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Verdasco tops Roddick for San Jose title

Fernando Verdasco celebrates his fourth ATP title. © Getty Images

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Fernando Verdasco has come from behind to halt Andy Roddick's bid to win his fourth SAP Open title in San Jose, claiming his fourth career title with a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win on Sunday.

Roddick's serve has proved irresistible for most players in the tournament, but Verdasco weathered the storm and released his own torrent of aces to win in his first attempt here after what was an evenly-balanced match overall.

Verdasco, 26, ended a seven-match losing streak against Roddick and a 15-match run of losses against top ten opposition to press his claims for his own place in tennis's elite ranks, having climbed as high as world No.7 last year before dropping to 11th prior to this tournament.

The late-blooming Spaniard stepped up a level after dropping the first set, conceding just four break points in the second set and none in the decider to set up the comeback victory.

After breaking Roddick in the ninth game of the third set, Verdasco held firm and fittingly finished the match off with an ace, his 15th of the match.

Roddick hinted afterwards that a lack of practice had harmed his chances after he spent the lead-up to the tournament recovering from a shoulder injury.

"I don't deserve this title this year," he said. "I was underprepared, underpracticed. I never felt like I owned my game this week."

Verdasco hailed his service game as the platform on which a victory could be constructed against the big-hitting American.

Verdasco said: "The key was like in the matches I've played all week: my serve. I served better in the second and third sets. And I was more aggressive and began to push him around more, played inside the court, got to net a few times."

Meanwhile, top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero has won the Brasil Open after cruising to a 6-1 6-0 victory in the final against Poland's Lukasz Kubot.

In the battle of the veterans, 30-year-old Ferrero claimed his lucky 13th career title by sweeping 27-year-old Kubot off the court in an hour. Kubot's condition had perhaps been affected by playing maximum matches at the tournament having reached the doubles final with Australian partner Oliver Marach.

It wasn't a successful Sunday for Kubot, whose singles result was reflected in the doubles decider, the Kubot/Marach partnership falling 7-5 6-4 to Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers.

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