Ferrer tops Berdych for Doha title
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Doha, Qatar (SportsNetwork.com) - David Ferrer opened his 2015 season with a title, beating Tomas Berdych in straight sets for the Qatar Open championship on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Ferrer notched a 6-4, 7-5 victory to claim his 22nd career ATP World Tour crown. He has already matched his title total from last year, as the 32-year-old Spaniard was 1-3 in finals.
"I put in hard work this preseason," said Ferrer in an on-court interview after the match. "It's special winning this tournament."
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Ferrer's best previous finish in four tries at this event was a semifinal appearance in 2013. He lost in the second round last year.
Berdych fell to 10-15 lifetime in finals and was 2-3 last year in title matches, winning in Rotterdam and Stockholm. He was a first-round loser at this event last year in his first-ever appearance.
The third-seeded Czech had not dropped serve in winning each of his first four matches this week in straight sets, but Ferrer changed that in the first game with a break and opened a 4-1 lead en route to winning the first set.
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Berdych was broken twice in the second set, the last time in the 11th game, and Ferrer held to finish the match.
Ferrer improved to 8-5 all-time against Berdych and snapped a two-match losing streak in the series. The two met in the Australian Open quarterfinals last year, with Berdych capturing a four-set victory.
The Australian Open is set to begin Jan. 19 in Melbourne.