Dmitry Tursunov broke a summer losing streak in style Sunday, racing to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over German Benjamin Becker to win the Thailand Open. Sixth seed Tursunov, 29th in the world, lifted a trophy in July in Indianapolis, then lost his next three matches in the first round, including in the US Open to Britain's Tim Henman.
Coming to Thailand after Davis Cup commitments in Moscow last weekend, the 24-year-old was facing a crisis of confidence. But Tursunov quickly put that right as he added the Bangkok crown to Indy and his breakthrough title a year ago in Mumbai.
"I was playing well, to say the least," said Tursunov. "It's a final, a big occasion. "You don't want to come out an play sloppy. I knew that I had to put pressure on him right away. Unfortunately it was a short match-bad for the crowd but good for me."
Becker's inexperience proved to be decisive as the world number 79 was unable to make an impression on his battle-hardened opponent. "It was a great performance from Dmitry," said Becker, who was playing in his first final. "He played too good. It was a big lesson for me today. "He put on so much pressure that I had no chance,"
On his way to the Thai title match, Becker, who ended the career of Andre Agassi at the 2006 US Open, upset seventh seed Carlos Moya and beat number three Czech Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals.
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