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Sousa Muncul Juara Terbuka Malaysia 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, 29 Sept (Bernama) -- Pemain bukan pilihan Joao Sousa mengakhiri rentak kecemerlangannya dengan menjuarai Kejohanan Tenis Terbuka Malaysia 2013 di Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil, di sini Ahad.

Pemain berusia 24 tahun dari Portugal itu bangkit daripada ketinggalan set pertama untuk mengalahkan naib juara dan pilihan kelima, Julien Benneteau dari Perancis 6-4, 7-5 dan 6-4 dalam pertarungan selama dua jam 18 minit itu.

"Rasa macam saya masih bermimpi. Saya gembira kerana dapat membanggakan negara saya dan harap dapat kembali semula dan menang lagi tahun depan," kata Sousa yang menerima hadiah wang US$158,000 (RM509,708).

Kejuaraan itu merupakan pertama buat pemain yang menduduki ranking ke-77 dunia sepanjang penyertaannya dalam siri Jelajah ATP Dunia.

Hadiah kepada Sousa disampaikan oleh Menteri Pelancongan dan Kebudayaan, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Dalam pada itu, Benneteau, 31, ternyata kecewa apabila gagal memburu gelaran itu untuk kali kedua berturut-turut selepas kalah kepada Juan Monaco dari Argentina pada final tahun lepas.

"Perlawanan ini amat sukar. Saya bermain dengan baik dan secara taktikal, saya tidak melakukan sebarang kesilapan tetapi dia (Sousa) menunjukkan persembahan bertenaga.

"Sousa mempunyai azam tinggi selepas menyingkirkan pemain pilihan utama mingu ini dan dia berhak untuk menang," kata Benneteau.

Sousa mula menjadi tumpuan apabila menundukkan pemain nombor empat dunia, David Ferrer dari Sepanyol pada saingan suku akhir sebelum membuktikan kehebatannya sekali lagi dengan mengalahkan pilihan keempat Jurgen Melzer dari Austria di separuh akhir.

Sementara itu, juara acara beregu lelaki dimenangi gandingan Eric Butorac (Amerika Syarikat)/Raven Klaasen (Russia) selepas mengalahkan Pablo Cuevas(Uruguay)/Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) dengan keputusan 6-2, 6-4.

Juara beregu itu menerima hadiah US$48,000 (RM154,848) yang disampaikan oleh Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaluddin.

-- BERNAMA

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