No. 12 seed Tommy Paul beat No. 2 Tennys Sandgren in the all-American final of the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open 6-3, 6-4, on Sunday at the Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota, Fla.
The 21-year-old saved 15 break points over the two sets, 13 of those in the second set on the green clay.
Paul was competing in just his second tournament in a return from a quad tendon issue. Last year he struggled with a knee ailment for a majority of the season, but capped his 2018 campaign with a maiden title on the indoor hard courts of Charlottesville.
“The big points really went well for me today,” Paul told broadcaster Mike Cation after the match. “It’s funny because the last time we played in Savannah, it went to 7-6 in the third…I took a few months off again after Australia. It was really frustrating. But to come back again and win the title in my second tournament back is amazing.
Paul improved to 8-4 in career ITF/USTA Pro Circuit finals, while Sandgren dropped to 14-12.
Paul rose 46 spots to No. 158 in the ATP Rankings with the victory.
The men’s doubles final featured the team of Uruguay’s Martin Cuevas and Italian Paolo Lorenzi beating Brits Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara 7-6, 7-6.
For more info go to www.usta.com/news.
