Monday, June 24, 2019

Feliciano Lopez wins Queen's title

Feliciano Lopez wins Queen's title
Feliciano Lopez wins Queen's title

Feliciano Lopez defeated Gilles Simon 6-2 6-7(4) 7-6(2) to win the singles title at Queen's and the came back with Andy Murray to win the doubles crown.

Lopez and Murray beat Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram 7-6(6) 5-7 10-5 in the final.

It was one of the oldest Queen's finals but the two warriors served up a classic as they pushed each other to the limit.

Lopez wasted a match point in the 12th game of the contest but a sensational lunging backhand volley put him 5-2 ahead in the deciding tiebreak and he made no mistake the second time.

Simon netted a volley at 2-6 and Lopez celebrated his first title since winning here in 2017. He is the first wildcard to win the title since Pete Sampras 20 years ago.

"I thought the best moment of my career was in 2017 but it was not, it's right now," Lopez said before making a moving tribute to his watching wife-to-be Sandra Gago.

"She might have heard of this leftie Spanish player but I've not won many matches since we met. Now I can say to her I'm a decent player."