It was the first ATP Tour title win for Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain after he rallied and defeated French player Julien Benneteau at the 2009 Austrian Open, ending the match with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3. Although Garcia lost the first set after leading with a score of 3-2, he showed more consistency in his game than the Frenchman, who was apt to commit more mistakes on the court. Garcia had more luck when Benneteau netted a backhand in the second set. The defeat came when Benneteau netted a backhand return in the decider, after which Lopez was able to convert 2 out of the 10 break sets for the win.
“I am so happy. It was incredible to reach my first final, and now I’ve won it. It was an unbelievable week for me, also an exhausting one. I feel like I need some rest now,” Lopez said after the match.
Garcia-Lopez credits his win to more aggressive play after losing the first set. “It was a tough match. I started to play a bit more aggressively after losing that first set. That made the difference in the end.”
This win makes Garcia-Lopez the fourth Spaniard to win an ATP event in the season, right at the heels of Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo, and Juan Carlos Ferrero.