Number two seed, Tobias Kamke, overcame top seed and pre-tournament favourite Flavio Cipolla 6-2, 7-5 in the final of the Aegon GB Pro-Series on Sunday. The German, who currently has an ATP ranking of 96, was the stronger player throughout the match and thoroughly deserved his victory in just less than two hours.
Cipolla struggled to recover after Kamke won all of the first three games in an impressive start which set the tone of the first set. Some brilliant shots from the German, as well as three aces, gave Cipolla little chance to get into the game and it took just 35 minutes for Kamke to seal the first set.
By contrast, the first game of the second set was 15 minutes long and included five deuces, as Cipolla fought to get an early break and a foothold in the game. Three unsuccessful break points however and Kamke appeared to be cruising to victory building his second 3-0 of the match.
Despite being a break down, Cipolla, ranked 16 places above Kamke in the ATP rankings, fought back to level the set at 3-3 in a second set which was much tigher than the first. As the second set progressed, it was Kamke who was fighting to hold onto his own serve, eventually being broken in the ninth game. At 5-4, it looked likely the match would be heading for a third set decider.
Kamke battled back and after a smash secured a vital break back point at 5-5, and after a solid service game left Cipolla serving to stay in the match. Now, it was Kamke who was once again in control and Cipolla was left chasing every point. In spite of a big first serve, Cipolla was unable to repel the Kamke charge as he claimed the second set with a second break of serve to seal a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
For a full report on the Aegon GB Pro Series, including news on Britain’s James Ward and Oli Golding, make sure you pick up a copy of Label Magazine on Friday 18 November.
