Johansson claims Halle win

Johansson moves up to 16th in the rankings

T Johansson (Swe) bt F Santoro (Fra) 6-3 6-7 6-2

Swede Thomas Johansson overcame a spirited challenge from Frenchman Fabrice Santoro for a 6-3 6-7 6-2 victory in the final of the Gerry Weber Open at Halle on Sunday.

Claycourt specialist Santoro, who had never gone beyond the quarter-finals of a grasscourt event before, fought bravely but could not stop Johansson from winning his fifth career title in this Wimbledon warm-up.

"I'm very happy with the way I played. I've had a very good week," said Johansson, whose big serve could be a formidable weapon in Wimbledon later this month.

Johansson, the seventh seed in the $1m tournament, made a tentative start, dropping serve in the third game.

Blistering returns

But he recovered to break his opponent twice before the unseeded Frenchman hit a forehand wide to lose the first set.

The Swede seemed in control, outplaying the Frenchman with devastating serves and blistering returns, when he had to have his left thigh strapped after five games in the second set.

He soon resumed playing and looked fine, breaking the Frenchman with a superb forehand winner to open up a 5-4 lead before serving for the match.

But Santoro lived up to his reputation as a fierce competitor. He broke Johansson with a crisp backhand volley to force a tie break, which the Swede lost 7-5 with a forehand long on set point.

Johansson regained control in the decisive set. He broke Santoro in the sixth game and wrapped it up with a backhand volley on the first match point after one hour and 50 minutes.

The 26-year-old Swede, who has now beaten Santoro five times in six encounters, will move up 16 spots to 16th when the latest ATP Champions Race standings are released on Monday.