Del Potro wins Stockholm title after 33-month drought
STOCKHOLM: Juan Martin del Potro won the Stockholm Open on Sunday to end a 33-month title drought, beating sixth-seeded Jack Sock 7-5, 6-1.
Del Potro, who has struggled with wrist problems in recent years, won his 19th ATP tour title — and his first since winning in Sydney in 2014.
The Argentine, who did not drop a set during the tournament, broke his American opponent's serve four times in the final and never faced a break point.
"I've been trying to fix my problems for the past two years and I didn't expect to win a title at this moment in my career," the 28-year-old del Potro said. "I am so happy to get the trophy here. It's motivation for looking forward to the future."
Both players held serve until 5-5 of the opening set, when del Potro raised his game to emerge with a one-set lead.
Sock seemed tired in the second set, holding serve only once and winning just two points when returning serve.
"His serve is massive and very tough to read, which put more pressure on my serve," Sock said. "I've had a long week here and it might have caught up with me a bit."
Midway through the match Sock requested medical treatement for pain in his arm.
Del Potro, beaten by Andy Murray for the gold medal at the Rio Olympics, reached his second final of the year after beating 2013 champion Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals.