PUNE: Through the week, Jiri Vesely struggled with his forehand, saying he needs to ‘work on it every day’. But on Sunday, with a break point on offer in the decider, the left-handed Czech ripped it crosscourt for a return winner to get the one and only break of the set.
Having broken Egor Gerasimov for 2-0, Vesely ran away with the lead, closing out the match 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3 to win the Tata Open Maharashtra title.“It’s amazing isn’t it?” smiled the 26-year-old. “I’ve been suffering with my forehand. I didn’t have much rhythm (on it) and then the deciding shot was actually a forehand return which is even tougher, cross-court into the corner. Unusual, you cannot understand these things.”It has been that kind of week for world No 107, who became the first Indian Open champion ranked outside the top-100. He saved two match points in the quarterfinal, against Ilya Ivashka, and four against second seed Ricardas Berankis in the semis, which was decided over three tie-break sets. And Vesely came up with another battling performance against first-time ATP finalist Egor Gerasimov to win his first title in five years.
“I was joking with my wife today that I will start with a tie-break,” said Vesely, who played four successive tie-break sets going into the final. “And I did. I’ve never ever played five times in a row for the last 17 years. I mean all the matches this week have been really very close. I just tried to stay calm in important moments. I also had lots of luck.” Since winning his first ATP title in Auckland in 2015, and reaching a career high of 35 later that year, the 6’6 Czech has struggled with a series of injuries. Not only did Sunday’s win help him break the title drought but also showed that he had the physicality to play nine tough sets over three days.
The one shot that consistently bailed him out of trouble was the serve. Vesely fired 26 aces in the final, taking his tournament tally to 94. “You cannot strategise for a serve like that,” rued Gerasimov, who was attempting to become the first Belarussian to win an ATP title in 17 years. Having got that break early in the third set, the Czech held his serve and didn’t concede a single break point. While he had been shackled by nerves previously, Vesely was a picture of calm as he stepped in to serve out the match at 5-3. He sent down two aces, a service winner and finished the match with a cracking backhand.
“The win is important. Every year, I had some success, like fourth round at Wimbledon in 2016, 2018. Always had some highlights but was never able to push it further. I need to stay focussed, keep the momentum going,” added Vesely. Having earned 250 points, he will possibly rise to 72 in the rankings.