Tennis: Dolgopolov rallies to win Washington tennis
Tommy Haas (right) of Germany shakes hands with Alexandr Dolgopolov (left) of Ukraine after the men’s final match in the Citi Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, in Washington. Dolgopolov won 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-1. AP Photo/Nick Wass
WASHINGTON – Second seed Alexandr Dolgopolov survived a three-hour rain interruption to claim his second career title with a 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-1 win over Germany’s Tommy Haas at the ATP hardcourt event Sunday.
Dolgopolov, ranked 25th in the world, denied the 34-year-old Haas a ninth career title in the US.
Haas, ranked 36th in the world, was bidding for his second trophy this season after beating Roger Federer for the Halle title on grass two months ago.
The German was playing Washington for the seventh time. An agitated Haas complained bitterly in the third game of the final set about balls taking repeated dead bounces on a hardcourt which had surface patches where water had soaked through.
Dolgopolov needed two-and-a-quarter hours on court to secure his victory in the tough conditions.
The Ukrainian had reached the title match without losing a set before Haas won the first in a tiebreaker – a set which was interrupted as the German led 6-5.
The final was the fourth for Dolgopolov, who did not play the London Olympics due to a disagreement with his national federation.
