Andrey Golubev yesterday became the first player from Kazakhstan to win an ATP World Tour title as he swept past Jurgen Melzer in straight sets to claim the German Open crown. Melzer had not dropped a set all tournament and, in the form of his career, was the favourite to claim a third career title against an opponent who is 67 places below him in the rankings. However, the world No 15 had no answer as Golubev, who also had not dropped a set all week and who beat Nikolay Davydenko, the top seed, en route to the final, cruised to a 6-3, 7-5 victory in one and a half hours.
The 23-year-old broke Melzer in the eighth game of the first set and, after the Austrian had missed a crucial chance to break back at 3-2 up in the second, Golubev broke again in the 11th game before serving out for the match in only his second ever final. Golubev, who is currently ranked No 82 in the world, will break into the top 50 for the first time in his career today. Meanwhile, Germany's Julia Goerges won her first WTA Tour title by beating Timea Bacsinszky 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Gastein Ladies in Austria yesterday.
The 65th-ranked Goerges, playing in her maiden final, broke Bacsinszky three times and won the opening set when the second-seeded Swiss player double-faulted on set point. Bacsinszky led 4-2 in the second set but then was broken twice as Goerges wrapped up the victory. "I've played really well all week," said Goerges, who laid down on the court in celebration. "It was my first final and I just wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. I didn't put pressure on myself," added Goerges, who won five events on the lower-ranked ITF circuit.
* Agencies