He put every ball inside the court. I took some risks, which can be good sometimes and sometimes not. But I have to be satisfied after this week”, commented Vanni.

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