tennis4ever

Singles - Final
[2] M Cilic (CRO) d [3] S Wawrinka (SUI) 76(2) 76(3)

Doubles - Final
[2] M Granollers (ESP) / S Ventura (ESP) d Y Lu (TPE) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) 75 62

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Cilic: "Starting the year well like this gives me a lot of belief and satisfaction in all the work that I did in the off-season. This is the best way possible and gives me a great perspective for the rest of the year. Obviously winning the title here will give me more confidence going into the Australian Open. I'll have a week off now, go to Melbourne, rest and have a few days of practice before the tournament starts.
"We played against each other earlier in my career but today it was different because it was a final and I've improved a lot since the last time I played him at the French Open a couple years ago. He has improved as well of course. It was a big mental battle on the court today. I played well when I had to.
“The first tie-break was obviously crucial as it gave me a mental advantage in the second set. There was a lot of rallies and running. It wasn't easy to maintain yourself on the court all the time and to be focussed but I'm very happy about my mental and physical aspects today.

"I was searching a bit for my game at the start of the match. As the match went on, it got more physical and he wasn't able to hit the balls so close to the lines which gave me more opportunities to get into the rallies.

"It's definitely the toughest final I have played. It's so humid here and the balls get really big, which makes it hard to hit winners. It was definitely the legs doing most of the work on the court today. Mentally it was very tough. I'm very proud to defend my title and win twice here. This is a really tough week to play. I know it's winter here now, but I can only imagine how the conditions are in the summer!"

Wawrinka: “It's tough to lose in two tie-breaks but I think we played some great tennis. Marin played a bit better and he deserved it. Next time I hope I can win. I tried to use everything in my game during the match. In the tie-breaks I think I needed to be a bit more aggressive. He took his chances before me.

"It's been a good week though. Obviously I'm disappointed to lose today but I'm very happy with my game and it's been perfect preparation for the Australian Open. I hope to come back next year."