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Llodra breezes to AEGON title win

Michael Llodra showed excellent craft during his win in Eastbourne © Getty Images

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Michael Llodra limbered up for Wimbledon in ideal fashion with a 7-5 6-2 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to take the AEGON International title in Eastbourne.

Conditions were not easy, as the wind whipped up as the sun disappeared from view and it made clean striking extremely difficult.

Both players were strong behind their own serve and there were only two break points in the opening set. Llodra worked his break-point chance at the right time, to earn a set point in the 12th game, and he found a glorious backhand crosscourt pass that clipped the line to secure the opening set.

The players were taken off on account of rain in the fourth game of the second set and it seemed to affect the Spaniard more as Llodra secured a rapid break of serve upon the resumption.

The Frenchman is a canny operator on grass and he moved to the brink of victory with a couple of solid service holds. Llodra worked three match points as the rain started to fall once again. It was so heavy that the players could have gone off, but Garcia-Lopez opted to stay out and it enabled Llodra to wrap up the match.

"I am happy with my form," Llodra said. "It is a great win, I have to enjoy today and it will give me a lot of confidence for next week

"It is never easy when you stop, you can see your coach and get some different tactics, but you have to stay focused until the end."

Sergiy Stakhovsky sauntered to the Unicef Open title, as the Ukrainian dropped just three games in his 6-3 6-0 win over Janko Tipsarevic.

The first set was decided by one break of serve, but Tipsarevic had nothing to offer in the second set as Stakhovsky wrapped up the title courtesy of three breaks of serve.

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