Rajeev Ram beat third-seeded Sam Querrey, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-3, in the Hall of Fame Tennis championships Sunday for his first ATP title.Ram, a lucky loser after top-seeded Mardy Fish withdrew on Monday to replace Andy Roddick in the United States Davis Cup team, won the first all-American final on Newport’s grass courts in seven years.
It was the first ATP final for Ram, the 181st ranked player entering the week, and the lowest ranked to win an event this year.
“These days don’t come around very often unless you’re (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal. There’s definitely pressure,” Ram said.Ram withdrew from his qualifier match on Monday, knowing he’d be placed in the draw when Fish pulled out.
“I tried to play tennis instead of thinking about what the moment was.”
“Winning tournaments is not normal on the tour for 99 percent of us,” he said.
Ram earned $79,000 for his singles title while Querrey collected $41,500.Ram went on to win the doubles title as he partnered Jordan Kerr to defeat Michael Kohlman and Rogier Wassen 6-7(6), 7-6(7), 10-6.
(Via AP; Images via Yahoo! Sports)
