UPDATE-1-Tennis-Ukraine's Stakhovsky wins St Petersburg Open

Sun Nov 1, 2009 6:42pm GMT
 
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* Stakhovsky edges Zeballos in see-saw battle

* Ukrainian wins his second final (adds quotes)

ST PETERSBURG, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky recovered from a slow start to edge out eighth-seeded Argentine Horacio Zeballos 2-6 7-6 7-6 in a see-saw St Petersburg Open final on Sunday and clinch his second ATP title.

Zeballos, playing in his first ATP final, led 3-0 in the second-set tiebreaker but allowed 93rd-ranked Stakhovsky to reel off six straight points, winning it 10-8 to level the match.

Stakhovsky, whose first title came last year in Zagreb, broke for a 4-3 lead in the third set and had a match point in the ninth game but Zeballos held before breaking back.

In the deciding tiebreak, both players held match points before the 23-year-old Kiev native finally sealed victory 9-7.

"I must say I was a bit lucky today because my opponent played better than me," Stakhovsky told a news conference.

"I was also getting tired in the second set as I had to play eight matches, including three qualifiers, here," added the Ukrainian, who beat former world number one Marat Safin in the semi-finals on Saturday.

"Yesterday's match took a lot out of myself, but somehow today I was able to find enough energy in key moments."   Continued...

 

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