HEAD Players Prosper at Weekend Tournaments

HEAD players enjoyed tremendous success at ATP tournaments around the world this past weekend.

Marseille:
Unseeded HEAD player Gilles Simon of France earned his first ATP title, upsetting No. 7 seed Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 7-6(3), in the final of the Open 13 at Marseille Sunday.

Simon, who won the title without dropping a set, is the second Frenchman in a row to win the crown, following Arnaud Clement’s victory over Mario Ancic in last year’s final.

The 22-year-old Simon is the first Frenchman to reach an ATP final this season. Simon’s previous ATP final appearance came in April 2006 when he reached the championship match in Valencia. He lost to Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 6-3. Simon plays with a Flexpoint Prestige MP.

In doubles news, fourth seeded HEAD player Arnaud Clement and partner Michael Llodra, both of France, handed top seeded HEAD player Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor an agonizing third consecutive defeat in the Open 13 doubles final with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, victory.

Clement and Llodra won their last title together at ATP Masters Series Paris in November 2006. The French team has a 3-2 career record in ATP finals. Knowles and Nestor, who did not drop a set until the final, won the title in 2004 and were finalists in 2005-2006. They have a 12-4 record on the season.

San Jose:
HEAD player Ivo Karlovic advanced to the final round at the SAP Open in San Jose Sunday, but was defeated by Andy Murray of Scotland. Murray won the title for the second straight year outlasting Karlovic of Croatia 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(2). Karlovic plays with a Flexpoint Instinct.

Murray withstood 26 aces from the Croat, who blasted a record 113 aces for the tournament. Murray is the first player to repeat his San Jose crown since Andy Roddick in 2004-2005. The Scotsman beat Roddick in the semifinals this year and last.

Antwerp:
Top seeded HEAD player Amelie Mauresmo spoiled Kim Clijsters' last appearance on home soil with a straight-sets win in the Diamond Games final in Antwerp. Mauresmo won 6-4, 7-6, (7-4) to become the first player to win a hat-trick of Antwerp titles, and for that feat also won a diamond-studded racquet trophy. Clijsters was playing her last match in Belgium before retiring later in 2007.

Clijsters fought back from two break points down in the tie-break to level at 4-4 before Mauresmo won three points in a row. Mauresmo, of France, plays with her Flexpoint Radical MP.