Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Roger Federer wins Estoril Open

April 20, 2008 23:04 IST

World number one Roger Federer won his first title of the season at the Estoril Open on Sunday after Russia's Nikolay Davydenko retired with a leg injury.

The Swiss top seed saved a set point before winning the opener 7-6 and was 2-1 down in the second when number two seed Davydenko announced his decision to retire.

"This is not the way you want to win a tournament but that's the way it goes sometimes," said Federer, who recently hired clay court expert Jose Higueras to help him recover from the worst start to a season since 2000.

"It's great to win a title again in my first clay court tournament this season and it gives me great confidence for the Monte Carlo Open."

The 12-times Grand Slam winner has a perfect 10-0 record against Davydenko.

"I'm sorry about what happened today," Davydenko told a packed stadium in centre court at the Estoril Open. He later told reporters he planned to play in the prestigious Monte Carlo Masters Series next week.

"You know, I have some leg injury and I can't finish the match," Davydenko, a winner in Estoril in 2003, said. "Sorry guys."

In the women's final, second-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko won her third career title, beating 2004 Estoril Open finalist Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 in a rain-interrupted match.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.