Newport, RI - Frenchman Fabrice Santoro defeated compatriot Nicolas Mahut on Sunday in the first-ever all-French final of the $416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
Santoro, the fourth seed, defeated the fifth-seeded Mahut 6-4, 6-4. It was the first time the two had faced each other.
“I know I can play well on grass, and I played well for the last couple weeks,” Santoro said. “But when you get older, the week seems longer. My style is pretty different than what you see today. Nothing is very big in my game. I have to put the ball where the opponent is not.”
Mahut was playing in his second title match of the year while Santoro appeared in his first final of the year. Mahut lost to Andy Roddick at the Artois Championship in June.
“I served really badly today,” Mahut said. “It was so windy: that was my main problem. I just wanted to put the ball in the center of the court. My serve is my best weapon, and I didn’t serve well. It was very difficult to play aggressively today in these conditions.”
Santoro collected $65,850 for the win while Mahut got $35,500 for finishing second.
Prior to the semifinals on Saturday, fourteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Pete Sampras and four-time major singles titlist Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario were inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
