MONTREAL: Andy Murray confirmed his new-found status as world No2 with a battling win over Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro to take Montreal Masters Tennis title.A tense and high-quality game saw Murray concede a mini-break at 4-4, and with the help of a Hawkeye challenge, Del Potro served out to win the tie break 7-4, and take the first set.The second set proceeded in similar fashion, but only after the opening two games. First Murray broke the Argentine's serve on his fourth opportunity in the game after a bruising series of deuces and break points.But the World No2 then ceded the advantage, losing his serve in the very next game with a combination of errors and some powerful groundstrokes by his opponent.When the set reached 6-6, Del Potro called for the trainer to get some treatment on his shoulder, but he was able to continue. But he made a crucial error in the second tiebreak of the match to allow the Scot to take the lead 4-2. Murray then endured a barrage of Del Potro forehands, as the Argentine attacked the second serve. But the Scot held on to his advantage and won the tie break 7-3 to level the match.The final set was one-sided, as Murray took advantage of a tired-looking Del Potro who began poorly to concede a break in the second game of the final set. After opening up with a double-fault, he dropped his head. Murray raced into a 4-0 lead with a second break of serve after he held his own to love, and although he gave one of the breaks back in the sixth game, the result looked in little doubt. Murray won the final two games to win the match 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
Comments