AP, Washington :
Things were looking bleak for Gael Monfils, a man with a long history of losing tournament finals.
Monfils’ opponent in the Citi Open title match, Ivo Karlovic, was about to serve for the championship and had not been broken all week.
Down but not quite out, Monfils came through, breaking Karlovic twice in a span of four service games and erasing a match point while coming back for a 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory Sunday at the Citi Open to earn his first trophy in 2 1/2 years.
“To be honest,” Monfils said, “today was pure luck.”
Well, maybe, but he deserves credit for figuring out a way to do enough to neutralize the big serve of the 6-foot-11 Karlovic, who was trying to become, at age 37, the oldest man since 1973 to win ATP singles tournaments in consecutive weeks.
“Normally I should have (won). I was better in the first two sets, and I didn’t use my opportunity,” Karlovic said. “And then after that, I was dead. I couldn’t move anymore.”
