Following an impressive run in France, Nicolas Almagro has claimed his 12th career title.
The 26-year-old Spanish tenista defeated American qualifier Brian Baker 6-3, 6-2 to win the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur on Saturday and clinch his second title of the season and 12th of his career.
Almagro, currently ranked No. 12 in the world, broke the 216th-ranked Baker’s serve in the fourth and eighth games of the second set. And, the defending champion had 11 aces in the match.
Almagro concluded his impressive run without dropping a set all week. And he improved to 12-5 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals after he beat Baker in a mere 70 minutes at the French Riviera tournament.
“I played my best tennis in two years here,” said Almagro. “I am very happy with my serve and my forehand. I moved on the court very, very well. Today, was one of those matches you want to keep in your mind for the rest of the season, because I couldn’t have played much better. Today was amazing. I am happy with my form, my tennis and my team. We will aim to keep working hard, so I play, in future, as I did today.”
Almagro improved to 35-11 on the season, which includes one other trophy success at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo.