Results - Sunday August 16, 2009

Capdeville defends LG&T title in tense two-setter

by Jeffrey Dunham
Aug 16, 8:30 pm EDT

Chilean No. 2 seed Paul Capdeville successfully defended his title at the LG&T Challenger today, squeaking past South Africa’s No.7 seed Kevin Anderson, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (11). Capdeville absorbed the big serving and raw power of his 6’8" opponent in a match that saw neither player seem to desire to take the initiative. Capdeville, 26, has been suffering with a wrist injury for the past few months and it is only at the LG&T that he has seen a return to form. It comes just in time, as the U.S. Open is just around the corner. Capdeville, currently ranked No. 91, reached the quarterfinals of the main tour events in Vina del Mar and Estoril this year, with a finals appearance in a Futures event in Sao Paulo at the beginning of the year. Twenty-three year old Anderson reached the finals of the Granby Challenger last month and earlier won the event in San Remo, Italy.

Capdeville had an inauspicious beginning to the match, immediately getting down 0-40 in his opening service game, but he eventually held for 1-0. The match uneventfully marched forward on serve until the tiebreak, with nary a break point in sight.

Kevin Anderson in the finals

In the words of ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale, the match was "dead solid even" at six games all, three points all in the tiebreak. Anderson got a mini-break for 4-3 on a sharp crosscourt backhand, and then went up 5-3 with a 115 mph ace. A forehand volley off a high Capdeville backhand gave Anderson 6-3 and set points. Capdeville held his next two service points, and then a nervous backhand sprayed well wide by Anderson pulled the tiebreak even at 6-6. Anderson served out wide for 7-6 and yet another set point, but then framed an easy forehand on a sitter shot by Capdeville. All of a sudden, it was 8-7 for Capdeville. A meek forehand into the net by Anderson gave Capdeville the first set. Capdeville screamed in delight, showing the most emotion that he has expressed all week here in Binghamton.

Anderson seemed to feel that there was nothing to lose after squandering his opportunities in the first set, and immediately broke to start the second. This was the kind of play that he needed at the end of the tiebreak to close it out, as he easily held for 2-0. However, Anderson’s backhand betrayed him repeatedly, as Capdeville broke back on a missed volley to level things at 3-3. Capdeville then held for 4-3, and Anderson had to save several break points with big first serves in order to reach 4-4. Both players held in the next three games, until Anderson was serving at 5-6 to stay in the match. Two consecutive errors by Anderson gave Capdeville 0-30. Anderson hit a 121 mph serve to get to 15-30, but a stretch forehand by Capdeville gave him 15-40 and double match point. Anderson saved both match points against him with aces, ultimately holding for 6-6 with another 121 mph ace. Anderson’s first serve was as hot as the weather, with nearly every one in the 120 mph range.

The second set tiebreak was where the tension really started to mount. Capdeville got to 2-0 on some suddenly-aggressive net play, but his subsequent double fault got the tiebreak back on serve at 3-2. Anderson then served a 132 mph ace, his biggest delivery of the day, to reach 4-3. Capdeville held both serves for 5-4, and Anderson missed a forehand to give Capdeville two match points at 6-4. With one serve remaining, Anderson saved one match point with an ace to cut Capdeville’s lead 6-5. Unbelievably, Capdeville double faulted on match point to even the tiebreak at 6-6. Anderson followed up with an inside out forehand winner to get to 8-7 and set point. Perhaps he would yet rescue victory from the jaws of defeat. However, Capdeville got to match point again at 9-8 when Anderson’s backhand hit the net cord and fell wide. Anderson held both of his serve points for 10-9 and reached yet another set point. Someone in the crowd was heard to say, "No one wants it!"

In the last few points of the second set tiebreak, Capdeville hit an ace himself for 10-10, then followed up with a forehand winner for 11-10 and another match point. Anderson held one of his serves for 11-11, until Capdeville finally stepped it up and hit a forehand crosscourt off an approach shot by Anderson to get the mini-break and yet another match point. Capdeville finally sealed the win with a 106 mph ace.

While the match was tense and action-packed, each player seemed to alternate brilliant shots with egregious errors. Ultimately, it became a matter of who was going to overcome his nerves the best at a crucial moment, and Capdeville’s more extensive big-match experience seemed to be the key.

"Even though I’m disappointed, the match could have gone either way. You’ve got to take the losses and see what you can work on," Anderson reflected philosophically to the crowd after the match.

"I feel really great," Capdeville confessed after confirming that he was just coming back after an injury for the past three months.

Congratulations to the organizers, the volunteers, and the USTA for another extremely well-run event!