Tennis: Chang breaks duck
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Michael Chang finally triumphed in Los Angeles after his fourth appearance in the final, defeating the second-seeded Dutchman, Richard Krajicek, in straight sets on Sunday to claim the Infiniti Open title.
The American raced past the Wimbledon champion 6-4, 6-3 in 72 minutes, avenging his defeat in the 1993 final.
"It feels great to win here," said Chang, who grew up in nearby Orange County. "I've spent a lot of years playing here and this place has always been special to me." This was the 26th title and third of the year for Chang, who now has a career-high world ranking of three.
Krajicek, twice winner of this event, was playing his first tournament since his Wimbledon win, but with the exception of his big serve, the Dutchman was never on top of his game this week.
Krajicek dropped his serve in the opening game and then again in the seventh. He managed to break back to 3-5 but Chang, using his remarkable speed to chase down everything, served out the set.
"The only moment I really felt comfortable was when I broke him back in the the first set," Krajicek said. "He was the one who was dominating basically. I felt I wasn't moving too well and maybe I was a little surprised by his speed. He's a little quicker than the other guys."
In the second set, Chang broke Krajicek to love for a 4-3 lead. He sealed the win with another break in the final game with a cross-court volley.
After piling up 71 aces over his first four matches, Krajicek hit just nine, only two more than Chang. Also crucial was the second-serve percentage where Chang won 71 per cent of his second serve points compared to just 34 for Krajicek.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments