It may have been a disappointing tournament in the end for Britain's Andy Murray in Rotterdam, at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament, but after his shock quarter-final exit the event did have a close final between Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych. There was little between them either on the world rankings or during their match, but the Swiss number two eventually prevailed in three sets.
Murray's conqueror in Rotterdam, Frenchman Gilles Simon, did not provide much resistance against Berdych in the semi-finals, as he crumbled to a 6-2 6-1 defeat in under an hour's play.
By contrast, Wawrinka had a much closer battle in his last-four match against Canada's Milos Raonic, before taking an hard-earned 7-6 7-6 victory.
The final between Wawrinka (ranked number eight in the world) and Berdych (7) proved to be a tight contest, as many had predicted beforehand. The Czech was clearly keen to retain the title he had won twelve months earlier and with it the ranking points he had secured. The Swiss player was trying to erase any lingering disappointment after his semi-final exit to the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, where he had been the reigning champion.
Wawrinka's extra exertions in his semi-final may have had something to do with his losing of the first set in the final to Berdych by six games to four, but he soon found his game again in the second set to level the match at one set apiece (6-3).
With the momentum going his way by now in the match, he secured the decisive third set 6-4, despite a late fightback by his opponent, to clinch his ninth title on the main tour. The Swiss player clearly enjoys his matches against Berdych, having now beaten him six times in succession.
Murray's elder brother Jamie proved to have the longest run in Rotterdam of the family members, when he reached the final of the men's doubles event with partner John Peers. Unfortunately for the duo, they came undone in a long final, as the pairing of Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau outlasted them 3-6 6-3 10-8.