Lopez claims Joburg crown

Feliciano Lopez was crowned SA Tennis Open champion today after a comfortable straight sets victory over first-time ATP Tour finalist Stephane Robert.

The third-seeded Spaniard beat top seed Gael Monfils at Montecasino yesterday and followed that up with another commanding display in a 7-5 6-1 win.

It was almost a case of missed opportunities for Lopez in the first set as he squandered eight break points, before eventually clinching it on his ninth.

The second set was totally one sided as the eighth-seeded Frenchman fell apart, winning just 11 points to hand the world number 39 a second career title – the last one came in Vienna in 2004 – in one hour and 13 minutes.