Haase defends Kitzbuehel crown
Dutch third seed Robin Haase beat German top seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-2 to retain his crown Saturday at the ATP tour event in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
Haase, 25 and ranked 42 in the world, secured the first title of his career at the venue 12 months ago and this was his first success since as he picked up the winner's cheque for 64 700 euros ($80 000).
Kohlschreiber gave as good as he got in the opening set and edged the tiebreak but Haase went on to dominate from the back of the court.
The Dutchman was also less affected by the rainbreak which came early in the second set and punctured his rival's momentum.
Returning to the court, Haase broke immediately and never looked back. In the third set he raced into a 4-1 lead, and Kohlschreiber did not help his own cause by squandering three break points.
A consolation for the 28-year-old Bavarian is that his run here will see him break into the world top 20 for the first time.
Both players now head to London to take part in the Olympics tennis tournament at Wimbledon.
