Muller takes final

After being viewed ​as​ a grass court specialist for years, Gilles Muller (ATP-28) has now finally won a title on his beloved surface. In the final of the Ricoh Open the left-hander from Luxemburg defeated Croatia’s power server Ivo Karlovic (ATP-24): 7-6(5)​,​ 7-6(4).

Last year Muller won the semifinal with exactly the same score in the tiebreaks. He missed out on the final that year when he was defeated by three-time winner Nicolas Mahut.

The final was, as expected, decided through tiebreaks. The 34-year-old Muller managed to cause a bit more damage in his return points than his opponent, who is four years older. The match was recorded as the ‘oldest’ ATP final since 1976.

Muller​’s​ second ATP-title of the year is also ​the​ second ATP title of his career. Karlovic has eight tournament victories, of which three were on grass.