Argentine Juan Martín Del Potro, world number 19 and fourth seed, was proclaimed champion of the Stockholm men’s tennis tournament for the second consecutive year, while his compatriot Diego Schwartzman was left with honey on his lips in Antwerp, where was runner-up.
Del Potro beat Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the Swedish final by a relatively comfortable 6-4, 6-2, while Schwartzman was outmatched (6-3, 7-5) by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Del Potro thus adds his first title since he was crowned precisely in the Swedish capital a year ago, on that occasion against the American Jack Sock in the last game.
In the total of his career, he achieved his twentieth title on the professional circuit.
Dimitrov, world number 8, hardly had a choice against the aggressive tennis of the Tandilense.
Del Potro, who on Saturday had eliminated Spanish Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals, is having a good end to the season, as he already did in 2016. Last week he reached the semifinals of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, where he then fell against the Swiss Roger Federer.
With this success in Sweden, ‘Delpo’ does not give up being in the ATP Masters at the end of the season. He will rise to 14th place in the ‘Race’ to be in that November tournament in London.
«I played the best game of the week today against Grigor. It’s amazing to come back and take this great trophy. I hope to come again next year », the Argentine celebrated.
– Tsonga stops Schwartzman –
In Antwerp, Diego Schwartzman (26th in the world) could not emulate Del Potro and shortly after lost the final against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (17th).
For Tsonga it is his sixteenth title on the professional circuit and his fourth this year, after those achieved in Rotterdam, Marseille and Lyon. Every time the French player has reached a final this season he has ended up winning it.
It was therefore a good return to competition for him, after four weeks without playing due to a right knee injury, which left him out of the Asian tour, and a good omen for the Davis Cup final, which France will play in a month against Belgium.
Schwartzman stayed on the doorstep of the title, as he did last year, also in Antwerp, against another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet.
It was the third final of the ATP circuit that he has reached. Yes, he could win the first one, the one he played in May 2016 in Istanbul against the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, precisely Del Potro’s victim in the Stockholm final. AFP