ATP/WTA finals wrap: stunning victories for Andujar, Schmiedlova

Unranked as recently as six months ago, Pablo Andujar has capped a stunning comeback with victory at the ATP tournament in Marrakech.

Facing highly-fancied second seed Kyle Edmund, Andujar dismissed the Brit 6-2 6-2 to become the lowest-ranked ATP tournament winner since Lleyton Hewitt won in Adelaide in 1998.

The 32-year-old, currently ranked No.355, took his winning streak to 10 matches after also winning last week’s Challenger title in Alicante, Spain.

Andujar missed the bulk of the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to right-elbow surgery, falling from a career-high ranking of No.32 in July 2015.

.@AndujarPablo, world no. 355, becomes the lowest-ranked ATP singles champion since Hewitt in 1998.???? pic.twitter.com/MvVmBJrcGu

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 15, 2018

“I always believed that I could come back, otherwise I wouldn’t have tried,” Andujar told atpworldtour.com.

“I played very well during the whole match. Trying to make him move as much as I could. He attacks a lot and is a very strong player. I was very solid today and I’m very happy about that.”

Edmund was playing in his first ATP final.

Schmiedlova comes full circle in Bogota

Another player returning from the depths of the rankings is Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who won her first title since 2015 with victory in Bogota.

Three years ago, the Slovak was a top-30 talent before plummeting to No.273 in the rankings, suffering through a lengthy losing streak in 2016 during which she appeared bereft of confidence.

Her 6-2 6-4 triumph over fifth seed Lara Arruabarrena in the Bogota final vaults her back inside the world’s top 100 to No.84.

.@AKSchmiedlova wins the @CopaWTABogota title!

Upsets Arruabarrena, 6-2, 6-4 for third WTA title! pic.twitter.com/Qkxpk2pvRD

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2018

“It was tough for me to finish it today, and I don’t know what happened. I just wanted to end it, and I maybe played a little less aggressive,” Schmiedlova said in a wrap of the match at wtatennis.com.

“But after all, I made it, and I’m very happy. I’m very happy that I didn’t complicate it more, and I didn’t go to a third set or something!”

Johnson defends Houston title

Steve Johnson beat Tennys Sandgren in three sets to successfully defend his title in an all-American final at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship.

The sixth-seeded Johnson broke eighth-seeded Sandgren in the ninth game of the final set and then held serve to close out the match 7-6(2) 2-6 6-4 in two hours, 22 minutes.

With the win, world No.51 Johnson secured his third ATP title and became the first repeat winner of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship since Andy Roddick in 2002.

Emotional win for Steve Johnson pic.twitter.com/Urkzho7peT

— Ilya Ryvlin (@ryvlin) April 15, 2018

Johnson, who lost his father 11 months ago, recounted to atpworldtour.com the conversation he had with his father after winning in Houston one year ago.

“He was just so excited. He’s somebody that I’d still like to call today,” Johnson said. “He’d tell me he was proud of me and be ready for the wedding next weekend.”

Sandgren, who was appearing in the first ATP singles final of his career, was ready for battle as they traded a break in a back-and-forth opening set that Johnson ultimately claimed in a tiebreak.

Johnson wobbled at times during the second set as Sandgren fought off each of the seven break points he faced and broke his opponent in the sixth and eighth games to force a decider.

But in the third set Johnson, whose run to the final this week included a quarterfinal win over top seed and world No.9 John Isner, did not flinch and got the only break he would need in the penultimate game to set up his victory.

Mertens takes Lugano title

No.2 seed Elise Mertens saw off Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 6-2 to capture her second title of 2018, and third of her career.

The Belgian will rise to a career-high ranking of No.17 after the triumph, which came at the end of a rain-soaked week at the Swiss tournament.

Mertens was forced to win both her quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Saturday – both of which extended three sets – before returning on Sunday to subdue the Belarusian teen in the final.

She also combined with compatriot Kirsten Flipkens to win the doubles title, beating Sabalenka and Vera Lapko 6-1 6-3.

.@Elise_Mertens is your @WTASamsungOpen champion!

Downs Sabalenka, 7-5, 6-2 for second WTA title of 2018! pic.twitter.com/b2CUYRWKAt

— WTA (@WTA) April 15, 2018

“Both titles came as a surprise for me, but you come to a tournament and you try to win it,” Mertens told WTA Insider.

“I had a couple of tough matches, especially the second third and fourth matches, it could go either way but I’m happy that I pulled through.

 “I think yesterday (was a highlight), because it was a really long day – I had three matches (including doubles) and I’m really happy that I pulled through that day even though it didn’t really look all that well sometimes, just to stay mentally tough and fight.”