Stoltenberg goes with the wind

DULUTH, May 5: Marcelo Filippini used the wind and a big advantage on first serves to beat Jason Stoltenberg 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 for the AT&...

DULUTH, May 5: Marcelo Filippini used the wind and a big advantage on first serves to beat Jason Stoltenberg 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 for the AT&T Challenge Championship.

The victory was worth $ 43,000 for Filippini, who had earned only $ 38,655 this year and wasn’t seeded in the 32-player field.

With winds gusting to 30 kph at the Atlanta Athletic Club yesterday, the Uraguayan seemed to have the wind at his back at the most crucial times. Down 6-5 with Stoltenberg serving for the first set, Filippini used a tricky crosswind to break serve and send the first set into a tiebreaker.

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Tied 4-4 in the second set, Filippini again had the favorable crosswind when he broke serve to lead 5-4. He ended the match one game later, beating the No 7 seed on the second serve of triple match point.

“I had the wind with me,” Filippini said, after winning for the fourth time in his career, but only the first in the United States.

Stoltenberg was good on only 28 of 43 first serves. That allowed Filippini to take charge on both ends of the court.

“I played well until it was 6-5 (in the first set),” Stoltenberg said. “That’s when I lost my concentration. I was having a little trouble with the wind on my serve. When you tossed the ball up, it blew away from you. We both had the same wind, but he handled it a little better than I did.”

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Filippini, who entered the match ranked 92nd on the ATP Tour, sensed his opponent was losing his concentration in the difficult conditions.

“I knew we’d have a lot of wind,” he said. “It bothered him more on his serve. His serve was not good. My serve was good, especially the important serves.”

The set-winner in the tiebreaker was a 196 kph ace — his best serve of the week.

Midway in the second set, Filippini added to Stoltenberg’s frustration by attacking the net. With the second set tied 4-4, Filippini rushed to the forecourt on three consecutive points to break Stoltenberg’s serve. After that, Filippini had little trouble.

Pioline triumphs

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PRAGUE: Fourth seed Cedric Pioline of France outlasted home favourite and third seed Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic in three sets today to win the $ 365,000 Czech Open men’s tennis tournament.

Pioline needed 2-1/2 hours to beat Ulihrach 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4). By his victory, the 27-year-old Frenchman gained 150 points in the ATP rating and $ 48,200.

Some 3,000 watched the match at Prague’s St Vanice Stadium.