Philipp Petzschner upset Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy final for his first ATP Tour title.
The 125th-ranked German, who had never been beyond the quarterfinals of an ATP event before, had to play two qualifying rounds to reach the main draw and became only the third qualifier this season to win an ATP tournament.
“This is unbelievable, I can’t describe my feelings now,” Petzschner said. “I will enter the top 100, which makes a dream come true.”
The 24-year-old Petzschner played his opening qualifying match less than three hours after arriving on a flight from Tokyo.
He went on to beat top-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, former No. 1 Carlos Moya and 2004 champion Feliciano Lopez on his way to the title. “This has been an incredible week for me, everything went perfect,” Petzschner said.
The 8th-seeded Monfils has lost five of his six career finals. “I am disappointed but I had a good week anyway,” said the 28th-ranked Frenchman, who had beaten Petzschner in straight sets in their only previous match last month.
“Philipp was the better player today. He just was more aggressive so well done to him.”
Monfils will enter the ATP top 20 for his highest ranking ever. “This win gives me a lot of confidence, I now see what I have been working for all year,” Petzschner said.
“My goal next season will be to get into the top 50.”
However Petzschner and Alexander Peya of Austria lost 6-1, 7-5 to Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel in the doubles final. Mirnyi secured his 35th career trophy, while Ram won his 14th title.
The pair was competing together for the first time this week. “It’s easy to play with Max. He told me he has won a number of tournaments multiple times with different partners. It’s easy when you pick up one of the best doubles players," said Ram.
"It’s one of my best experiences I have ever had and I certainly learned a lot from one of the best doubles players ever this week. Perhaps we’ll play together again when Jonathan [Erlich] stops playing!”
(Images via Bank Austria Tennis Throphy official website)
Igor Kunitsin, right, still appear to be shocked after his win against Marat Safin.
World no. 71, Igor Kunitsyn who played his first ATP final, upset former world number one Marat Safin 7-6 6-7 6-3 in an all-Russian Kremlin Cup final to clinch his maiden title on Sunday.
Earlier, world number one Jelena Jankovic overpowered Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-4 in the women’s final to win her third title in a row.
“This is beyond my wildest dreams,” Kunitsyn told reporters.
“I’d never have expected to beat Marat in the final in Moscow,” added the 27-year-old from Vladivostok, who took home $171,000 in winnings to more than double his earnings for the year.
Safin, seeded 7th and bidding to claim his first title in almost four years, reached the final without hitting a ball when his semi-final opponent, German Mischa Zverev, withdrew with illness on Saturday.
The big Russian has not tasted success since winning the Australian Open in January 2005.
“I have only myself to blame,” said Safin, who also lost to compatriot Nikolay Davydenko in the 2006 final in Moscow.
“If I had won the first set, it would have been a different story but he gained confidence as the match went on, played well in the end and deserved his victory.”
Love strucked Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, left, and Vera Zvonareva of Russia pose
with their trophies after a final match.
In the women's singles, Jankovic, making her debut in Moscow, broke Zvonareva twice to take the first set in just over half an hour.
“I’ve played her twice in the last two weeks so I really knew what to expect and was focused right from the start,” said Jankovic, who pocketed $196,900 for her efforts.
“I dominated in the first set but in the second my concentration slipped a little bit but I was able to get myself together in the end.”
The 23-year-old has been playing almost non-stop in the last couple of months and must keep going for another week before taking a well-deserved rest.“I’ve worked really hard in the last three weeks, winning three titles in a row. It’s not easy,” she told reporters.
“But I still have my commitments to play next week in Zurich. Then I’ll take a two-week rest before playing (next month’s season-ending WTA Championships) in Doha.
“I’ve had a tough season, overcoming a number of injuries but I’m quite close to finishing the year ranked number one and I’m really proud of it,” she added.
Zvonareva, who reached her first Kremlin Cup final on her eighth appearance in Moscow, said she could do little to stop Jankovic.
“It seems she had an answer for everything I tried,” the 24-year-old Muscovite told a news conference.
Ross Hutchins, left, and Stephen Huss, middle, pose with their runner-up trophies beside
Sergiy Stakhovsky, right, with his winners trophy (without his partner Potito Starace),
after the doubles final.
In the men's doubles final, first-time pairing of Sergiy Stakhovsky and Potito Starace captured their first ATP doubles title with a 7-6(4), 2-6, 10-6 victory over Stephen Huss and Ross Hutchins.
The 22-year-old Stakhovsky, currently no. 167 in the Stanford ATP Doubles Rankings, was appearing in his first ATP doubles final. Earlier in the season he captured his maiden ATP singles title in his first final at Zagreb.
The 27-year-old Starace has now won three titles in four finals. He captured two titles in 2007 at Kitzbuhel and Acapulco and was runner-up at Acapulco in 2006.
“We played unbelievable doubles. We only signed up at the last moment and we can play maybe the next tournament then we’ll see," said Starace.
Nadia Petrova, left, and Katerina Srebotnik, 2nd left, pose with their trophies after winning the doubles against Cara Black, 2nd right, and Liezel Huber, right.
In the women's doubles final, top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber took on no.4 seeds Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik.
Petrova and Srebotnik pulled off the upset in straight sets, 6-4 6-4, for their first title as a team.
It was Petrova's 15th career Tour doubles title and Srebotnik's 19th.
(Images via Yahoo! Sport)
The no. 1 trophy is finally presented to Rafael Nadal today in the Pista Central (central court) of the Masters Series of Madrid.
The tennis player from Majorca reached the first place in the ranking on 18th August. "Rafa's achievement of the no. 1 place in the South African Airways ATP Ranking is the reward for a fantastic career in a complicated year."
"His great season on clay, where he was undefeated, and his good results on grass this year have confirmed him as a great player on all surfaces."
"Putting an end to Federer's reign has been a small great deed but, now, the best player in the world and all tennis fans hope that both players keep competing with each other in one of the strongest rivalries in the sports world," commented Etienne de Villiers, ATP's CEO who presented the award to Nadal.
The Masters Series of Madrid will be the first ATP tournament Nadal plays in Spain as no. 1.
"We are delighted that the ATP has chosen our court to hand over the trophy. Rafa is loved in every country, but here specially. Tennis public in Madrid has always supported him," commented Manuel Santana, tournament director.
The ceremony will be accompanied by the acrobatic show of "Dream2".
Today, the matches of the tournament's final draw start as well. If the draw is favourable chances are good that Nadal will make his debut in the singles draw on Tuesday 14th October at 8 p.m.
He will also play in the doubles draw with Carlos Moya.
(Image by PEDRO ARMESTRE/AFP/Getty Images)
Philipp Petzschner upset Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy final for his first ATP Tour title. 
The 24-year-old Petzschner played his opening qualifying match less than three hours after arriving on a flight from Tokyo. 
However Petzschner and Alexander Peya of Austria lost 6-1, 7-5 to Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel in the doubles final. Mirnyi secured his 35th career trophy, while Ram won his 14th title.
