Bopanna and qureshi clinch title

Gill Saab

Yaar Malang
Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi won their second ATP doubles title of the season, and third overall, after outplaying Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares in straight sets in the summit clash of the Stockholm Open, here.
The top-seeded Indo-Pak pair lived up to its top billing as they downed the Brazilian opponents 6-1, 6-4 in just 57 minutes. They split the €29,400 prize money and captured 250 ranking points each. Before this win, Bopanna and Qureshi had triumphed at Halle this year and at Johannesburg in 2010. Overall, it is Bopanna's fourth ATP doubles title.
Slovakia's eighth seed Dominika Cibulkova battled back from a set down to win her first ever title, beating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the final of the joint WTA/ATP Kremlin Cup. Cibulkova won a tough three-setter 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes, to record her first ever win over Kanepi in three meetings. “I've been close to this win for a long time and I'm so happy to finally clinch my first title,” Cibulkova said.
Gael Monfils won his first title in a year when he defeated Jarkko Nieminen 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 to claim the Stockholm Open singles crown. Monfils, ranked 20th but provisional 15th in the 2011 points chase to next month's ATP World Tour Finals in London, kept his qualifying chances alive for the eight-man season wrap-up. The fighting Finn saved three match points before driving a forehand wide to lose in just under two hours.
Nieminen was playing in his third Stockholm final. The 30-year-old, World No. 73, lost in 2001 to Sjeng Schalken and in 2006 to James Blake, whom he beat in Saturday's semifinals. Monfils had been the only member of the top 15 without a title until he came through over Nieminen in a repeat of a win in Bangkok three weeks ago. Serbia's top seed Janko Tipsarevic won the Kremlin Cup men's title, beating second seed and compatriot Viktor Troicki. Tipsarevic, 14th in the ATP rankings, prevailed 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 28 minutes, to dethrone Troicki and level their head-to-head record at 1-1.
In Stockholm: (Stockholm open): Gael Monfils bt Jarkko Nieminen 7-5, 3-6, 6-2; Doubles: Rohan Bopanna & Aisam Qureshi bt Marcelo Melo & Bruno Soares 6-1, 6-4. In Moscow (Kremlin Cup): Men: Final: Janko Tipsarevic bt Viktor Troicki 6-4, 6-2.
Women: Final: Dominika Cibulkova bt Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-5. At Luxembourg (Luxembourg Open): Final: Victoria Azarenka bt Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-2.
 
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