Tennis
Kevin Anderson wins New York Open─── 10:04 Mon, 19 Feb 2018
South Africa's Kevin Anderson bagged only the fourth title of his career with a three-set victory over Sam Querrey to claim the ATP Tour New York Open on Sunday.
Anderson played flawlessly in the third set tie-break to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) in two hours and 13 minutes, ending Querrey's hopes of a title on home soil.
The 31-year-old Anderson - who lost in the final of the US Open in New York last September - expressed delight at bucking a trend which has seen him lose in 11 finals before Sunday.
"I've been to quite a few finals and if it doesn't go your way it's pretty tough to deal with," Anderson said.
"It means a lot to me that I was able to come through it today."
A see-saw first set saw Anderson break first to go 2-0 up before Querrey hit back to level at 2-2 with a break of his own.
Querrey then broke Anderson's serve once more to take a 4-3 lead and held for 5-3. Anderson was in trouble on his next service game, and scrambled to save three set-points before Querrey then served out for the opening set.
Anderson ironed out the problems with his serve in the second set, racing into a 5-0 lead. Querrey, however, refused to roll over, pulling a break back and holding twice to cut Anderson's lead to 5-3.
Anderson would not be denied though, forcing a third set by holding serve for 6-3.
The third set went with serve until the tie-break, and it was Querrey who blinked first, smashing his racquet in frustration after a wild forehand gave Anderson a 5-0 lead.
Anderson crushed a forehand into the corner to go 6-0 ahead, and he duly rammed home the advantage on his second match point to claim the win.