David Ferrer takes fifth ATP title of tennis season

BASTAD, Sweden (AFP) –

Spain’s David Ferrer celebrates after winning the men’s single final against compatriot Nicolas Almagro during the Swedish Open in Bastad on July 15. It was Ferrer’s fifth title of the year, his 16th career title in what was his 31st final.

In-form Spaniard and top seed David Ferrer won his fifth ATP title of the year here on Sunday beating compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 6-2.

Ferrer, 30 and winning his 16th career title in what was his 31st final, eased to the title against his 26-year-old opponent, who has yet to beat him in 10 meetings.

Ferrer, who was winning here for the second time having beaten Almagro in the 2007 final and was runner-up last year, took the first set by breaking his opponent, a two-time winner this season, for the second time.

Ferrer then rattled off the first three games of the second set before Almagro won his first game of the set – but the victor sealed the win after just 68 minutes when he broke Almagro again.

Ferrer is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and this was his 51st win of a season that has seen him reach the French Open semi-finals and push Andy Murray hard in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

It saw him add this title to those he has already accrued in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, on grass, on the hard court of Auckland, and his favoured clay surface like here as well as Buenos Aires and Acapulco.