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  • Open 13 Tournament Summary

    2/18/08 8:34 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - If ever a player cruised quietly to an ATP tournament title, it was Andy Murray this week in Marseille, France at the Open 13. Although the Scot hoisted the trophy when it was all said and done, it was runner-up Mario Ancic and fellow injury-plagued star Robin Söderling who made the most noise.

    Third-seeded Andy Murray took home the Open 13 championship on Sunday, defeating unseeded surprise finalist Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-3. Before discussing the real stories of the tournament, let’s give Murray the publicity he deserves for his performance this week.

    The Scot was arguably the favorite to emerge from the top half of the draw coming into the tournament, especially considering top seed Novak Djokovic was still feeling the effects of a sickness that derailed his efforts in Serbia’s opening-round Davis Cup tie. Murray delivered on those expectations, and it started with a routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over little-known Dutch qualifier Jesse Huta Galung in the first round. He then took care of Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1 in the third set, beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 7-5, 7-6(5) in the quarters, and destroyed Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 6-2 before ending Ancic’s incredible run. Not surprisingly, it was a remarkably consistent week for the ever-solid Murray.

    Ancic, however, stole the headlines in Marseille. He had not yet played a match in 2008 due to lingering back and shoulder problems, and the tournament draw did him no favors by pairing him with Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga in the fist round. But Ancic upset the Frenchman in straight sets and he never looked back. The 6’5’’ Croat used some other-worldly serving to take out Teimuraz Gabashvili, Robin Soderling, and Marcos Baghdatis is succession en route to the final. Baghdatis, the 2007 runner-up, looked impressive in making it back to the semifinals despite a tough draw. His three match wins came over Arnaud Clement, Ivo Karlovic, and in-form Mikhail Youzhny.

    Soderling had been dealing with injury troubles of his own. The Swede last played back in August, but he was obviously ready to come back in Marseille. He stunned Jarkko Nieminen and second-seeded Richard Gasquet—both in three sets—before bowing out to Ancic in a hard-fought quarterfinal contest.

    Most of the top guys in Marseille will next be making their way to Rotterdam, where Rafael Nadal is the top seed. Baghdatis and Soderling will do battle in a brutal first-round matchup. Murray has to deal with rising Dutch youngster Robin Haase and Youzhny will meet Serb Janko Tipsarevic, now well-known thanks to his epic five-set loss to Roger Federer in Australia.

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